Dodger divorce could get very ugly

As the Los Angeles Dodgers battle the Philadelphia Phillies for a World Series birth, their owners Frank and Jamie McCourt are battling one another in divorce court. Since this was a story that could not be contained until after the post season, it is sure to get very ugly. Further complicating this situation is the fact that Jamie McCourt serves as the CEO of the Dodgers, and is unwilling to give up her role with the team. Another problem for the team is that under California law Jamie would be entitled to half of the Dodgers in a divorce proceeding. It is unclear at the moment if the couple had signed a pre-nuptial agreement.

Frank McCourt bought the team from Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp in 2004 for 271 million dollars. The sale included Dodger stadium and Forbes Sports Money has the worth of the organization at 722 million dollars. That means under California law Jamie McCourt would be owed 361 million dollars for her half of the team.

Dodgers GM Ned Colleti stood on the field last night, possibly unaware of the freight train that is headed his way. For an example of how an owner’s divorce can affect a team he needs only look 120 miles to the south. Two years ago, after finishing tied for the National League West division lead, Padres owner Jeff Moorad and wife Becky filed for divorce. The resulting legal actions caused the team to become paralyzed and ultimately led Moorad to sell the team off. The Padres have yet to recover from this incident. In 2008 they lost 99 games, and in 2009 they were unable to improve significantly.