Rumors for legal
Selig will not change Barry Bonds records
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All-time home run king and single season home run leader Barry Bonds will not have his records changed in the Major League Baseball history books, according to commissioner Bud Selig (via The Associate Press).
“In life there’s always got to be pragmatism,” Selig said during a meeting Thursday with The Associated Press Sports Editors. “I think that anybody who understands the sport understand exactly why.”
Bonds currently holds the career home run record with 762 and a single season mark of 73 home runs. He was convicted last week on a single count of obstruction of justice.
Major League Baseball will take over the Dodgers financial operations
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According to Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times, baseball commisioner, Bud Selig, is announced that Major League Baseball will take over the Dodgers financial operations.
Comissioner Bud Selig released the following statement (Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times). “I have taken this action because of my deep concerns regarding the finances and operations of the Dodgers and to protect the best interests of the Club, its great fans and all of Major League Baseball.”
Last week, we learned that team owner Frank McCourt took a loan from FOX of $30mm to cover the Dodgers’ payroll obligations as well as expenses (extra police, hot dogs you know those kind of things) into next month.
Selig recently stopped McCourt from borrowing $200 million from FOX which Tony Jackson of ESPNLosAngeles.com says would put more pressure on Frank McCourt to sell the team. McCourt wanted to use the Dodgers’ cable television rights as collateral, extending the team’s current contract with FOX by as many as four years if he did not repay the loan.
Steve Sugerman, the spokesman for McCourt, declined to confirm the deal or discuss its terms. “The team is meeting its financial obligations as it always has,” Sugerman said, “and will continue to do so.”
To make matters worse, Frank was sued by the Boston law firm that drafted the since-invalidated property agreement that McCourt had relied upon to establish his sole ownership of the Dodgers. No further details are known at this time of the lawsuit.
Dodgers have to borrow money to pay everyday bills
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The title kind of says it all, but things continue to get worse for the Dodgers and their fans. Bill Shaikin of the LA Times reports that the beloved Frank McCourt recently took a loan from FOX of $30mm to cover the Dodgers’ payroll obligations as well as expenses (extra police, hot dogs you know those kind of things) into next month.
Selig recently stopped McCourt from borrowing $200 million from FOX which Tony Jackson of ESPNLosAngeles.com says would put more pressure on Frank McCourt to sell the team. McCourt wanted to use the Dodgers’ cable television rights as collateral, extending the team’s current contract with FOX by as many as four years if he did not repay the loan.
Steve Sugerman, the spokesman for McCourt, declined to confirm the deal or discuss its terms. “The team is meeting its financial obligations as it always has,” Sugerman said, “and will continue to do so.”
To make matters worse, Frank was sued by the Boston law firm that drafted the since-invalidated property agreement that McCourt had relied upon to establish his sole ownership of the Dodgers. No further details are known at this time of the lawsuit.
So why would FOX continue to loan a man money who they know won’t pay them back? They are banking on McCourt not paying them back so that he will be forced to extend the current TV deal the Dodgers have with FOX. FOX would like McCourt to sign a new TV deal in the neighborhood of $3 billion for twenty-years. FOX is pushing McCourt and willing to loan him money to sign a new TV deal as they recently lost the LA Lakers to Time Warner.
Lenny Dykstra charged with embezzlement
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Former Major League Baseball player Lenny Dykstra has been charged with embezzling from a bankruptcy estate, according to the Associated Press.
After Dykstra filed for bankruptcy in 2009, the former outfielder for the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies hid, sold or destroyed more than $400,000 worth of items from his $18.5 million mansion in Southern California. At the time, Dykstra claimed he owed more than $31 million and had only $50,000 in assets.
Authorities say that he was arrested on Thursday for an unrelated grand theft investigation and remains jailed without bail. He was charged with embezzlement on Wednesday.
Barry Bonds guilty of obstruction of justice
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Former MLB star Barry Bonds was found guilty of obstruction of justice Wednesday reports NBCSports.com. Bonds was facing four charges of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice.
The jury failed to reach a verdict on three perjury charges. Following a 12-day trial and almost four full days of deliberation, a jury could not reach a unanimous vote on three of four counts.
Next up is Roger Clemens, a seven-time Cy Young Award winner, scheduled for trial in federal court in Washington, D.C., starting July 6, on three counts of making false statements, two counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of Congress.
Dodgers will implement new tactics to help keep fans safe
Posted by: | CommentsChief Beck of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and Dodgers owner Frank McCourt spoke to the media recently as they addressed the recent events that occurred on opening day at Dodger Stadium to Giants fan Bryan Stow.
Many things will be quickly implemented at Dodger stadium to help keep all fans safe while attending games at Chavez Ravine. The Dodgers will improve lighting around the parking lot, improve video surveillance, implement crime tracking around the stadium (help track problem areas) and will also add LAPD Officers throughout the interior of the stadium, something that the Dodgers had gone away from in recent years. The Dodgers also agreed to revoke the passes of season-ticket holders if they or their guests misbehaved.
Chief Beck called a small portion of the Dodger fans, “a fringe fan base” that is made up of gang members or troublemakers who dress and act the part. “Dealing with them effectively will require bringing the LAPD’s tough stance on street crime into the park. There is an element of society that has adopted the Dodgers and who go to their games for all the wrong reasons. Can I fix that? Sure. I fix that the same way we’re fixing the gang problem in Los Angeles.”
Though I am a Dodger fan for life, it becomes difficult to explain to my small children why people have the “LA” logo on the back of their heads at Dodger games. Yes this is part of that “fringe fan base” Chief Beck was talking about.
It is unfortunate that the Dodgers have been in the spot light for the wrong reasons this year. Obviously the continued court proceeding of the McCourts is a huge issue that has brought unwanted attention to the team, but now the safety of fans has been brought into question. I have no doubt that having LAPD Officers inside the stadium as security compared to an usher telling some tatted up Dodger fan showing his gang tattoos to sit down and shut up will help improve the overall environment and experience for all of the fans that are there to watch and enjoy America’s favorite pastime.
Information from the LA Times was used in this article.
Kevin Mitchell sentenced to 3 years probation for assualt
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Last year, we learned that former National League MVP Kevin Mitchell was ordered to stand trial after being accused of assaulting a man at a golf club at Bonita Golf Club in Southern California.
Yesterday, Mitchell was sentenced sentenced to three years of probation for his attack according to NBCSanDiego.
Mitchell pleaded no contest in March to a misdemeanor count of assault with force likely to cause great bodily injury stemming from the July 2010 incident at the Bonita Golf Club course.
His victim, Leonard Lerma, said Mitchell started the fight on the 13th hole. “I want to show you who I am, motherf–ker,” Mitchell told Lerma. “I’m an old school gangster.”
Lerma also described a fight in which Mitchell slapped him on the cheek, punched him on the cheek and punched him in the forehead.
Mitchell, 48, won the NL MVP in 1989 with the San Francisco Giants, and was on the 1986 New York Mets team that won the World Series. He’s played for nine teams in his 13 year career including the San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, Cincinnati Reds, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians and Oakland Athletics.
Mets fan to sue team after 300-pound drunk man falls on her
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The Barry Bonds trial isn’t the only court case to follow today. Ellen Massey, a New York Mets fan, is suing the team because 300-pound Timothy Cassiby fell five rows onto her neck in 2007. While most people would sue the person inflicting the pain, Massey is suing the Mets because she said the team continued to provide alcohol to an obviously drunk patron of the Shea Stadium.
Today a Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Judith Gische said that there was plenty of evidence for a case.
Here’s what Dareh Gregorian, of the New York Post had to say:
A female witness said that before the incident, Cassidy walked up to her and “randomly took nachos from [her] plate without asking.”
“He took I think two chips and scooped [her fixings] . . . and ate, and then walked back to his seat,” the woman said at a deposition.
He was also being “loud and boisterous,” and another witness testified that “he became real vulgar, started trying to pick a fight with anybody he can. He told me and my cousin he would kick both of our – pardon my French – asses.”
That witness said Cassidy had tried to pick a fight with at least three other people.
“Regardless of whether Cassidy’s fall was sudden and unexpected, a jury could find that it was foreseeable Cassidy’s conduct was putting the safety of other members of the public at risk. The security guards could have confronted or ejected Cassidy from the stadium based on his aggressive behavior towards other fans,” the judge wrote.
“In fact, Sterling’s own policy provides that ‘drunk or disorderly fans will be denied admitance to the stadium.’”
At the end of it all, Cassidy said that he wasn’t drunk and only had three beers – he was just enjoying himself at the game. Cassidy’s friends said that he wasn’t drunk and that he only had “four or five beers”.
Cassidy blames the fall on another man, Eric Metzger, who said he pushed him “after some banter back and forth during the game . . . more or less about the game itself, players, things of that nature.”
Barry Bonds perjury trial set to begin on Monday
Posted by: | CommentsHere are a few quick facts for the upcoming perjury trial involving home run king Barry Bonds:
–Trial will begin on Monday morning with jury selection.
– The case is officially named USA versus Barry Bonds.
– Bonds is facing four charges of perjury and one case of obstruction of justice.
– Case is expected to last 3-4 weeks
– If found guilty, Bonds could serve 10 years in prison.
– The trial will be conducted at the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.
– Several former teammates will be called to testify including Bobby Estalella.
– The case stems from Bonds’ grand-jury testimony from December 2003 where the prosecution says that Bonds lied when asked if he was ever given or was administrered anabolic steroids, testosterone or human growth hormones with needles by personal trainer Greg Anderson from 2000-2002 Bonds denied using any performance-enhancing substances.
Madoff victims trustee going after Wilpon charities
Posted by: | CommentsIt’s no secret that trustee, Irving H. Picard, is trying to recover money for the victims of the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme from the owners of the New York Mets. Not only is the lawsuit going after the assets of the Wilpon family, but it also is targeting charitable funds operated by the Wilpons in an amendment to the lawsuit, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com reports. Apparently, the Wilpon-associated charities had benefited from the Ponzi scheme.
“I had written about six months ago about the Judy and Fred Wilpon Family Foundation, which they started, which you can get the tax returns from online because they’re matters of public record as a private foundation,” Michael Kline, a partner at Fox Rothschild LLP said. “In the 2008 one, filed in 2009, it’s interesting. It indicates a loss — they filed that they were victims. And what was interesting, if you look more closely, it appears the foundation got distributions of $1 million more than the foundation actually paid into Madoff on a separate form they attached.”
According to the lawsuit, one charity had “fictitious profits” of $2,230,588.
New York reportedly has looked into selling 20-25 percent of the team which is valuated around $214.5 million.
