McCourt: The Nightmare That Never Was…

On April 20, 2011, Major League Baseball took over day-day operations of the Los Angeles Dodgers by appointing Tom Schieffer to monitor the franchise. The move essentially made Frank McCourt a figure head in the organization. McCourt has been vocal about the potential takeover. “No one handed me the Dodgers and no one is going to take it away. I’m not going anywhere.” McCourt said. Meanwhile, Bud Selig has not made a final decision on what to do with the Dodgers. The storied franchise is now filled with uncertainty and it all stems from McCourt’s acquisition of the team in 2004.

Bad business deals, nepotism, and irresponsibility describe McCourt’s tenure as owner of the Dodgers. After purchasing the team, loans were taken out by McCourts to fund their luxurious lifestyle. Similar decisions by McCourt made him essentially house poor and doomed from the start. The team did have success under McCourt but in less than ten years after purchasing the Dodgers, the team is in shambles financially. Earlier this year, it was discovered the Dodgers did not have the money to make payroll in April.

All of New England collectively took a sigh of relief when this story broke earlier this season. After all it was McCourt who attempted to buy the Boston Red Sox back in 2001. McCourt, however, eventually ended pursuit to purchase the Red Sox and the team was sold to John Henry, Tom Werner, and Larry Lucchino.

What if the Red Sox were sold to McCourt?

Sox fans are thankful they don’t have to deal with this scenario but for a time, McCourt was a realistic option to become the new owner of the Red Sox.

Here are a just a few changes that would have occurred if McCourt purchased the Red Sox….

The home of the Red Sox would most likely reside in South Boston. McCourt pitched the idea of moving the Sox to South Boston during his bid to purchase the franchise. A portion of McCourt’s land previously owned in South Boston would have potentially been the future site of the Red Sox.

Fenway Park turns 100 years old next year. The current ownership (Henry, Werner, and Lucchino) has done an extraordinary at upgrading the stadium since 2002. One of baseball’s most treasured ballparks may not exist today had McCourt purchased the Sox.

Theo Epstein would be a general manager in baseball but probably not for the Red Sox. The Lucchino-Epstein relationship began several years ago when Epstein interned with the Baltimore Orioles under Lucchino in 1992. Lucchino later hired Epstein when working with the San Diego Padres. Lucchino’s joint venture with Werner and Henry to purchase the Red Sox brought Epstein to Boston. After a year of working under Lucchino in Boston, Epstein was named the general manger for the Red Sox. The mentor-protégé relationship that existed between Epstein and Lucchino would have likely landed the duo elsewhere had McCourt purchased the Sox.

Epstein’s acquisitions after becoming general manager proved to be invaluable for Boston’s recent success. The Red Sox Championship in 2004 may not exist without Epstein’s contribution. Epstein was a large part of putting the little extra pieces of the 2004 team together. Pedro Martinez and Manny Ramirez were with the Sox prior to Epstein’s arrival but Epstein was responsible for bringing David Ortiz and Curt Schilling to Boston. It’s difficult to envision the Sox winning in ’04 without Ortiz, Schilling, and some of the other key acquisitions before and during the 2004 season.

If McCourt purchased the team in 2001, a potential new park in South Boston would have been built, Epstein would likely be a fixture in another organization, and 86 years would mean nothing. That’s a grim picture for Sox fans.

It was unlikely that McCourt would have won the bidding on the Red Sox when the Yawkey Trust put the franchise up for sale. McCourt bid on the Red Sox but he was not a front runner or close to it. However, it is interesting to ponder the fate of the Red Sox if McCourt had become owner because of the recent success in Boston. The changes over last 10+ seasons under the Henry, Werner, Lucchino ownership have been a large reason the Red Sox are one of the top franchises in baseball.

I find myself wondering what could have been if McCourt had purchased the team and I cringe. I then become comforted by the fact that this is not true.

My sympathies go out to all Dodgers fans.

Interesting Note:

-Former Red Sox Players: Nomar Garciaparra, Manny Ramirez, Derek Lowe, and Bill Mueller were all acquired by the Dodgers post-2004. Even former Red Sox manager Grady Little joined in on the fun at Chavez Ravine. It’s almost like McCourt was trying to create Fenway West out in Los Angeles. I found myself watching highlights of the Dodgers and began to reminisce about the 2004 Red Sox season (Excluding Little of course. He can go to hell).

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