THE BANKRUPT BUMS OF SUMMER-We are paying the price for the $180 million looting of the Dodgers by the money grubbing Boston Parking Lot Attendant and the extravagant Princess Jamie, “his tense, skinny Chihuahua of a wife who favors a look that could be described as Real Housewives Business Casual.”
To put this in the proper perspective, if the Dodgers had invested an additional $20 million to strengthen their lineup instead of paying divorce lawyers, the Bums may have won an additional 10 (or more) games, including a few against the division leader, the Arizona Diamondbacks, and our struggling friends from San Francisco. As a result, LA would have been an integral part of a three way fight for the National League West and a spot in the playoffs.
Unfortunately, with only 36 games left in the season, the Dodgers are for all practical purposes eliminated from the playoffs. The division leading Diamondbacks’ magic number is 25, where a combination of 25 Arizona wins and Dodger losses will statistically eliminate the Bums from the playoffs.
For the Dodgers to win the National League West, they would need to win over 80% of their remaining games while the Arizona Diamondbacks and the San Francisco Giants would both have to have serious slumps.
Barring a major miracle for the light hitting Dodgers, this is not going to happen.
The Bums (57-69) will be lucky to have a breakeven season. To do so, they need to win two-thirds of their remaining games.
But the Dodgers are leading the Major Leagues in one critical category: the drop in attendance. Fans have deserted the Dodgers because of their revulsion with the Big Dog lifestyle and antics of Boston Frankie and Princess Jamie, compounded by the lack of basic security in the alcohol crazed, gang infested Chavez Ravine.
After 65 home games, Dodger attendance is off 515,000 fans, or almost 8,000 per game. In contrast to this 18% decline, MLB overall attendance is essentially breakeven. No wonder Commissioner Bud Selig wants to seize this struggling, debt ridden, poorly managed team in the nation’s second largest market.
But this 18% decline attendance does not reflect the increased level of no shows and wide spread discounting of tickets, causing an even greater decrease in stadium related revenues (tickets, parking, concessions, and souvenirs). Overall, this revenue stream will be off by a minimum of $30 million and may even exceed $40 million.
Needless to say, this rapid decline in stadium revenues contributed to the Dodgers’ lack of liquidity and the subsequent bankruptcy filing in Delaware.
But what can Dodger fans do to hasten the departure of Frankie, a son of the corrupt Boston construction industry?
Plenty!
We can vote with our wallets by boycotting the remaining 16 home games, starting with the six game home stand beginning on Friday, August 26 against Colorado and San Diego, two “who cares” series with losing teams.
And after an 11 game road trip with Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Washington, and San Francisco, all teams with better records, the Dodgers will most likely be out of contention when they return for the final 10 game home stand beginning on Monday, September 12 against the Diamondbacks.
While fans may relish the prospect of the Dodgers being a spoiler to the pennant hopes of the Diamondbacks and Giants, the real spoilers are the boycotting True Blue fans. We need to send a loud and clear message to the banks (including Bank of America), Major League Baseball, and Princess Jamie that Boston Frankie needs to get out of town.
If attendance at the next 16 home games averages less than 32,000, the Dodgers will rank twelfth in attendance, a far cry from last season when they ranked third behind the Yankees and Phillies.
This end of the season nose dive in attendance and its impact on the Dodgers financial condition and prospects will drive everybody absolutely ballistic.
The banks, under increasing pressure from government regulators, may be forced to demand repayment on the nonperforming loans to the Dodgers and their related entities.
Major League Baseball will petition the Federal Bankruptcy Court in Delaware to be allowed to seize the overleveraged team pursuant to the constitution of Major League Baseball.
MLB will also petition the Court to ban the Dodgers from paying for any of Frankie’s personal expenses, including his settlement with the Princess and all other related expenses, advances, or loans.
Princess Jamie, worried about her nest egg, will demand that the Divorce Court order the supervised sale of the Dodgers and related assets before Frankie, the river boat gambler, causes the Dodgers to be worth less than the over $700 million mountain of debt.
Fortunately the fate of the Dodgers will not determined by Frankie. Rather, the Federal Bankruptcy Court and Divorce Court hold major trump cards that may be used to disenfranchise the Boston Parking Lot Attendant. And these two courts will be well advised as to the rights of the Princess and the team’s creditors and the impact of the Dodgers’ deteriorating financial condition.
And do not forget Fox Sports. They will petition the Bankruptcy Court to force the Dodgers to honor its existing media rights deal that expires in November, 2012.
And just maybe, Fox will demand that Boston Frankie repay the $30 million advance that he used to meet payroll in April and May, forcing him into personal bankruptcy.
While True Blue fans have no standing in the courts, we can increase the financial pressure on the Dodgers and Boston Frankie by keeping our wallets closed and staying at home, listening, if you must, to Vin Scully.
BOYCOTT Boston Frankie’s Dodgers.
(Jack Humphreville writes LA Watchdog for CityWatch He is the President of the DWP Advocacy Committee and the Ratepayer Advocate for the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council. Humphreville is the publisher of the Recycler -- www.recycler.com. He can be reached at: [email protected] ) –cw
Tags: Frank McCourt, Jamie McCourt, McCourts, Dodgers, boycott, San Francisco Giants, Arizona Diamondbacks, divorce court, bankruptcy
CityWatch
Vol 9 Issue 67
Pub: Aug 23, 2011