Dodgers Look For Magic, Marlins Find It In Miami!

I read the news today, oh boy! The Dodgers were sold to a consortium fronted by Magic Johnson. For two freaking billion dollars! I'm not exaggerating! Frank McCourt took the money so he could pay off his divorce settlement. Good riddance! Because of McCourt I have gone two years without seeing a game at Dodger Stadium. A place I've been visiting since 1965, maybe a 1000 times overall. I missed the experience but promised myself not to give that guy a dollar, even if the tickets were free! So now what?

It seems too good to be true. After all I share a memory of note with Magic Johnson. We were both at the last World Series game played at Dodger Stadium. Game 2 in 1988 when Orel Hersheiser shut out Oakland with his arm and his bat! I was waiting in a beer line on the field level when I heard a rustle of commotion and turned to see a towering figure heading to his seat. People were applauding and giving Magic high-fives. It was such a sweet time in Los Angeles, both the Lakers and Dodgers winning championships in 1988. It seems so long ago.

My happiness about the sale is tempered by the news that McCourt has a partial stake in the land surrounding Dodger Stadium. If it's developed (see my last piece about an NFL stadium site) he will make even more money. Are you kidding me? That's like getting married and your wife says: "Oh yeah, my ex-husband lives next door. Don't worry, he won't bother you." Anytime McCourt's named is mentioned, its going to bother me.

Meanwhile across the country something truly wonderful is happening. The Florida Marlins have become the Miami Marlins (nice ring to that!) with new uniforms and a new retractable roof ballpark that makes me want to get on a plane and check it out. No more rain outs for the franchise that won the World Series in 1997 and 2003. That's right, a team that began in 2003 has won two championships in the same time the Dodgers have won zero. I've always liked the Marlins, who won a dramatic Game 7 in extra innings to beat Cleveland in 1997 and vanquished the mighty Yankees in 2003, becoming the last team to win the Series at old Yankee Stadium. Those playoffs included the infamous Steve Bartman inning vs The Cubs, one of the wildest baseball games ever played.

Miami's new stadium looks incredible, like something out of Star Trek and the new uniform looks great on their big free agent signing Jose' Reyes and new manager Ozzie Guillen. I'd like to think this is the year for the Dodgers, but the McCourt hangover is going to last until Magic and his partners completely take control. Until then, I think a team doing all the right things should win it all, and that team is the Miami Marlins.