Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times continued his excellent reporting of the divorce battle between Dodger owner Frank McCourt and his wife Jamie, the former CEO of the team, in anticipation of the upcoming trial, set to begin August 30.
↵Shaikin wrote yesterday that both sides are willing to settle:
↵↵↵That leaves the two sides arguing solely about money, which in theory should facilitate a settlement. Yet the McCourts cannot decide how to split the pool of money until they agree on the size of that pool.
↵“One of the problems in settling this case is the total disconnect between the parties on what the team is worth,” said Steve Susman, the attorney for Frank.
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At the heart of this case, of course, is the worth of the Dodgers. On one hand, this case is fascinating, as we get to see several layers peeled back of the innards of a baseball team’s finances, even if we have to filter each layer through the B.S. meter to find the nuggets of accuracy. On the other hand, as each new detail is revealed, the process becomes more and more unsavory by the minute.
↵Frank will claim the team is worth roughly the same as a 1978 El Camino pickup, while Jamie will contend the Dodgers are worth a billion dollars or more. As always, the truth lies somewhere in the middle.
↵If a divorce settlement can lead to this process being over in the absolute quickest way possible, I’m all for it.