Counting down, and what's to come.

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Exactly ten months ago, Jamie McCourt filed for a divorce from her husband of nearly 30 years. From the outset, the dispute centered on a short document, signed by the couple in the Spring of 2004, called a Marital Property Agreement. The contract, which purports to give Frank the Dodgers and Jamie the couple's residential real estate holdings in a divorce, will be tested for enforceability beginning next week.

If this isn't the end, you can at least start to see it from here. After several months of haggling over issues large (private jets) and small (staples), the McCourt divorce comes down to the validity of a few pages of boring, neat legal text. And though a settlement appeared to be growing in likelihood only weeks ago, every indication remains that the trial will start Monday as scheduled.

So what can you expect from me?

Sunday, I will post a comprehensive preview of the trial. You know the basics: if the MPA holds, Frank keeps the team, and Jamie walks. If the MPA is struck down, the McCourts would have to work together to keep the team in the family, or--more likely--would be forced to sell the team. With the trial preview I'm posting Sunday, the goal would be for you to know pretty darned well what's going on if you happened to find yourself in the courtroom. Think of it as a viewer's guide to the McCourt trial.

During the week, I will post updates here as possible, likely multiple times each day. Quicker notes and nuggets are easier to share via Twitter, where you can find me listed as @DodgerDivorce. If you're not into Twitter but still want to stay abreast, just point your browser to www.twitter.com/DodgerDivorce. This works for other people who will have news and notes, too, like @Molly_Knight and @dylanohernandez.

We'll also try to do some fun stuff too, so check back here for updates. Finally, if there's anything you want to talk about, or would like me to cover in detail before the trial, please let me know in the comments, by e-mail, or through my Twitter account. I have little idea exactly how the next few days will play out, logistically, but it's exciting to know that, one way or the other, the Dodgers short- and mid-term future will be resolved shortly.
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Checking in.

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Hi all...sorry things have been so slow around here lately. The lack of posts is a product of two factors: first, there just isn't a whole lot going on in divorce-land. Unless you're big into the "what will Joe Torre do?" sort of thing. For a number of reasons, I'm not. He does this dance nearly every season, going back to his New York days. What's more, I'm not convinced he's worth the money and drama. But that's neither here nor there.

The second reason things have slowed is that, in addition to a dearth of news, I started a new job last week. My schedule will even out some in the coming weeks, but I've been awfully busy trying to get started on excellent terms. The market is still rough, and I'm grateful to have a job. So, for the next couple weeks, unless some divorce news smacks us in the mouth, posts will probably be sparse.

This isn't meant to be a break or sabbatical or time off. I just don't feel like forcing posts out when there's not much going on, and it just so happens this lack of news occurs at a "good" time for me. Rest assured that if anything floats my way, it'll make this site quickly.
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Holiday link round-up, and a bit of site news.

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Today's first link comes from the Sporting News, which suggests that the Dodgers are having a rougher season than the Anaheim Angels (no, I'm not over it). Stan McNeal writes: 

Since season's end, the Dodgers have watched their most consistent starter, lefthander Randy Wolf, sign with the Brewers without even offering him arbitration. They gave away reserve outfielder Juan Pierre to the White Sox and have grown resigned to losing free agent second baseman Orlando Hudson. 

Alright, so losing Hudson and Wolf are blows. But we all know that "most consistent" can mean a lot of things, including "not the most talented." We're going to miss Wolf, but it's not out of the realm of possibility that both Billingsley and Kershaw are better next season, right? And unless I just don't have the pulse of the community down, most people seem pretty pleased with the Pierre move.

Next, we turn to our new friend Tracy Ringolsby, this time writing for Baseball America. Dude is like a ninja or a nuclear sub. By the time you figure out where he's coming from, he's attacking from somewhere else entirely. Cowboy Tracy notes...wait. Wait just a minute. Um, here's a quote: 

It's why the team could shed more than $40 million in salary from 2009, and celebrated the holidays with two major holes in its rotation, a major question at second base and deficiencies in its bullpen. 

The offseason so far had consisted of shipping Juan Pierre to the White Sox--which came only when the Dodgers agreed to pick up $8 million of the remaining $18.5 million that Pierre will earn in the next two seasons--and the signing of versatile Jamey Carroll to a two-year deal worth less than $4 million.

It's not like the rest of the division has been shaking up the baseball world. 

If that sounds familiar, it's because I quoted the nearly-exact same text from this Ringolsby article which ran on Fox Sports a few days ago. The details on Pierre's trade to the Cubs White Sox have been cleaned up, and the more recent piece has some additional content (and a different dateline--now DENVER rather than CHEYENNE). I know Ringsolsby writes for both Baseball America and Fox Sports, but I'm not aware of any other relationship between the two outlets. I'm sure it's an arrangement between them with respect to Ringolsby's work. You know what...I'm confused. Let's leave this one behind.

Our last link today is to the Times' sports blog, "The Fabulous Forum." In the featured poll, 94% of voters don't believe the Dodgers' party line: the divorce isn't affecting baseball and business decisions. That's pretty amazing to me. While it's easy to play off that kind of disparity as the result of an intelligent and discerning public (which is true), I think there's something more fundamental at work. 

I believe the McCourt regime has lost the fans. I think Frank McCourt could publicly say that charitable giving is a productive use of extra cash during the holiday season and most Dodger fans would react skeptically. The relationship between the organization and its fans is broken, and Frank and Dennis must be mindful that the folks who buy tickets and merchandise aren't supporting the club's leadership, but rather the team on the field and the Los Angeles community in general. 

This brings me to my holiday wish for the Dodgers: that whatever is done be done for the team on the field--next season and into the foreseeable future. If that's cutting costs and streamlining processes, fine. We can accept that. What won't be tolerated are decisions motivated by concerns unrelated to the on-field product, all aspects considered. I mean this sincerely: Dodger fans can be proud of a struggling team. We cannot abide by a struggling infrastructure which causes its own problems.

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Beginning early next week, I will be contributing a weekly article to The Hardball Times. The articles will rarely be Dodgers-centric, and you will miss nothing relevant to the divorce should you choose not to follow me over once a week. Nothing will change about our conversations on the divorce, and how it affects the Dodgers on and off the field. Actually, that's not quite true--I'm hopeful that some folks with new perspectives  will join our discussion and add some interesting views. The DodgerDivorce Twitter account and e-mail address (@gmail.com) will remain the best external ways to interact with me about the divorce (and the team in general). I know I'm beating a dead horse here, but your comments, tweets, and e-mails have been the most gratifying part of my experience in this little corner of the internet.

To those of you celebrating the holidays this weekend, everyone who recently came out of a holiday, and especially those who attack every day like a holiday: the season's greetings to you and yours. I imagine things will be fairly quiet around here for the next few days, barring a bout of cabin fever which can only be cured by blogging.

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Some housekeeping and a note on length

Hey guys. Things have been getting a little long-winded around here, and I understand that. The goal, going forward, is to be a little more quick-hitting in providing instant analysis of breaking news along with the longer thoughts on big-picture issues. I thought it important, though, to lay out the basics at length.

Josh

Hello, and welcome!

Greetings, Dodger fans, and a pleasant afternoon to you, wherever you may be. Welcome to Dodger Divorce, a blog designed to be your one-stop shop for news and insight into the McCourt divorce and how it will affect the Boys in Blue.

A little about myself: I am a self-professed Dodger diehard, a news addict, and a law nerd. I grew up in Los Angeles, attending as many Dodger games as I possibly could. Seats 1-4 of the Loge Level, Aisle 124, Row D served as the epicenter of my indoctrination. The generous, kind, and wise Sid was my guide--I believe the Dodgers called him an usher, though. My favorite moment at Chavez Ravine? Definitely the Alex Cora 18-pitch at-bat which ended with a homer. As far as Stadium cuisine goes, if I wasn't eating a Dodger Dog, I was dipping fries in ice cream.


Anyhow, thanks for stopping by. I hope you find this little corner of the internet to be thorough, informative, and enjoyable. Let me know what more I can do to keep you in the Dodger Divorce loop.