I Wholeheartedly Disagree

There was an editorial posted last night at the LA Times that had me scratching my head. Check it out here.

It tried to take a reasoned approach to the pending sale of the franchise by asking fans to focus on the operations of the team. That is, we should be hopeful for better management of the organization.

It's important to stay focused on the main issue: to get the team under new, healthier management.

At the same time it acknowledges the negative fan reaction to reports that McCourt is seeking to still own the parking lots- effectively becoming a landlord to the team.

Fans are already grousing that they won't go to the games or park in the lots if McCourt keeps them.

Of course, the writer glosses over this.

For the fans, this shouldn't be about the real estate, it should be about the game.

To this, I say NO!

The writer is mistaken. The fans are thinking about the game when they are desirous of a clean break from the McCourt era. They are thinking about the health of the franchise and the ability of the new owner to field a good team. The fans realize that one cannot go without the other. If the Dodgers are to field a competitive team and win then the owner needs to have full control of all the resources necessary to get that done. And yes, that includes ownership of the parking lots.

Look, I understand what the screams from the True Blue faithful sounds like. As the editorial states:

The goal of the sale is not to punish McCourt but to restore the team's luster.

I agree with this. He's been through enough, but so have we. All we ask for is real change. A change that requires a break from the recent past.