Crazy Like a Fox

There is an AP report today that "Former New York sports executive David Checketts has made a $650 million offer to buy the Los Angeles Dodgers, but the deal must include one of News Corp.'s moneymaking cable channels."

The Dodgers were bought by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. bought the Dodgers for a then-record $311 M on March 19, 1998. The deal was awaiting MLB approval from at least may 12, 1997.

Lest anyone believe the owners cries of poverty, consider that the Dodgers have increased in value at least 100% in five seasons. Here is what they have done on the field since 1997:

The Dodgers are 12th in Winning Percentage and have not made a playoff appearance although 19 other teams have:

Team		W%	WS Win	LCS Win	Div Title 	Wild Card
New York Yankees	.613	3	4	5	1
Atlanta Braves	.612		1	6	
San Francisco Giants	.563		1	2	1
Seattle Mariners	.561			2	1
Houston Astros	.547			4	
Arizona Diamondbacks	.543	1	1	3	
Cleveland Indians	.543		1	4	
Boston Red Sox	.540				2
New York Mets	.539		1		2
Oakland Athletics	.538			2	1
St. Louis Cardinals	.531			2	1
Los Angeles Dodgers	.527				
Chicago White Sox	.509			1	
Anaheim Angels	.509	1	1		1
Toronto Blue Jays	.503				
Cincinnati Reds	.491				
Texas Rangers	.490			2	
San Diego Padres	.483		1	1	
Colorado Rockies	.473				
Baltimore Orioles	.473			1	
Philadelphia Phillies	.464				
Minnesota Twins	.463			1	
Chicago Cubs		.457				1
Florida Marlins	.457	1	1		1
Pittsburgh Pirates	.442				
Montreal Expos	.441				
Milwaukee Brewers	.436				
Detroit Tigers	.426				
Kansas City Royals	.420				
Tampa Bay Devil Rays	.394	

They are ninth in attendance:

Team		Att/G
Colorado Rockies	41,897.10
Baltimore Orioles	41,037.61
Cleveland Indians	40,390.20
Atlanta Braves	38,624.62
New York Yankees	38,619.09
Seattle Mariners	38,528.77
Arizona Diamondbacks	38,290.43
Los Angeles Dodgers	38,133.15
St. Louis Cardinals	38,014.10
Texas Rangers	33,777.60
Chicago Cubs		32,829.40
Houston Astros	32,215.65
San Francisco Giants	32,054.72
New York Mets	31,187.35
Boston Red Sox	30,553.69
San Diego Padres	29,053.33
Anaheim Angels	26,515.77
Toronto Blue Jays	25,597.77
Cincinnati Reds	24,545.33
Milwaukee Brewers	23,370.31
Pittsburgh Pirates	22,473.63
Detroit Tigers	21,988.73
Philadelphia Phillies	20,754.11
Chicago White Sox	20,546.63
Oakland Athletics	20,242.80
Tampa Bay Devil Rays	19,512.13
Kansas City Royals	18,669.80
Florida Marlins	18,092.69
Minnesota Twins	17,465.08
Montreal Expos	11,454.44

And yet they have averaged the second highest team payroll over that period:

Team		Avg Payroll
New York Yankees	$91,056,126.17
Los Angeles Dodgers	$77,823,991.50
Boston Red Sox	$76,692,579.33
Atlanta Braves	$75,991,478.17
Texas Rangers	$75,281,067.83
Arizona Diamondbacks	$73,996,366.00
Cleveland Indians	$73,087,218.17
New York Mets	$70,714,714.67
Baltimore Orioles	$70,169,726.50
St. Louis Cardinals	$60,760,075.67
Seattle Mariners	$60,611,867.00
Chicago Cubs		$59,380,388.67
Colorado Rockies	$57,580,619.83
Toronto Blue Jays	$57,083,138.33
San Francisco Giants	$53,345,182.83
Houston Astros	$51,235,949.17
Anaheim Angels	$48,087,606.50
Chicago White Sox	$45,922,500.00
San Diego Padres	$44,853,697.33
Tampa Bay Devil Rays	$44,055,025.80
Philadelphia Phillies	$41,928,888.67
Cincinnati Reds	$41,273,225.17
Detroit Tigers	$40,759,333.33
Milwaukee Brewers	$38,604,606.00
Florida Marlins	$34,767,514.00
Kansas City Royals	$33,975,833.33
Pittsburgh Pirates	$29,924,516.50
Oakland Athletics	$29,256,597.17
Minnesota Twins	$27,355,333.33
Montreal Expos	$25,777,388.83

I know that these are THE Dodgers that play in the second largest media market in the country and that there is a cable channel being bartered over, but if these numbers warrant a 100% increase, how much have the other successful franchises worth? And how could their cries of poverty found a an audience in the media (besides the fact that they own all of it) during the last Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations?

The players are really going to be kicking themselves by the time this CBA expires.