The Commish finally pulled the plug on former friend Frank McCourt. This morning the Los Angeles Dodgers filed bankruptcy in Delaware. Besides being the first state in the union, and the home of former US Senator, Joe Biden, it's just as famous for being a destination state for folks who want to establish corporations with a minimum of government scrutiny and cost. Understandable. Most folks I know prefer fewer government fingers in their business pies, not more. And I'm sure its legitimate from a business standpoint. Its just one of those things that just doesn't seem to be right in this case. One of MLBs 6-8 centerpiece franchises the Los Angeles Dodgers turns out to be a Delaware Corporation. Not bad. Just strange. Which is what the Dodgers have become ever since Frank and Jamie McCourt rode into town in a highly leveraged limousine. Maybe if it were the Giants, it wouldn't seem unseemly. The ownership of the Giants is famous for being fan and community friendly. Not just towards its fans, but everybody in the Bay Area. It is no accident. That precedent was established almost twenty years ago by Harlan and Sue Burns, the biggest financial stakeholders in the Giants when they bought out Bob Lurie in 1992.
There will be more gossip, hand-wringing and finger-wagging to come, as McCourt will seek to blame everybody and anybody but himself for the demise of his and his former wife's glass-jawed financial empire. There seems to be some sort of raw cosmic equilibrium in all of this; the Giants losing the Burns to early passing after heroic battles against a dread disease, and now some two years later, the Dodgers soon to be rid of their owners to all manner of unseemly behavior.
Here is some of what I wrote about a year ago:
Sue Burns' battle with cancer was wearing her down at the end; too ill to come to the park that night. She passed away on July 26, two weeks after Sanchez' no-hitter--barely enough time to say farewell to her legions of friends, family, and fellow Giants.
We don't often think of women when referring to teammates. But Sue Burns was truly a Giant. The ultimate team mom. Those who played little league right on up through college ball and the low minors all have numerous and great memories of "team moms." The rides to and from practice and games. Win or lose, there was always a hug, a smile and a "you'll get 'em next time" from Team Mom.
Even in the low minors where young players are housed with willing families, it is the team mom who helps keep the homesick blues away from young players away from home for the first time and thrust into the cut-throat world of professional sports. We simply do not hear enough about them. Their stories are too droll by today's standards of slam-bam, 24-hour celebrity news cycles. Sue Burns was the exception. She was Barry Bonds best friend when he had no friends. Thats what team moms do. They befriend the friendless, comfort the disturbed, and like the unlikable. Team Moms accept us for who we are. No matter what.
If ever a picture were worth a thousand words, this is it. The late Sue Burns, San Francisco Giants principal owner and team mom. Former school teacher. This is what was written about her by Jim Doyle, at the Chronicles website the week of her passing into history: "Mrs. Burns shied away from Bay Area society circles.She talked plainly and dressed casually. She served on the board of the Sequoia Hospital Foundation, and donated to the charity's gala in 2007 a collection of signed baseballs. She was a board member of the Giants Community Fund.
Following the tradition of her husband, Mrs. Burns co-hosted parties for the coaches and management staff in San Francisco and at spring training in Scottsdale."And in the picture just to the right of her, is embattled billionaire owner Frank McCourt around the time he fired his wife--via text message. From ESPN in August 2010 on the verge of the McCourt divorce trial:
"Today, what began as boardroom and bedroom bickering has become tabloid fodder in LA. Details of their spat, once the domain of baseball blogs and Twitter feeds, now rival the latest nuttiness from Lindsay Lohan and Mel Gibson for splashy headlines in the Los Angeles Times. The McCourts came to Hollywood expecting star treatment. They just didn't expect to star in a reality show about their crumbling marriage. Once the divorce trial begins, on Aug. 30, sordid details of their troubles will likely be aired coast-to-coast." Frank McCourt litigated and leveraged a Boston parking lot into the Dodgers. Mainly by suing people: "To understand who Frank is you have to realize he's not a developer, he's a litigator," says a former business associate who spoke on condition of anonymity, fearful Frank might sue him."
I do not know if a bigger contrast in professional sports ownerships exists. Giants fans are fortunate. World Series Champs after 56 years of failure, Willie Mays 80th birthday party, AT&T Park, The Burns Legacy. Sue Burns. Fortunate children indeed.
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