Frank and Jamie McCourt talk Dodgers future, divorce settlement

Comments from the news conferences after the Friday morning announcement of a divorce settlement between Frank and Jamie McCourt:

From Frank McCourt:

"I'm very, very pleased we have put this matter behind us. Now we can focus on baseball again."

"It has dragged out far too long. I'm sorry that the fans have had to go through this. I feel horrible about it. But I'm really pleased and relieved today that we can finally put this phase behind us and move forward and go play and win baseball games."

"When you're talking about a very long marriage and going through all that we went through to get this wrapped up, you're not going to sit here and say you're happy. It is not a happy thing. But it is a feeling of relief. I am pleased. I am pleased for everybody, from the community to my children to the fans to me -- and to Jamie, quite frankly -- that we can put this phase of our lives behind us and we can go rebuild our lives."

The settlement is contingent upon Major League Baseball's approval of a long-term television contract with Fox. Would he sue if MLB rejects the contract?

"I fully expect MLB to approve the Fox transaction. MLB has taken the position that, before they approved the transaction, they wanted to see either a settlement of the divorce, or Jamie's consent, or an order from the judge. Today, they received all three. I fully expect that they will be good to their word, and they'll approve the transaction in a timely way."

Can he meet payroll on June 30 without approval of the Fox contract?

"Yes ... I fully anticipate that to be a moot point."

PHOTOS: The Dodgers and the McCourts

The settlement also requires him to establish the Dodgers as his sole property or else split the assets 50-50. If he cannot, does that mean the Dodgers would be sold?

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

From Jamie McCourt:

"I'm just hoping for resolution. I hope this is a step toward that resolution. I'll be happy when there is final resolution."

"I love the Dodgers. I love the community. I love the fans. I just will focus on what I have to focus on now to get to the next step."

"The most important thing for me is to have resolution. I think it's the most important thing for my family, my children, certainly the fans, and certainly baseball. The quicker there is resolution, which is what we have been trying to accomplish for the past two years, the better."

RELATED:

The McCourts announce settlement

Photos: The Dodgers and the McCourts

Baseball expanding investigation into Dodgers

Dodgers' June 30 payroll looms large in McCourt case

McCourts' settlement also could affect Los Angeles Marathon

-- Bill Shaikin

Photo: Frank McCourt. Credit: Nick Ut / Associated Press

Comments

[John]

She loves the Dodgers, community and fans? All she loves is $$$$$

[Samuel Chavez]

GO AWAY!!!!

[Lou]

Selig

If you approve this Fox deal, you will have effectively destroyed MLB in the second largest market in the country.

[Joe Chorneau]

Does this mean we are likely to have this mug for the owner and not Mark Cuban? Man! Don't let this happen!

[bruce]

i am so happy for frank that he can rebuild his life. but do it somewhere else. move on frank . hopefully gordon will force the sale.

[Scott]

What a bunch of crooks those two are.

[jim McVeigh]

Get ready for the mccourt DYNASTY!!!!!!! buddie will approve because buddie smells the money like a cadaver dog smells a corpse. Anyway we will all atart supporting frankie again, he will put on his contrite or should I say contrary act and we will fall for it. buddie will sell us out like he has sold out MLB all these years. Remember buddie`s philosophy, the more teams, more $$$$$$. More teams in the playoffs means $$$$$$$. they are NFG and only care about money not winning. Winning the NL west should be easy as pie for a city this size and thats what they will do. BUT THEY ARE NOT INTERESTED IN A WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP PERIOD!!!! That would spoil the cash cow from giving its (MONEY) milk.

[Rob McMillin]

Proposed pay-per-view event: Frank and Jamie cage match. Winner gets a one-way ticket to Boston, loser goes for a swim in the La Brea tar pits.

[matt]

This is bad news for Dodger fans. This means that a sale will not be forced, McCourt will retain complete control of the team, Selig will approve the Fox contract, and MCOURT IS FREE TO SPEND THAT MONEY THE SAME WAY HE DID BEFORE!! HE WILL NOT PUT THAT MONEY INTO THE DODGERS!! HE WILL A G A I N SPEND IT FOR HIMSELF AND HIS RIDICULOUS LIFESTYLE!!! DO NOT TRUST MCCOURT!!! HE BETRAYED US ONCE! HE WILL DO IT AGAIN!!!! B O Y C O T T!!!!!

[raul constancio]

Boycott Dodger games or pay for the McCourts divorce.

[brian]

Jamie, your vocabulary word for the day is 'resolution'...please use it in a sentence.

[brian]

If I read the article right, if they don't sell the team and Frank is named sole owner, he has to pony up 100 million to pay Jamie off, right? Where is THAT money gonna come from? Surely Selig wouldn't dare finance this guy's divorce settlement for him...would he?
oh man...this just keeps gettin uglier.
"Lou" may have it right: Selig needs to make the next decision in the best interest of baseball...not this lowlife McCourt...not matter how much he has been promised.

[BOYCOTT THE DODGERS]

Don't spend a dime on these criminals! Let everyone you know that the boycott will not end until these sleaze bags are out of LA.

[Fan]

The damage is done, if you care one bit about the Dogers and their fans, you will sell the team and purchase a season ticket. You have made a mess out of a wounderful team full 0f great history. I blame MLB more than I do the McCourts, Mlb should have known better. McCourts couldn't buy the Red Socks so you stick LA fans with them. What was the logic ????????????????

[SoccerDad]

As a Dodger fan for 50 years, I will not watch the Dodgers on TV, or step foot into the stadium until Baseball takes the team away from these people. I am also boycotting any business that advertizes with the team - get that Famer John. I call on all loyal Dodger fans to do the same.

If Baseball allows the McCourts to keep the team, it is a message to all that money means more that the game does.

It is a shame that the fans have to put up with this. Thank god for the Buss family!

[Dodger Dude]

The Fox deal seems to be going to the Divorce instead of the organization. If Selig approves the deal knowing this, he is toast and so is MLB. I can't see him approving any deal unless the investigation turns up clean. I love the Dodgers but I refuse to support that family based on what I know. Go Blue!

[Adam]

As a fan who normally goes to 20-30 games a year and has been to ZERO this year and has watched approximately 2 innings TOTAL on tv, I will not go to a game or watch it on TV until we get new owners.

[Larry Espinosa]

I have been a Dodger fan all of my life thst's 58 years of being loyal through the good and bad times. But what this clown has done to this storied franchise is beyond belief. It has become the laughing stock of MLB and I think Mccourt should find a deep hole to climb into. I also blame MLB for allowing the sale to a person who really did not have the money to buy the club in for first place. I hate to say this but I have gone to my last Dodger game and I guess I'm now an Angel fan. The only redeeming quality about the Dodger's is Vin and when he retires you might as well move the team to Montana.

[nasser tarrish]

Hey Frank do whats best for LA and the Dodgers sell the team get the hell out of LA go some place far far away perhaps another galaxy Far far away anywhere but California or where we can still hear of your exsistence and while your at it take your ex with you and your 3 sons as well.Im sure the dodger fans and people of LA are tired of your act

[David]

I am with SoccerDad. Same age. Same time being a fan. If MLB releases the Dodgers back into McCourt's custody, I am done. Sadly, genuinely tearfully, regretfully: but done. Won't ever go back to Chavez Ravine, won't watch or spend ANY sum WHATSOEVER toward MLB. No, really. Done. I haven't watched a single pitch this year. Only thing I will do is send Vin Scully a heartfelt thank you card for what he has meant to me in my life.

[16blows]

Frank is certain, Jamie hopeful, Selig silent, the Court yet to arbitrate.

McCourt/dudgers/Fox... as Vin Scully says, 'pull up a chair folks, we're just getting started here'.

[Jack]

No different than what the Lakers are doing.
Oops, they win so its ok.

[Michael E]

Hey Bud, kick these Boston Beaners to the curb......right now the Dodgers suck!!

[NorCal Dodger]

Earth to Frank: It is not true that "we can finally put this phase behind us and move forward and go play and win baseball games". YOU are never going to go PLAY and win baseball games. Your team has been playing baseball all along while you have been playing with yourself and jerking around the fans and team. And they have not been winning because you have done your best to destroy them. And this is NOT behind you. So get "behind" out of your head and your head out of your "behind".

[Higgins]

I'm not getting my hopes up. I've had a bad feeling all along that McCourt would just end up retaining control of the team anyway. Are you guys really happy putting all your hopes on the decision of Bud Selig? Ugh.

[VekikS]

I am a lifelong Dodger fan and will be done with them if Mc Court remains the owner.

Boycott the Dodgers until they are sold.

[joey]

McCourts - LEAVE LA LEAVE LA LEAVE LA LEAVE LA LEAVE LA LEAVE LA LEAVE LA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[VekikS]

To those that ask why the uproar now?? well;

The divorce proceedings revealed that they had taken out more than 100mil without paying taxes on the money. It also revealed they were paying their sons 600k to go to school from Dodger revenue too. They also paid some crazy shaman to cast a spell in their favor. These revelations along with the Brian Stow indecent and the overall decline in the product are what has driven us away. Yes we were pissed about the homes but then we didn't have the opportunity to remove them back then, now we can . Another reason we are acting up now. This is our chance to get rid of the McCourts.

Boycott until the McCourts are gone!!!!

[Jesup11]

Please, go away.

Nobody wants you here, and the fans will stay away until you leave.

Give us back our team.

[PAUL]

LET'S GO GIANTS.....LET'S GO GIANTS...

[Native Angeleno]

F***k says "I fully expect MLB to approve the Fox transaction. MLB has taken the position that, before they approved the transaction, they wanted to see either a settlement of the divorce, or Jamie's consent, or an order from the judge. Today, they received all three. I fully expect that they will be good to their word, and they'll approve the transaction in a timely way."

So, Bill, DID the judge order MLB, as if he could, to approve the Fox deal??? You don't say. Since when does MLB agree to a bad deal that drags the other owners down financially on the sayso of the wife/co-owner??? Is F***k delusional, or a liar? You don't give us a clue.

If the judge did speak on that matter one way or the other, that would have been the headline that screamed.

We need clarification, LA Times. Why are all the articles so opaque and sketchy? It's like after reading these stories, we need to go to a palm reader or search thru Nostradamus to connect the small numbers of dots provided.

[Ruben Rodriguez]

"I love the Dodgers. I love the community. I love the fans. I just will focus on what I have to focus on now to get to the next step." - Jamie McCourt

Are you kidding me lady?

You love money....You are not part of the community. Your family's behavior has alienated the fans and destroyed the proudest franchise in MLB.

If you really love the Dodgers, divorce yourselves from the team and all its operations.

I will never attend another Dodgers' game so as long as the McCourts remain with the team in any capacity.

[Al]

I wonder how this will impact the LA Marathon.

[dan koehler]

If McCourt stays, I'm gone...after 52 years as a Dodger fan.

[Bill Shaikin]

Native Angeleno:

The judge has no jurisdiction over MLB. We'll post a Q&A later that addresses that and many more issues.

[Richard Zaldivar]

We still have a chance.....MLB probably not allow the deal to happen...The reality is that the Dodgers are broke....They have already violated the terms of the franchise.....

Fans need to organize especially since Howard Sunkin is greasing up the politicos to support Frank...

Let's organize a rally and press conference to advocate that MLB take over the Dodgers...We need new owners...

Thoughts?

[dougieooo]

maybe he'll raise the ticket and parking prices again to pay for his divorce.. And after all he's now got to find another wife to parade around L A again