Dodgers web musings: Reaction to the commie invasion

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Good news! No word today of any offers for the Dodgers from former KGB leaders, Kim Il Sung Inc. or the Illuminati.

Kinda makes you all warm inside, huh?

Yep, one day after The Times’ Bill Shaikin wrote of a local businessman, backed with funds from the People’s Republic of China, making a record offer of $1.2 billion for the Dodgers, people are still trying to make sense of it.

Major League Baseball apparently was not too impressed, but then there is probably precious little involving Frank McCourt that would impress them these days, save for his announcing he is officially putting the team up for sale to the highest bidder.

That 21-day window in the offer makes it seem all but impossible, anyway, and Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan views the messy ongoing struggles of the Dodgers and Mets as teams united by greed, ‘excess, profiteering, power -- the usual ills that come with entities worth billions of dollars and the people who live in the netherworld that rewards their pursuit.’

Coming next, a bid from the legion of the dead!

Harold Meyerson in The Times writes that if the deal with the Chinese were to actually go through, the Dodgers would become the ‘very symbol of the decline of American capitalism.’ Like McCourt doesn’t have enough to worry about.

Paul Oberjuerge wrote he’s so fed up with McCourt that ‘As long as they don’t sell ‘The Book of Mao’ at the concession stands and brutally crack down on fans who boo the club … we’d be good!’ ‘

And then in a video (sort of), Fox Sports’ Jon Paul Morosi said the Dodgers’ ownership mess is taking so much of MLB’s attention it is holding up the progress of the Astros’ sale.

Non-communist Dodgers’ news on the Web:

-- The Times’ Dylan Hernandez says that not only is Casey Blake headed for season-ending surgery, but Juan Uribe likely is too.

-- Mike Petriello fantasizes over Uribe just staying away at MikeSciosciasTragicIllness.

-- Hernandez also credits rookie Dee Gordon with sparking the Dodgers victory Thursday in his return from the disabled list.

-- The Times’ Bill Plaschke thinks Matt Kemp is the National League MVP and Clayton Kershaw its Cy Young winner. Hold tight, still a month to go.

-- Sports Illustrated’s Jon Heyman, however, said voters put emphasis on ‘valuable’ and only lists Kemp as his fifth-leading candidate, while tabbing Kershaw at No. 1.

-- The McCourts have actually sold one of their seven homes.

-- Sports Illustrated’s Lee Jenkins compares two stars reacting very differently to the crossroads in their careers, the Dodgers’ Andre Ethier and the Padres’ Heath Bell.

-- ESPN/LA’s Tony Jackson looks at Jamey Carroll after the Dodgers failed to move him at the trading deadline.

-- Fox Sports’ Joe McDonnell thinks Juan Rivera is building a case to return next season.

-- The Register’s Howard Cole tries to find worse baseball things than Eugenio Velez’ 0-for-30 start to his career as a Dodger.

-- And for those of you who enjoy videos of old Dodgers, here’s one of Don Drysdale in a Vitalis commercial that also features ex-Giants manager Herman Franks.

-- Steve Dilbeck