Dodgers Web musings: Fear and Frank McCourt; Bryan Stow speaks

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Hey, that was telling. That told you just how much we’ve come to loath and distrust Frank McCourt. How in the deep recesses of our little hearts we feared McCourt was actually nefarious and devious enough to still be scheming to keep the Dodgers.

Despite an agreement with baseball to sell and having to come up with $130 million to pay a settlement with ex-wife Jamie at the end of April, and that he would risk all his remaining millions if he attempted to renege on his deal with Major League Baseball.

Yet the trepidation was difficult to fight. And the Cubans, mafia or CIA weren’t even involved.

Hall of Fame baseball writer Ross Newhan first broached on his blog what everyone was afraid to say aloud on Dec. 2, asking: ‘Does McCourt really intend to sell?’’

Instant shivers.

When McCourt failed to produce his book on the team’s financial situation weeks after his agreement with MLB and then won the right to put the team’s media rights up for sale now, suspicions were fanned.

On Wednesday Fred Roggin on KNBC picked up on the paranoia with a segment in which he asked: ‘Maybe McCourt’s end game is not to sell at all.’ And he ended it with this comment on the agreement with MLB: ‘It’s not signed in blood, let’s put it that way, so anything can happen.’

Mike Petriello at MikeSciosciasTragicIllness reluctantly followed up on the conspiracy theory, asking: ‘What if Frank McCourt was running a long con in order to attempt to keep the team?’ And the mistrust grew until Friday The Times’ Bill Shaikin finally addressed it, rationally explaining why it would be foolhardy.

Although, just to keep everyone a tad nervous, I must mention he ends his report with: ‘Impossible? No, but the chances of Prince Fielder playing first base for the Dodgers next year appear better than the chances of such a strategy succeeding.’’

Prince, of course, is still available.

Also on the Web:

-- That’s the Christmas spirit: Don Mattingly agrees to don dress and wig for a performance of ‘The Nutcracker.’

-- Thanks to Roberto Baly of Vin Scully Is My Homebody for this video of Bryan Stow speaking on video for the first time on the Bay Area’s NBC affiliate.

-- The Register’s Howard Cole on Matt Kemp’s visit Thursday to the City of Hope, where he surprised Cole’s best friend, laid up after having been donated bone marrow.

-- In a video, Dodgers.com beat writer Ken Gurnick offers his team’s offseason analysis.

RELATED:

Jerry Sands would still be better off playing every day in minors

Dodgers ask court to rule out financial damages to Fox

Car wreck aside, Dodgers tender contract to James Loney

-- Steve Dilbeck