Previewing Thursday's McCourtroom drama — plus World Series Game 6 chat

Some quick links regarding the McCourts' court debut Thursday:

• Kevin Roderick of L.A. Observed (via The Kindred Report) posts some boiler-plate details regarding the 8 a.m. hearing, including the fact that cameras and recording devices will not be allowed. Steve Kindred is very critical of the set-up.
• Joshua Fisher breaks down what to expect from the hearing, along with the consequences of different outcomes, at Dodger Divorce.

* * *

Phillies at Yankees, 4:57 p.m.

Comments

[Eric Enders]

Over/under on home runs hit tonight by players originally drafted by the Dodgers: 1½.

(I'll take the over. I'm calling one each for Utley and Victorino.)

[Linkmeister]

Utley? Werth, maybe. And are you taking Victorino's bad hand into account?

[jim hitchcock]

Will # 6 make Utley Mr. October/November?

[Phenomenal Smith]

I'm also predicting a Matsui homer tonight.

[Eric Stephen]

Jayson Werth was drafted by the Orioles

[Phenomenal Smith]

I'm assuming Eric S's comment makes sense if I'm watching the game on TV.

[68elcamino427]

Since the Dodgers are being transformed into a laughingstock and the team is now engulfed in a circus-like atmosphere, isn't it reasonable to say that Jamie McCourt is "The new face of the Dodgers"?
A clown act like hers ranks right up there with some other local celebrity notables who have passed quickly through our town. Al Davis comes to mind. He matches the greed factor.
Hope things go well for Jamie in court.
Won't it be difficult for her to maintain her clown personna if she can't afford her make-up?

[lafaninchitown]

How come Howard stuck out 12 times against the Yankees?
After watching Howard bat vs the Dodgers and now vs the Yankees, I noticed the home plate ump are calling outside corner pitches for a strike as opposed to the Dodgers series. How many times have you seen Howard take a pitch right down the middle against us and not called strikes? Especially against Kershaw, who always gets squeezed anyway. My best analogy for this just happened a few nights ago in the NBA. DJ Mbenga blocked Dirk Nowitzki's layup. The ref did not blow the whistle right away but after he realized it was Mbenga, he called a foul on DJ!

[Phenomenal Smith]

Why is it automatically assumed that Jamie McCourt is 100% responsible for the divorce? Isn't quite possible that both people were unhappy in the marriage for quite a while?

Or it easier to just pick on the person who initiated the proceedings?

[WBB]

Matsui is tough on Pedro.

[Humma Kavula]

Phenomenal called it!

[Phenomenal Smith]

Please take note of the comment at 4:57 pm.

[Humma Kavula]

Ya know how every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings?

Well, every time the Yankees win, all bells everywhere go silent. It's true!

[68elcamino427]

It's much easier to pick on the person who took up with her loser driver.
However both parties are equally repugnant to me at this point.
Wish they would both just leave.

[El Lay Dave]

Matt Kemp tweet:
In the studio right now working on my album.

MC Bison?

http://twitter.com/mattkemp27/status/5435701912

Tip to Eric Stephen (who else?) for the link.

[KG16]

Or it easier to just pick on the person who initiated the proceedings?

In my experience, this ends up happen more often than people realize. In litigation, if you actually go to trial, it's very possible that the jury could blame the plaintiff because he's the one who brought the suit (or "he's looking for a big payday"). Nevermind that the plaintiff typically sued because he was wronged in some way by the defendant, a lot of people just don't like plaintiffs.

This, I suspect, is why divorce proceedings do not involve juries. I'm also going to go out on a limb and say that this one will get much less contentious once the Court figures out what is and is not community property and what the value of the marital assets actually is. Then it all becomes about arithmetic and who likes the dog more.

[WBB]

Matsui owns Pedro, I hate to say.

[KG16]

so, I'm going to go out on a limb again and guess that Matsui is the WS MVP if this thing ends tonight?

[Alex41592]

Matsui is hitting .636 in the World Series. Though not starting in three of the games may cost him the MVP.

[bhsportsguy]

KG16- Do you not agree that motion hearings are about as exciting as an intentional walk?

[WBB]

Players unable to play a position do not deserve awards.

[Alex41592]

The smartest player ever has been replaced due to a pulled calf.

[Phenomenal Smith]

I hope Matsui would be the MVP rather than Pettitte because I loathe the Yankees starting pitcher tonight.

I think he's replaced Russ Ortiz in my pantheon of grudges.

[Craig88USC]

Kinda critical part of the game. Keepin' it a three run game...

[Craig88USC]

Willie Nelson:

Turn out the lights
The party’s over
They say that
All good things must end
Call it tonight
The party’s over
And tomorrow starts
The same old thing again

[Alex41592]

6 RBI's tonight for Matsui. Wow.

Now batting .667.

[Phenomenal Smith]

Matsui is on a mission to keep Pettitte from the MVP award.

He's 8 for 12 with 3 homers and 9 RBI. And he only pinch hit in three games.

[Craig88USC]

Lakers 22 22 - - ... 44
Rockets 22 26 - - ... 48

[bhsportsguy]

They should split the MVP Award up 4 ways - Jeter, Damon, Matsui and Rivera.

[bhsportsguy]

Okay, who files for free agency first, I say, Orlando Hudson has his paperwork already to be sent to the MLB office.

[Phenomenal Smith]

It's MOST Valuable Player. It's not SOMEWHAT Valuable Player. There shouldn't have been three MVPs in 1981. It should have been Guerrero and no one else.

[Craig88USC]

The refrigerator light is weakly flickerin'...

[Craig88USC]

Funky Shot Padilla

[Phenomenal Smith]

Seeing Carlos Ruiz hit the Yankees well makes me feel slightly better about the NLCS.

A hollow moral victory, but I'll take it.

[das411]

GRR it's Chooch that is supposed to ground into double plays, not you Rollins!

[whodat807]

I can not bring myself to care about the World Series. The obnoxiousness of New Yorkers have convinced me to hope the Phillies pull it out.

Lakers getting pushed around on the boards in OT. Hmph.

[das411]

NOW will you guys root for the Hawaiian, just this once??

[fordprefect]

appropriate that the cryin' Hawaiian is up now? or some kind of poetic justice?

[KG16]

bh - I am a big fan of tentative rulings. I've very rarely been to a motion hearing that wasn't boring.

I dislike the Yankees, but I've also come to accept that sports need villains, and if baseball is going to have villains, then the Yankees are as good a choice as anyone else. It makes it so much sweeter when they lose.

[Daniel Prouty]

If the Yankees had to win, I'm glad Shane Victorino made the last out. Wanted him to strike out, but maybe that was asking too much from the baseball gods.

[Alex41592]

I can very much live with Shane Victorino making the final out.

Congrats to the Yankees. It'd be nice if they'll defend their title against the Dodgers next October.

At worst the World Champs will be at Dodger Stadium June 25-27th.

[KG16]

Is Johnny Damon the first player since Babe Ruth to win a world series with Boston and the Yankees?

Wait, who is this Henski person Damon mentioned in his post game interview?

[Daniel Prouty]

Rosenthal just asked Posada how it feels to win first championship since 2000 after waiting "allll those years" (yes he said it like that).

There are no words for how insulting that must feel to veteran players all around baseball.

[das411]

KG, Eric Hinske guarantees pennants but apparently only to AL East teams.

everyone else, here it is: Congratulation$ to the World $erie$ Champion Yankee$

MVP = Matsui?

[Phenomenal Smith]

Ramiro Mendoza has WS rings from the Yankees and Red Sox. He was on the Red Sox in 2004, but he didn't appear in the postseason due to injury.

[Jack Dawkins]

Let the 5 day opt out watch begin!

[Phenomenal Smith]

Actually, Mendoza made two appearances in the ALCS for the Red Sox in '04. He didn't pitch in the World Series.

[Alex41592]

DH Matsui wins MVP.

Good for him. Amazing series.

[Phenomenal Smith]

Matsui was indeed the MVP.

[bhsportsguy]

Spud Chandler was the last pitcher to get a 4-3 put out as the last play of the deciding game of a World Series. It happened 66 years ago in St. Louis, the Yankees won the series 4-1.

[Phenomenal Smith]

If you need more baseball, the Nippon Ham Fighters take on the Yomiuri Giants in Game 5 of the Japan Series in about 2 1/2 hours.

The teams have split the first two games.

[fordprefect]

Now for the long dark teatime of the soul.

And some indigestion.

Possibly some weeping and gnashing of teeth.

[Phenomenal Smith]

So Shane Victorino is the new Debs Garms (the Cardinal batter who grounded out 4-3 to end the '43 Series)?

Garms won the batting title in 1940, despite appearing in just 103 games. In his final season in the majors, 1945, Garms struck out just 3 times in 146 ABs. He also drew 31 walks.

[watchingcraig]

Wow. What a bummer.

[watchingcraig]

And c'mon...leave Shane-O alone. He was a Dodger once.

[Eric Enders]

Dale Sveum also has World Series rings from both the Yankees and Red Sox. First baseman on the '98 Yankees and third-base coach for the '04 Sox.

[Phenomenal Smith]

The only time Shane Victorino was a Dodger was in Rookie ball in 1998 in Great Falls. That team was the Dodgers. At best, he was a 51.

[PismoBruce]

Rosenthal just asked Posada how it feels to win first championship since 2000 after waiting "allll those years" (yes he said it like that).

There are no words for how insulting that must feel to veteran players all around baseball.

Posted by: Daniel Prouty | November 04, 2009 at 08:57 PM

Hard to imagine even dumber comments made by Chris Rose but true.

June 25-27 is my birthday week. I see a Dodger road trip for #49.

[Dodger Tony]

Hello all, or at least to those who have remained since Jonathan Broxton's blown save against Jimmy Rollins in game 4 of the NLCS. That was, in fact, the last day I wrote a single word on this blog. When Ruiz crossed the plate to score the winning run, I turned my Sony Trinitron off and have not turned it on again this post-season. I understand the New York Yankees won the World Series. Really? Who knew?

Hearkening back to the final out of last year, when Brad Lidge fell to his knees in celebration of the Phillies crown, I remember strong disappointment but an ever stronger resolve that the Dodgers were going to be back a significantly stronger team with an ace at the top, a monstrous Manny in left, and a couple of very powerful additions to the squad. Payroll was going to be the healthiest in the McCourt era, and 2009 would see us in the World Series.

How to not hyperbolize the next part.

Without question, this season, which began in my opinion with the first strain of media releases of the Dodgers/Scott Boras negotiations for Manny, and ended officially with the divorce announcement prior to game one...without question, this was the single most detestable season of baseball in my 48 years of life. Granted, there were absolutely magical moments, which we all were privy too. But for me personally, this year will rank with some of the most indelible traumas of my life, in sports and out. Without reliving all of the nightmares...from having tickets to see the pre-PED Manny for the first time on the night of his suspension, to the Bobbleslam blackout gaffe on my Time Warner Cable, to the failure of the organization to get Lee or Halladay and the shutdown of Hudson, and finally to the deja vu cruelty of fate on the night of game 4....trumped by the divorce and portentous ramifications for the future and tonight topped off with a Rocky Marciano cherry on top by the New York Yankees holding a grotesquely unfair 27th championship crown over their heads, while old blind men in Wrigley field desperately try to hang on to another year of life and prostate function in hopes that they will live to see a miracle Cub championship....to all of this I say....never again. This is the first time in my memory as a fan that I said those two words instead of the four I always say at the end of Dodger seasons...Wait till next year.

I guess I am just too old for this. I guess my makeup doesn't simply allow me to enjoy the unlimited Dodger Dogs in the all-you-can-eat section with my head buried beneath the sand at Bleacher Beach while waiting for a bus to Mannywood. I guess just wanting a team that can represent the second largest baseball market in the U.S., one with a storied tradition and historic past, I guess wanting the 4 million fans who come every year giving ownership far more than enough of a financial base to build a massively strong contender year in and year out...I guess wanting that or expecting that from the Dodgers, of all teams, I guess wanting that is probably naive, huh? Wanting a team that is not only representative of the franchise and the city it resides in, but also simply asking for a team that can play FUNDAMENTAL baseball, is asking too much, huh? To be able to field properly, take the extra base, hit the cutoff man, hit with power or at least for extra bases, God forbid to hit with runners in scoring position...I guess all of this is too much to ask of the Los Angeles Dodgers of 2009, let alone 2010. Most of all, is it too much to ask for an ownership that wants to win at all costs and is held to a higher accountability with regard to its most electrifying and powerful player...the accountability of being an honest player as opposed to a cheat?

One thing that is not too much to ask for is my money back for a year of my life wasted and the well deserved bitterness I bought into with my hard earned Unemployment check. At least the McCourts should have the decency to include me in that alimony.

[bhsportsguy]

Hot Stove is heating up so what's coming up?

While DodgerDivorce.com is handling the docket sheet for that small drama, here are the dates to keep track of as we move into runmor-mongering time.

• 11/5 - 11/20/2009: Free agent filing period.
• 11/9 - 11/11/2009: General managers meetings, Chicago.
• 11/20/2009: 40 man rosters are turned in.
• 12/1/2009: Last day for teams to offer salary arbitration to their former players who became free agents.
• 12/7/2009: Last day for free agents offered salary arbitration to accept offers.
• 12/7 - 12/10/2009: Winter meetings, Indianapolis.
• 12/12/2009: Last day for teams to offer 2010 contracts to unsigned players.

[Eric Enders]

For the Dodgers, I imagine the next order of business will come five days from now when we find out whether Manny is opting out or not.

(Of course, we already know the answer with 99% certainty, but...)

[bumsrap]

While I would prefer no Dodgers would have Boras as their agent, I find hope in knowing Manny is represented by Boras.

[Craig88USC]

Dodger Tony ... : )

Final NL

LA ... 95-67

Phil ... 93-69
Colo ... 92-70
StLou ... 91-71

Frisco ... 88-74
Florida ... 87-75
Atlanta .... 86-76
Chicago ..... 83-78
.
.
.
Washington ... 59-103

[Ken Noe]

While I will always, always root against the Yankees in theory (in truth I watched not a pitch), I do take some solace knowing that the Phillies flamers who inundated this board during our series are getting large doses of their own medicine this morning.

[AE Newman]

Dodger Tony...I can't say I disagree with anything you say...but nevertheless I am a baseball fan at heart, and a life long Dodger die hard to boot.

I fear dark days ahead for the team, this divorce could be the death of them, or something close to it. Any thoughts we ever had resembling innocence, we can no longer hide behind. And while we can't honestly say money (and lots of it) wasn't spent on the team (maybe not how we wanted it spent, but it was spent), I fear we will soon be under the watchful eye of the east coast hierarchy of MLB, which can not bode well for us.

This economy strangles us all, I questioned last year whether to re-up for my season tickets, and am questioning it even more now for next year, for reasons of cost and the use of my money for lavish lifestyles while I struggle to make ends meet.

And yet, as I say every year and still say, wait til next year.

[Bob Hendley]

Is it over yet? Great, let's start again.

[nsxtasy]

>> re: Manny Ramirez...

>> He was punished more severely for banned substance use than any athlete in American professional sports history.

Not true. Players in various sports have received lifetime suspensions. In baseball, these include Steve Howe and Ferguson Jenkins, although those suspensions were for illegal drugs rather than performance-enhancing drugs and both were eventually reinstated. Longer suspensions for performance-enhancing drugs in baseball have also included Neifi Perez (80 games, second violation) and Ramon Castro (105 games, second violation). 11 other players have received the same 50-game suspension as Manny.

[nsxtasy]

>> Okay, who files for free agency first, I say, Orlando Hudson has his paperwork already (sic) to be sent to the MLB office.

I'm sure players, agents, and general managers have all been working busily, preparing for whatever is to come this off-season. They probably already have negotiating strategies mapped out and paperwork all ready. Let the "games" begin!

[nsxtasy]

>> While I will always, always root against the Yankees in theory (in truth I watched not a pitch), I do take some solace knowing that the Phillies flamers who inundated this board during our series are getting large doses of their own medicine this morning.

I too am happy to see the Fillies trolls on the short end of this series. Let 'em stew in their own vitriol now.

[nsxtasy]

This Series calls into question the whole concept of "all you need to win the World Series is an ace pitcher". This year, that gave the Fillies two wins, but two wins isn't enough to win the World Series. What you need is good starting pitching (3-4 starters) and a good bullpen, and the Fillies will have to improve on both if they expect to win the Series again.

[Craig88USC]

If we play the Yanks in WS '10 ...

Dodger boards, such as this one, will
be inundated with a certain type of
troll never seen before in MLB history.

The perfect storm of deep LA hatred combined
with every bad quality known to the NY fan base.

; )

[Maddz]

Calling all stat hounds:

I would like to find out how many Grand Slams have been hit against Mariano Rivera in his career. If someone could help point me in the right direction (i.e. how to read the stat sites or other resources to find this out), it would be much appreciated.

[Craig88USC]

Danica comin' to Nascar! Preppin' for Daytona. :)

[Ken Noe]

Craig, I'll happily cross the Yankee troll's bridge if we come to it.

[Jon Weisman]

New post up top.

[Sam PHL]

Posted by: Maddz | November 05, 2009 at 07:13 AM

He's given up 60 HR in his career. Three with 3 runners on.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/event_hr.cgi?n1=riverma01&t=p

[ReyTogo]

Ok guys, let's face it. When you are a Dodger fan, and I assure you that Dodger blue runs through my veins, you need to realize that after the O’Malleys we have been subjected to dubious ownership ready for profit but shy of the big farm and player investments we truly need to win a WS. At least we have Ned who is not perfect but he is a light years improvement over Depodesta, but things will get even worst now with a new change of ownership as the outcome of this divorce.

Due to the above statement, as opposed to many of my colleagues on this forum, when it comes to postseason baseball I know that sooner or later my blues are going to deflate because plain and simple we do not have the horses to get to compete in the triple crown. Therefore five seconds after the last Dodger game, I have trained myself to root for however is representing the NL. And yes I went from hating the Phillies to loving the Phillies in 0 to 60. Nooooo problem.

I believe the Phillies show us very good stuff; they represented the NL again with pride and endurance, and took the WS to game six when everybody was forecasting a NY sweep. I did not turn off my TV as others claim to have done, and I enjoyed great baseball with a sad bias one-sided narration from that moron Joe Buck (Fox one sided broadcasting...... Noooooooooooo, I can't believe that).

Yes, I wish Ned Colletti could put together a team as good as this Phillies for us to enjoy next season. I wish the owners will write the big checks so we could scream at the stadium behind Lee and Halladay, and humiliate Colorado, The Padres, and The Giants again. I wish we could have a team for us to win against St Louis again and for us to demonstrate that the Phillies do not own the NL. But do you remotely think Ned will have a checkbook to do that? Even his creative trading abilities are now compromised by a Farm System that now ranks 23 among the majors. Amigos, I am afraid we are approaching rough seas like the Lobstermen in the Discovery Channel, so I will safely keep my NL hat close by, in case my check for my postseason seats goes partially un-cashed again, and I am forced to root for the enemy one more time.