Ted Green's take on Dodgers' Jamie McCourt: Money, money, money

So now we know where Manny's money went.

It went to a new beachfront home in Malibu for Jamie McCourt. Wait, not one home. Two of them, side by side.

For $46 million.

That's what I call beach affront property.

Who can afford Manny or a pitcher like CC Sabathia when you're writing 8-figure checks to Coldwell Banker?

If you're a Dodgers player, you'll never get a max contract here because Jamie already has one with Remax.

As Donald Sterling can attest from the first 20 years of his Clippers ownership, it's hard to hit a home run in free agency when you're taking your best swings in real estate.

In case you're wondering, $46 mil qualifies as one of the higher-end home purchases in all of California.

Looking at the numbers from January through November 2008, MDA DataQuick's Andrew LePage says the median price for existing homes (single-family detached houses) in Malibu was $2.8 million. Jamie's new digs cost a whole lot more than that.

Heck, Steven Spielberg is richer than Rockefeller and he just bought a home in East Hampton for around $18 million. I pity the pauper.

Simply, $46 mil isn't just garish, it's WAY over the top, especially when Mrs. McCourt was recently quoted saying how tough times are, how the economy calls for more prudent decision-making, and that's why the Dodgers ought to reconsider big-money investments in top-end free agents.

What hysterical hypocrisy!

Maybe I'm a home buy or two behind, but don't the McCourts already own some giant mansion in Holmby Hills? Like some $20-million palace?

I guess when you're a nouveau L.A. celebrity, gotta have that beach house too.

But instead, like an alcoholic drunk on wealth, Jamie made it a double!

What's next, shopping sprees with Sarah Palin?

So the next time you True Blue fans plunk down another seven bucks for a Dodger Dog and 12 bucks or whatever for parking, you might keep in mind where your money is going. It's going to double-sized homes on the beach side of PCH across from Cher.

OK, I know, as F. Scott Fitzgerald famously wrote, the rich ARE different from you and me.

This is America, the McCourts can invest in property and own as many houses as they want.

But at the same time, owning a civic treasure like the Dodgers, a team that also belongs to the city and the fans, does put the owners' personal spending habits more necessarily under the microscope.

Fans have a right to know what's more important, winning a World Series or living next door to Jennifer Aniston.

In the case of Jamie McCourt, it looks like you now have your answer.

(An addendum: I'm not sure why or how this is mostly slipping under the L.A. media's non-muckraking radar, but the Dodgers' projected 2009 payroll of $65 million is $54 million LESS than they spent on players in 2008. Hmmm, save $54m on players, spend $46m on beachfront property for their own pleasure and self aggrandizement. Just a coincidence, I'm sure. By the way, that $65= million payroll figure for 2009 looks like it'll put the Dodgers somewhere around 9th from the BOTTOM in major league baseball, making them a big-market team in name of city only.)

-- Ted Green

Ted Green is a former L.A. Times sportswriter and currently senior sports producer for KTLA Prime News.

Comments

[Max]

This ownership will end badly for our cherished franchise. As blind as FOX was to Dodgers tradition, at least the prior owner had deep pockets. Without the revenues from local broadcasting right, McCourt is up the creek compared to most MLB owners, and he sells ticket but the pre-Manny disinterested no-shows also had to be hurting the bottom line bigtime. Frank was way over-leveraged from the start, but hey, blame Selig for that. Must have been some spiel the wannabe John Henry future owner sang the Commish. "I wanna be like the Red Sox owner"....

Mrs McCourt's spending is her business - but Simers reported those homes came with an almost 50 million dollar mortgage. There's where the Dodgers fans money is going, not for the player who could put us over the top.

I'll boycott the team I love this year if Ramirez and a good pitcher aren't signed. Or if the payroll goes under 100 million. If the bloody Giants sign Ramirez, I'll boycott for two. Or more.

It's a shame McCourt will cut payroll til this is a small market team in the second largest market in the US. But he'll keep his Yellowstone Club membership, and his wife her mansions. The rich are different, eh?