It’s been morbid fun watching Frank McCourt press to meet the Dodgers payroll, thereby holding off a takeover from Major League Baseball. Last month we saw him mortgage his future a little bit. The expectation this month was that he’d be sunk, given that Manny Ramirez is owed a big chunk of money in deferred compensation. Certainly MLB would have to step in on June 15th, right?
Well, no, not if Bob Nightengale’s report is accurate. He says that other MLB owners are being told that McCourt has the money to meet the mid-month payroll.
It’s unclear where this money is coming from, what with attendance way down at Dodger Stadium and McCourt still leveraged to the gills. My guess: he got Kelly, Ozone, Turbo and a young Ice-T to put on a big performance that will simultaneously help the Dodgers make payroll, and save the neighborhood rec center.
UPDATE: Bill Shaikin says that Frank McCourt is playing coy about it and won’t say if he has the funds to meet June 15th payroll. Maybe he wants it to be a surprise at the big jam at the end of the movie. Er, I mean, when payroll comes due.