A BLUEprint For Sale

The most recent installment in the McCourt
ownership has his wondering where it all
went wrong.

After asking, begging and pleading for more than two years, Los Angeles Dodger fans are finally having their voice heard. Embattled owner Frank McCourt is ending his seven and half ownership with the club after reaching a settlement with Major League Baseball Wednesday, agreeing to put the team up for sale.

The settlement will end a six-month legal battle with baseball and it's commissioner, Bud Selig.

McCourt purchased the team in February of 2004 from the Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, for a sum of $421 million. It's been reported McCourt could now get anywhere from $800 million-$1.2 billion for the club, including the stadium, parking lot and media rights.

October of 2009 is when McCourt's castle came crashing down. It would be announced that McCourt and his wife of 30 years, Jaime McCourt, were putting their marriage to an end. She was fired as the club's CEO just days later and officially filed for divorce.

Fast-forward nearly two years, McCourt has seen a Giants fan get brutally beaten on his property Opening Night of 2011, put a dark cloud over the historic Los Angeles franchise and put the team in financial instability. In April, Selig and MLB stepped in and seized the day-to-day operations of the club, putting McCourt's ownership of the team further in doubt.

In June, Selig rejected a 17-year TV contract McCourt had arranged with Fox to keep the his team afloat. The deal was worth approximately 3 billion dollars. Weeks later, the New England native would file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, a final effort to salvage his ownership with the Dodgers.

Most recently, October saw McCourt's ex-wife relinquish her partial ownership in the team after reaching a $130 million settlement. Later that month MLB revealed McCourt had looted $190 million out of the team for personal endeavors.

It has been a long and treacherous journey for McCourt, a journey that has had an entire city rally against him. But it wasn't all bad.

Before McCourt's arrival, Los Angeles had made two postseason appearances in the last 15 years and yet to win a playoff game since Game 5 of the 1988 World Series. McCourt oversaw four playoff teams during his tenure, including three National League West division titles, and back-to-back NLCS appearances, in 2008 and '09, losing both times to the Philadelphia Phillies.

In his seven seasons at the helm, the Dodgers accumulated a .521 winning percentage and even though the Paul DePodesta experiment didn't work out, McCourt pried Ned Colletti away from the division rival San Francisco Giants, naming him the tenth general manager in franchise history on Nov. 17, 2005.

McCourt is also responsible for hiring soon-to-be Hall of Fame manager Joe Torre prior to the '08 season, bringing in slugger Manny Ramirez, who could be look at as a savior or goat by Dodger fans, depending on how you remember his stint in "Mannywood".

Not to mention investing over $150 million in stadium designs and improvements, helping make Dodger Stadium thrive in the modern era.

However one wants to look his stay in on the West Coast, the inevitable has finally happened. McCourt will be portrayed as a villain until the end and an owner that was never fully embraced by his fan base that is getting their wish.

The Cashman

Cashman has served at the helm for the last
14 years with three years just added on.

A day after coming to terms on a contract extension with ace CC Sabathia, the New York Yankees they have agreed to bring back their longtime general manager, Brian Cashman.

He will also remain at his post as the club's senior vice president.

Cashman is coming a three-year $6 million deal he signed after the 2008 season, despite have New York miss the postseason that year for the first time in his tenure as GM. This contract is said to be worth about $9 million over another three years, a raise he well deserved.

In 2009, he was the architect of the franchise's 27th world championship team after hitting it big in the free-agent market, signing marquee players Mark Teixeira, A.J. Burnett and Sabathia. In 2010, New York returned to the American League Championship Series, where they would be dethroned by the Texas Rangers in six games.

2011 might have been Cashman's best work, but he won't say that as the Yankees came up short of their ultimate goal, a World Series title.

Even though the 44-year-old GM had to deal with the retirement of old reliable, Andy Pettitte, and watching prized left-hander Cliff Lee ink a deal with the Philadelphia Phillies, Cashman was able to mend together an overachieving pitching staff.

Cashman signed veterans Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon to Minor League contracts, both whom made the 25-man roster out of spring training and it didn't stop there. The right-handers played significant roles in New York's success this past season, including Garcia starting Game 2 of the ALDS and them combining for 20 wins during the regular season.

He is also responsible for signing backstop Russell Martin, who might be the steal of last winter, Eric Chavez and Andruw Jones, both whom had fantastic first years in pinstripes.

The Yankees went on to exceeded expectations and win their 17th AL East title, their 11th since Cashman took over as GM. Originally joining the organization as an intern in 1986 for the Minor League and Scouting Department. He was promoted to GM in February of 1998 when his predecessor, Bob Watson, decided to retire and since has been a staple atop the Yankee front office.

During his tenure, New York has made the postseason in 13 out of the last 14 seasons, racked up five 100-win seasons, six AL pennants and four World Series titles. Cashman also holds the highest winning percentage (.605) throughout Major League Baseball since '98, which is the highest of any GM since 1950 with at least five years of experience.

However, in Yankee Universe, those accomplishments are a thing of the past and Cashman is faced the daunting task of rebuilding New York's rotation once again.

CC Ya Next Year

Sabathia had many Yankee fans worried the top
of their rotation would be headed by someone
other than the 290-pounder in 2012.

Just hours before the deadline to opt-out of his current contract, CC Sabathia and the New York Yankees came to an agreement on a contract extension that keeps the husky left-handed in pinstripes through 2016 and possibly 2017.

With four years and $92 million remaining on Sabathia's seven-year $161 million deal he signed prior to the 2009 season, New York has added an extra year to the contract worth $25 million, including a vesting option worth the same mount in '17 with a $5 million buyout.

The extension now brings the 31-year-old's deal to five-years $122 million, still the highest paid pitcher in Major League Baseball.

Sabathia, who reportedly lost 25 pounds last offseason after cutting his beloved Cap' n Crunch out of his diet, is coming off another All-Star year in the Bronx, going 19-8 with a 3.00 earned run average in 237.1 innings. Although, the 2007 Cy Young Award winner struggled in the season's final two months with a 3-3 recorded, 4.30 ERA and opponents hit at a .314 clip against him. That continued in the postseason as Sabathia allowed 6 earned runs in his 8.2 innings, accumulating to a 6.30 ERA.

Despite that, the California native has enjoyed three fantastic seasons under the bright lights of Yankee Stadium that includes being named the '09 ALCS MVP and his first World Series title.

Last season Sabathia became a 20-game winner for the first time in his career, winning 21 games in an American League leading 34 starts. His 59 wins since becoming a Yankee are the second only the Detroit Justin Verlander's 61 in that three-year span.

Sabathia recently built a home in Alpine, New Jersey and has said numerous times he loves pitching in New York, a love that ultimately meant him dawning the pinstripes for the long haul.

It's a decision that the organization and fans alike have been waiting for all season long. With their already thin starting rotation, New York could ill afford to lose an ace and workhorse like Sabathia, who has tossed plus innings each of the last five seasons.

With this deal, left-hander C.J. Wilson is thought to be the best free-agent starting pitcher on the market this winter, along with Mark Buehrle, Roy Oswalt and Japanese import Yu Darvish.

All whom could slide right into the No. 2 slot in the rotation behind Sabathia.

The five-time All-Star will be 36 when his contract expires and has an outside chance of becoming one of the next or the final 300-game winner in baseball. Sabathia currently ranks fourth on the active wins list with 176, but is the youngest of the bunch as the top three are all 34 or older.

Now, with Sabathia looking to continue etching his name in Yankee lore, their unsigned general manager can look to get his ace some help

C'est La Russa

La Russa's gutsy decision making didn't always
pan out, but is the reason why he is one of the
greatest managers in history.

Just three days after capping in an improbable postseason run with his third World Series title, St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa has announced his retirement from the dugout.

It has been 33 years since La Russa took his first managerial position with the Chicago White Sox back in 1979 after a brief playing career for three different organizations in a six-year span. During that time he accumulated a .199 career average, an average that eventually lead to a career change and a wise one at that.

La Russa spent nine seasons on the South Side, where he won his first Manager of the Year Award in 1983, before being fired by the White Sox just 64 games into the 1986 season. He would not be unemployed for very long as the Oakland Athletics came calling just weeks after. La Russa managed Oakland's final 79 games that season, watching them go 45-34, far better than the 31-52 mark they posted prior to his arrival.

The following year La Russa saw his club finish the season at the.500 mark (81-81) with the help and emergence rookie Mark McGwire. With the guidance of La Russa, the eventual 1987 Rookie of the Year set a rookie record with a Major League leading 49 home runs and .618 slugging percentage.

La Russa followed up his first two campaigns in Oakland with three consecutive American League Pennants, 1988-'90. Despite winning only one World Series in those three appearances, a legend was born.

The Tampa native managed five more seasons by the bay before leaving for St. Louis. La Russa's departure from Oakland was mainly due to death of patriarch Walter A. Haas, Jr. and his team being under .500 each of the last three seasons.

La Russa would replace Joe Torre at the helm in St. Louis prior to the 1996 season, setting the stage for some of his best managerial work and a legacy that might never be matched.

With the Cardinals, La Russa was able to watch a historic and record-breaking 70 home run season, capture nine postseason appearances, including two wild card berths in 2001 and most recently this season, all seven of St. Louis' National League Central division titles, three NL Pennants and two World Series titles.

In 2004, La Russa lead the Cardinals to their first World Series appearance since '87, but they were swept by the curse-breaking Boston Red Sox. Two years later, La Russa and Co. would return to the Fall Classic, this time beating Detroit Tigers and their error-prone pitching staff in five games. That feat made him the only manager in history to win multiple pennants in both the AL and NL and the second manager in history, along with the late Sparky Anderson, to win the World Series in both, as well.

Then comes the story of his Cardinals impossible 2011 season.

Pronounced dead numerous times during the year, La Russa never let his team quit. They overcame a 10 1/2 wild card deficit and clinch a playoff spot the final day of the regular season. The Cardinals crashed the postseason party, defeating the heavily favored Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS, their division rival Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS and the defending AL champion Texas Rangers in a thrilling seven-game World Series, where they were down to their final strike, twice.

The announcement comes as a surprise to many, but not the Cardinals front office. It has been said La Russa informed general manager John Mozeliak and Co. of his decision as early as August and could be the reason why the 67-year-old manager was so relaxed during his latest postseason run.

There are so many words to describe La Russa throughout his career, genius, daring and fiery to name a few. He is the most second-guessed manager in the history of game, living by the phrase, "Trust your gut, don't cover your butt."

Being the innovator of the late-inning relievers and sometimes batting his pitchers eight instead of ninth, La Russa won six pennants and is one of nine managers in history to win at least three World Series titles during their career, ranking him sixth all-time. He retires third on the all-time list with 14 playoff appearances and career wins with 2,728, trailing only Hall of Famers Connie Mack and John McGraw.

In 33 years of managing, La Russa finds himself second on the all-time list in losses (2,365), postseason wins (70) and games managed (5,097), joining Mack as the only other manager in history to manage more than 5,000 games in a career.

La Russa won four Manager of the Year Awards during his career, his last coming in 2002, but another could be waiting in the wings after what could be his finest managerial job yet. A year after losing soon-to-be Hall of Fame managers Torre, Cito Gaston and Lou Pinella to retirement, baseball has lost another. Mixing and matching his way to World Series titles, La Russa is one of the greatest managers in history and one day will have his day in Cooperstown.

After 16 seasons a new face will be at the top step of the St. Louis dugout in 2012.

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