Major League Baseball

Schieffer: McCourt promised cooperation

Published Apr. 29, 2011 1:00 a.m. ET

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As the home team went through batting practice here late Friday afternoon, Tom Schieffer relaxed in a field box seat, enjoyed a Dodger Dog and spoke at length with reporters about his initial days as the league-appointed monitor of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Schieffer said he had a “very professional, very cordial” meeting with Dodgers owner Frank McCourt on Friday, in which he described his role as that of the “last check” on team operations.

“I think he, understandably, would prefer that we weren’t here, but I didn’t have any problem with that,” Schieffer said. “He promised cooperation.”

Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig chose Schieffer as his representative to oversee the Dodgers’ day-to-day operations and finances. Schieffer said he had “a good session” with the Dodgers’ financial officials that yielded “a lot of information.”

“Major League Baseball has not seized anything,” Schieffer said. “Frank McCourt is still the owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers. What Major League Baseball has done is act under the ‘best interests in baseball clause,’ to create a situation where they can investigate and monitor what’s going on with the franchise.”

When asked if he already had identified problems on Friday, Schieffer said, “That’s a good question. I think I’m probably going to hold up on commenting on that. I don’t think it would be fair to start commenting, on a day-to-day basis, on what’s the problem of the day.”

The Dodgers’ financial health has come under scrutiny as a result of McCourt’s divorce from his former wife, Jamie. Court documents revealed that Frank McCourt used team revenues for personal obligations. But McCourt told the Wall Street Journal this week that the Dodgers would only encounter a financial crisis if MLB fails to approve the team’s new broadcast rights deal with FOX.

“There have obviously been some problems here,” Schieffer said. “We’re trying to figure out what those problems are, what they really are — not rumor, not innuendo. What’s the plan for addressing it? What’s the long-term viability of the club? We want this to be — Major League Baseball wants this to be — the model franchise that it’s been in the past.

“I think we can get this done. I think we’ve come a long way in a couple days. My sense of it is that he (McCourt) understands a little better why I’m here, what I’m going to try to do.”

Schieffer, 63, was an investor and club president of the Texas Rangers during George W. Bush’s ownership of that franchise during the 1990s. Schieffer served as the U.S. ambassador to Australia and Japan during Bush’s presidency.

Several baseball officials joined Schieffer at Dodger Stadium on Friday — including MLB executive vice president Joe Torre, who was the Dodgers’ field manager at this time last year.

Schieffer said he doesn’t know how long the inquiry into the Dodgers’ financial operations will take. He likened the information he received on Friday to drinking from a fire hose, adding, “I think the weekend will give me a chance to digest it and have a sense of what’s going on. . . . We’re here to help, not to hurt.”

The Dodgers met their payroll obligations on Friday for uniform and non-uniform personnel without Major League Baseball assistance. “It was all within budget,” Schieffer said.

Schieffer also met with Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti on Friday. He said that Colletti’s budget for paying and acquiring players — initially established by McCourt — remains unchanged. The Dodgers had an Opening Day payroll of $104.2 million, 12th-largest in the majors, according to USA Today salary data. (Schieffer is under the impression that McCourt will continue drawing a salary from the team.)

Schieffer characterized his role as that of an additional layer of approval above McCourt. Schieffer said he told Colletti, “Everything is the same. You’re working under a budget. You have to get the OK of the people on the budget. McCourt is still the owner. If there’s something you want to do beyond that (budget), then we’ll talk about it.”

Schieffer also planned to speak with Dodgers players before Friday’s game, to communicate that they only need to focus on playing baseball. The Dodgers entered Friday with a 13-13 record, 4-1/2 games behind division-leading Colorado in the National League West.

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