Could the “Entourage” Group Help the Dodgers Situation?

In this current roller-coaster economic
climate, it is not unusual for some of us to need a little help, or
possibly a ” hand-up” to get ourselves on a solid footing again.
Maybe it is time for Los Angeles Dodger primary owner Frank McCourt
to embrace his current situation with open arms.

With McCourt already mired down by an
overcoming storm of “questionable moves and finally drawing the
attention of the Internal Revenue Service to his storied franchise,
did he think he was untouchable?

I have heard more than a few tales
whispered to me recently of a huge house of cards built up by McCourt
that finally might be shaking and ready to come tumbling down around
him. The possibility of McCourt even thinking about ” borrowing”
against his Fox Sports Network future baseball television rights
revenues to float the team for even a few seasons would eventually
send him to the bottom with nothing.

I even heard of a loan default and a
California banking institution basically foreclosing on the parking
lots around his stadium effectively circling the financial wagons
with an impending doom looming just over those picturesque California
mountains. Maybe, a ” hand-up” right now might be better than MLB
taking over the club.

McCourt currently has the “Lion’s
share” of the overall ownership stake in the storied Dodgers, and
possibly parting with a small slice of that monopoly, it might
actually get McCourt the secure financial footing and keep the team
from leaving his hands and possibly being put “in trust” by Major
League Baseball in the near future.

I understand the reasoning of McCourt
to do everything possible to keep MLB out of the fray, but when the
IRS sneaks into a organization, it sends immediate red flags and
warning whistles throughout baseball. McCourt should not take this
action so personally. But then again the wordage coming from MLB
Commissioner Bud Selig never sounds like a positive thing.

With the recent announcement by Major
League Baseball to possibly take on the daily duties of the Los
Angeles Dodgers, you have to wonder if the MLB brass might have
already done a primary search for a few well known names, or
prospective ownership groups who might take on a small stake of the
ownership of the lovable “Boys in Blue”.

I have a solution. It might be a bit
out there, and might need both MLB and McCourt to actively pursue
with vigor, but in the end it could satisfy two different goals. We
all know that in the past when New York Mets owners Fred Wilpon and
Sam Katz were seeking some minority ownership infused money a group,
or “Entourage” of investors made their desires
known to MLB and the Mets.

That’s right, a few of the popular
stars of the HBO highly acclaimed series want to throw their New Era
caps into the MLB ring as minority owners. “Entourage”
executive producer Doug Ellin as well as three of the series stars,
Kevin Connolly ( E ), Ed Burns and Kevin Dillon ( Johnny Drama ) want to
pursue a chance to own a historic franchise.

And that phrase “historic franchise”
caught my eye. The Entourage series is based on a group of guys who
follow their friend actor Vinny Chase to Los Angeles after his
success in a ficticous Indie film called “Queens Blvd.” Interestingly
enough, Queens Blvd which runs 12-lanes wide at times runs from
Midtown Manhattan to Jamaica just north of the Dodgers old home of
Brooklyn,New York. Sure the guys might want to retrace their NY roots
and become a piece of the ownership group of one of their old sports
favorites, but they also now have a chance to possibly help preserve
a franchise most in New York city portray as ” dead to them”.

How fitting would it be for a bunch of
Long Island and New York natives who now work on a series based in
the LA region could come to the rescue of an old expatriate NYC
franchise. With the series possibly starting production soon on their
last season, the added storyline of possibly getting some
post-“Entourage” good karma by helping out McCourt could go a
long way.

But the problem is first McCourt has to
publicly admit there is a fiscal problem beyond his current means.
Denial is a vain and confusing human condition that engulfs us whole
and sometimes is bitter to let us go, even with the truth.

The possible infusion of outside money
and a solid investment group could keep the banking hounds at bay,
and MLB out of McCourt’s offices for now. The “Entourage” group
could invite McCourt into their little social circle and make him
again see the light at the end of the tunnel and keep his grip on his
baseball team.

There is no clear indication that this
will ever happen, but it is feasible and could be beneficial to both
parties. Maybe MLB hasn’t connected these dots yet, but they should.
Even if the “Entourage” group just takes a temporary ownership
stake until the ground settles and firm for McCourt, some help is
better than seeing your dream fade away into the abyss.

Think about the show production value
of possibly spinning this into the series. We all know that Ari Gold
(Jeremy Pivin) was actively trying to get an NFL franchise for Los
Angeles. What if the storyline could be evolved to provide a Dodger
backspin that his passion and drive could produce a ownership stake
in the team. Would be a PR ” win-win” for both “Entourage”
and McCourt.

Sure Connolly, Dillon and Burns might
want to own a piece of the Mets, but shouldn’t the added fact that
being a part of the Los Angeles scene as sports team investors they
could finally get Turtle to stop wearing his New York Yankees gear on
screen and sporting his new home team cap along with the rest of the
“Entourage” of the “Dodger Blue”. Just a thought……….