After months of speculation and an ever-changing list of potential future Dodgers owners, the deadline for bidding on the team came and went Monday, leaving us with a slightly changed list of bidders.
After deletions and additions were made to the list, one thing is clear: the big bucks are coming out in the fight for our team. According to the Wall Street Journal, several hopeful owners submitted bids exceeding $1 billion, and Frank McCourt is looking for as much as $2 billion from his final sale.
There are more than 10 opening bids, according to the Los Angeles Times, although not all bidders are confirmed because of nondisclosure agreements.
Here's the list of known bidders as it stands now:
1) Peter O'Malley
2) Dennis Gilbert, Jason Reese, Larry King and Randy Wooster
3) Mark Cuban
4) Magic Johnson and Stan Kasten
5) Steven Cohen
6) Joe Torre and Rick Caruso
7) Stanley Gold and the late Roy Disney's family
8) Leo Hindery and Marc Utay
9) Stan Kroenke. According to the Times, sources said St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke might have turned in a bid.
10) Josh Macciello. As Sporting News reports, Macciello, Los Angeles billionaire and CEO of ArmItal Sports Inc., said he submitted a bid. See his website and campaign video here, in which he compares himself to Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Rocky Balboa.
It's anti-climactic because the bids are non-binding (so some surely offered a higher amount than they're willing to pay), bids can still be turned in and bidder mergers are expected to occur and change up the game.
Marc Ganis, president of the Chicago-based consulting firm Sportscorp, brought home the lack of finality. "At this point, what you're trying to do is cull the herd," he explained to CBS. "All the interest had been a good thing for McCourt, but it's also been an easy cheap way for anyone in LA who wants some publicity and has a couple of shekels to get their name in the media."
Hinting at an individual who might be taking that cheap shot, CBS quoted Macciello, a 36-year-old former Brooklynite and current Californian, as saying, "I have a ZZ Top kind of goatee. I don't look like the traditional three-piece suit kind of hedge fund guy."
This may feel like a long game to us, but the final inning isn't too far off. Frank McCourt only has until April 1 to select the winning bid and until April 30 to close the sale.
Here's our updated slideshow of potential owners as the list currently stands. Now, who do you vote for?
