Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports: Report: McCourt borrows from sponsors, meets May payroll

Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports Latest Big League Stew - MLB from Yahoo! Sports

Report: McCourt borrows from sponsors, meets May payroll May 31st 2011, 21:04 Frank McCourt's mad scramble to conjure up some much-needed cash continued on Tuesday afternoon. According to a report from ESPN's Molly Knight, the Los Angeles Dodgers owner has taken cash advances from team sponsors in order to successfully meet the team's payroll for the month of May. The news comes just one month after McCourt had to take a personal $30 million loan to pay his April bills. What's next, Frank? Diving through the couch cushions for dimes and nickels to put toward June's obligations, which include a "huge chunk" of deferred money due to the long-gone Manny Ramirez? From ESPN: Since McCourt has been unable to secure traditional loans to fund the cash-strapped Dodgers, front office executives in charge of revenue were charged with finding more creative ways to help float the troubled franchise for two more weeks. Current team sponsors were contacted and offered discounts on their annual bills and luxury box stadium seats in exchange for cash up front, according to two sources. It is not known which sponsors took the offer, or the depth of discount they were given. As Knight so cleverly remarked on Twitter herself, it probably won't be long before the Dodgers take the field wearing Chico's Bail Bonds jerseys. In all seriousness, though, you have to wonder how Bud Selig and the operative he placed in the Dodgers' office allowed such a thing to happen. If the Dodgers are to remain an attractive piece for potential buyers, the team's valuable assets can't be sold off at cut-rate prices because the current owner is cash-poor. And considering that Selig reportedly blocked an earlier loan because it would have put the team's valuable TV rights in jeopardy, you have to wonder if he'll use his "best interests of baseball" clause to hook McCourt to an even shorter leash — or take control of the team entirely. Selig's reluctance to do this is probably due to the expensive legal proceedings it would provoke and the big bills that would then become the responsibility of Major League Baseball. But while Selig's original plan may have been to let McCourt bleed himself, it may not be much longer before Selig is forced to take action earlier than he would have liked.

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports: Report: McCourt borrows from sponsors, meets May payroll

Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports Latest Big League Stew - MLB from Yahoo! Sports Report: McCourt borrows from sponsors, meets May payroll 31 May 2011, 10:04 pm Frank McCourt's mad scramble to conjure up some much-needed cash continued on Tuesday afternoon. According to a report from ESPN's Molly Knight, the Los Angeles Dodgers owner has taken cash advances from team sponsors in order to successfully meet the team's payroll for the month of May. The news comes just one month after McCourt had to take a personal $30 million loan to pay his April bills. What's next, Frank? Diving through the couch cushions for dimes and nickels to put toward June's obligations, which include a "huge chunk" of deferred money due to the long-gone Manny Ramirez? From ESPN: Since McCourt has been unable to secure traditional loans to fund the cash-strapped Dodgers, front office executives in charge of revenue were charged with finding more creative ways to help float the troubled franchise for two more weeks. Current team sponsors were contacted and offered discounts on their annual bills and luxury box stadium seats in exchange for cash up front, according to two sources. It is not known which sponsors took the offer, or the depth of discount they were given. As Knight so cleverly remarked on Twitter herself, it probably won't be long before the Dodgers take the field wearing Chico's Bail Bonds jerseys. In all seriousness, though, you have to wonder how Bud Selig and the operative he placed in the Dodgers' office allowed such a thing to happen. If the Dodgers are to remain an attractive piece for potential buyers, the team's valuable assets can't be sold off at cut-rate prices because the current owner is cash-poor. And considering that Selig reportedly blocked an earlier loan because it would have put the team's valuable TV rights in jeopardy, you have to wonder if he'll use his "best interests of baseball" clause to hook McCourt to an even shorter leash — or take control of the team entirely. Selig's reluctance to do this is probably due to the expensive legal proceedings it would provoke and the big bills that would then become the responsibility of Major League Baseball. But while Selig's original plan may have been to let McCourt bleed himself, it may not be much longer before Selig is forced to take action earlier than he would have liked. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed.

Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports: Video: Serviceman’s surprise marriage proposal at Royals game

Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports Latest Big League Stew - MLB from Yahoo! Sports Video: Serviceman’s surprise marriage proposal at Royals game 31 May 2011, 9:15 pm Seen one ballpark marriage proposal, seen 'em all .. right? Not quite. Check out what happened at Kauffman Stadium during the game between the Kansas City Royals and Los Angeles Angels on Monday as a serviceman proposed to his girlfriend on the team's super-ginormous scoreboard ... then surprised her with an earlier than expected homecoming right there on the dugout roof. Something tells me the Royals waived their usual $500 fee and "no custom proposal" rules for this one: Great, great stuff. Best wishes to the happy couple for a true Royal wedding. (Check out another angle of the proposal over on MLB.com.) You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed.

Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports: Photo: Twins force mascot to dig team’s collective grave

Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports Latest Big League Stew - MLB from Yahoo! Sports

Photo: Twins force mascot to dig team’s collective grave May 31st 2011, 19:45 Thanks to the Minnesota Twins and their mascot, T.C. Bear, the long-pondered question —  "Does a bear dig in the woods?" — has finally been answered. Sorry, fur ball, but there will be no great escape from the Twinned Cities in 2011. And let's pick up the digging, T.C. Deeper! Wider! Faster! Bah! You couldn't bury Delmon Young's pet turtle in that mud puddle! Really, it's a dirty, rotten shame the Twins season has come down to this. Winners of the past two AL Central championships, and six titles since 2002, the franchise has fallen on hard times in 2011. Reigning MVP Joe Mauer has been hurt, other players have been injured, and most others are under-performing. So how can we blame the Twins for their marching orders? Collectively being put down humanely and returned to the forest for eternity is the dignified way to end things. OK, we're kidding! The mascot is not really going Goodfellas on the Twins. The photo only makes it seem like T.C. is digging a grave for the team, which sports a major-league worst record of 17-35 (yikes) and already finds itself 14 1/2 games out of first place in the AL Central (zoinks!) as of Tuesday afternoon. Mr. Bear really is digging a hole so that a spruce tree — a former resident of the batting eye at Target Field — can be transplanted to a berm at the Zumbrota Mazeppa High School baseball field. (Zumbrota Mazeppa: An underrated album by the Police, or the long-lost Marx Brother?) The spruce, one of 14 removed from an area beyond center field because they supposedly interfered with batters' concentration at Target, was won by a season-ticket holder who is donating it to the high school. Yes, Twins authorities: Tree branches swaying in the downtown Minneapolis breeze is obviously why the team is bringing up the major league rear in offense. Can you dig where we're coming from? Follow Dave on Twitter — @AnswerDave — and engage the Stew on Facebook

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports: Video: Soldier surprises girlfriend with proposal at Royals game

Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports Latest Big League Stew - MLB from Yahoo! Sports

Video: Soldier surprises girlfriend with proposal at Royals game May 31st 2011, 20:15 Seen one ballpark marriage proposal, seen 'em all .. right? Not quite. Check out what happened at Kauffman Stadium during the game between the Kansas City Royals and Los Angeles Angels on Monday as a soldier proposed to his girlfriend on the team's super-ginormous scoreboard ... then surprised her with an earlier than expected homecoming right there on the dugout roof. Something tells me the Royals waived their usual $500 fee and "no custom proposal" rules for this one: Great, great stuff. Best wishes to the happy couple for a true Royal wedding. (Check out another angle of the proposal over on MLB.com.)

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports: Photo: Twins force mascot to dig team’s collective grave

Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports Latest Big League Stew - MLB from Yahoo! Sports Photo: Twins force mascot to dig team’s collective grave 31 May 2011, 8:45 pm Thanks to the Minnesota Twins and their mascot, T.C. Bear, the long-pondered question —  "Does a bear dig in the woods?" — has finally been answered. Sorry, fur ball, but there will be no great escape from the Twinned Cities in 2011. And let's pick up the digging, T.C. Deeper! Wider! Faster! Bah! You couldn't bury Delmon Young's pet turtle in that mud puddle! Really, it's a dirty, rotten shame the Twins season has come down to this. Winners of the past two AL Central championships, and six titles since 2002, the franchise has fallen on hard times in 2011. Reigning MVP Joe Mauer has been hurt, other players have been injured, and most others are under-performing. So how can we blame the Twins for their marching orders? Collectively being put down humanely and returned to the forest for eternity is the dignified way to end things. OK, we're kidding! The mascot is not really going Goodfellas on the Twins. The photo only makes it seem like T.C. is digging a grave for the team, which sports a major-league worst record of 17-35 (yikes) and already finds itself 14 1/2 games out of first place in the AL Central (zoinks!) as of Tuesday afternoon. Mr. Bear really is digging a hole so that a spruce tree — a former resident of the batting eye at Target Field — can be transplanted to a berm at the Zumbrota Mazeppa High School baseball field. (Zumbrota Mazeppa: An underrated album by the Police, or the long-lost Marx Brother?) The spruce, one of 14 removed from an area beyond center field because they supposedly interfered with batters' concentration at Target, was won by a season-ticket holder who is donating it to the high school. Yes, Twins authorities: Tree branches swaying in the downtown Minneapolis breeze is obviously why the team is bringing up the major league rear in offense. Can you dig where we're coming from? Follow Dave on Twitter — @AnswerDave — and engage the Stew on Facebook You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed.

Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports: Video: Soldier surprises girlfriend with proposal at Royals game

Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports Latest Big League Stew - MLB from Yahoo! Sports Video: Soldier surprises girlfriend with proposal at Royals game 31 May 2011, 9:15 pm Seen one ballpark marriage proposal, seen 'em all .. right? Not quite. Check out what happened at Kauffman Stadium during the game between the Kansas City Royals and Los Angeles Angels on Monday as a soldier proposed to his girlfriend on the team's super-ginormous scoreboard ... then surprised her with an earlier than expected homecoming right there on the dugout roof. Something tells me the Royals waived their usual $500 fee and "no custom proposal" rules for this one: Great, great stuff. Best wishes to the happy couple for a true Royal wedding. (Check out another angle of the proposal over on MLB.com.) You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed.