Recently Jon Weinbach of AOL FANHOUSE took a well-deserved whack at the pinata that is the McCourt’s ownership of the Dodgers.

(Speaking of money for nothing …) 

Weinbach, bless his heart, further unraveled the McCourt’s dubious financial dealings with the Dodgers by exposing money-for-nothing schemes involving the McCourt’s two sons and various shell companies designed to funnel money to a “slush fund” set up for Frank’s personal use.

Over the past 18 months, the Los Angeles Dodgers paid nearly $4 million in “consulting services” to an entity that has done virtually nothing for the club, even as the team has made a concerted effort to raise ticket prices, trim payroll and acquire players on the cheap.

Moreover, the club paid two of Frank and Jamie McCourt’s adult sons large salaries — $400,000 and $200,000 per year, respectively — for services that are undefined and could not be described by either Frank or Jamie McCourt, according to court documents filed in the couple’s divorce case.

The official club duties of Drew and Travis McCourt couldn’t be described by their parents because, from what I’ve been told by anonymous Dodger staffers, they have no formal duties with the franchise. As noted by Weinbach, “neither of the McCourts’ sons is listed on the team’s staff directory.”

I have a sneaking feeling that Drew attending business school at Stanford and Travis working at Goldman Sachs in New York might have something to do with that.

Weinbach also notes Frank’s creative way of getting around his supposedly-capped $5 million per year club salary. Read more…

Jon Lovitz is being sued by the Dodgers for failure to pay for $100,000 in season ticket costs.

(Looking for his cash? Start at The Mansion)

Dude has been researching role as Lasorda at Jumbo’s Clown Room and this is what he gets?

Read more…

Carla Hall and Victoria Kim of the LOS ANGELES TIMES reported last Friday that L.A. County Superior Court Judge Scott Gordon ordered Dodgers Owner Frank McCourt pay $225,000 a month in temporary spousal support to his estranged wife, Jamie, and an additional $412,159 a month in costs associated with the seven residences in her name.

(Fees don’t account for Lasorda’s porn per diem)

Jamie McCourt had asked for $988,845 a month to “maintain her homes and her lifestyle.”

If you thought that was jaw-dropping, then you missed this graf in the same story:

He (Judge Gordon) also ordered that an eighth property — land in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico — be sold and the proceeds split between the two McCourts for their legal fees. Jamie had requested about $9 million in legal fees.

Jamie McCourt filed for divorce on Oct. 27, 2009. Roughly six months ago. Read more…

Thanks to a pitching staff in absolute shambles, the Dodgers are currently in last place in the pedestrian National League West and owner of MLB’s second-worst record (8-13). 21 games into the season, three of the Dodgers five-man starting pitching rotation have an ERA over 5.00 and two of those hurlers, Vincente Padilla and Charlie Haeger, have earned run averages over 7.

(Colletti gave Kemp a piece of his mind)

With the team five games under .500, highlighting the Dodger pitching woes is an offense that is third in MLB in hits and batting average.

Despite those facts, General Manager Ned Colletti chose to lash out at Matt Kemp on Wednesday for his poor play on a L.A. radio show. (Kemp is currently hitting .292 and second in the major leagues with seven home runs.)

Not surprisingly, Kemp and his agent Dave Stewart were distinctly displeased with Colletti’s seemingly misplaced priorities. Stewart went so far to hint that Colletti’s comments might come into play once Kemp is contractually free to leave the team.

So what was it that had Kemp and Stewart so upset? Read more…

Michael Hiltzik of the LOS ANGELES TIMES reports that thanks to complex financial manuevering, including questionable losses on real estate property, the Jamie and Frank McCourt paid zero in federal and state income taxes last year.

(Lasorda porn? Biz expense, of course)

The McCourts, who own the Los Angeles Dodgers (so she says; he says he’s the owner and she’s not), jointly pocketed income totaling $108 million from 2004 through 2009, according to documents Jamie McCourt recently filed in the couple’s divorce case in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

On that sum, they paid zero federal and state income tax. Jamie suggests that some tax breaks will apply this year too.

Let me know if you’ve heard this one before: the allegedly legal tax scheme was primarily designed to prop-up the McCourts embarrassingly overextended, leveraged lifestyle. Read more…

T.J. Simers of the L.A. TIMES has some fun doublespeak from Jamie McCourt today, as she strikes out to defend her reputation against charges that she cheated on husband Frank and spent company money on a trip to France with her lover.

(Jamie McCourt: No denial that she cheated with Fuller)

“To read everything that’s been said is devastating, and my kids are pretty upset about it,” she says. “I want my kids to look back and say she took the high road. It’s hard, but that’s what I’m going to try and do.”

But in the previous paragraph, Simers writes,

Some of her advisors, who suggest there are things that maybe Frank would not want revealed, have been pushing her to fight back.

So Frank has skeletons too? Wonder where Simers got the idea to write that? Thank goodness Jamie’s taking the high road! Read more…

You don’t see family members go at each other in a high-profile court case like this in Los Angeles since the Chandlers gave up the LA Times. So nostalgic. Yes, the epic struggle for control of the Dodgers begins on Thursday, as Frank McCourt and Jamie McCourt square off to contest assets in their divorce. “Who needs two? Got tickets in the second row, middle, right opposite the bailiff. Who needs tickets?” “Red hots! Get your Dodger Dogs!”

Of course Jamie McCourt is attempting to get back her job as Dodger CEO after being fired by club owner and husband Frank. The plot thickened when Frank accused Jamie of secret naughty Paris hi-jinks with her “security advisor,” Jeff Fuller. The court will hear arguments from Jamie as to why she should be reinstated, and why the Fuller accusations should be withheld. Frank will contend that Jamie is a detriment to the team, and the entire National League. Vin Scully will call the action. Read more…

Finally, we have the big breakthrough in the McCourts divorce case. With Jamie McCourt attempting to get her job as Dodger CEO back after she was fired by club owner and husband Frank, the Dodgers filed legal documents today against Jamie’s claim that are akin to an atom bomb.

(Frank: Jamie McCourt had affair with Jeff Fuller (middle))

The Dodgers attorneys claim that among the reasons Jamie was fired was a secret trip she took with “her bodyguard” to France - when she was supposed to be representing the Dodgers in Israel. She also billed the team for all her expenses in France.

The trip happened in July. The date of separation in the divorce proceeding is July 6.

Next question: Who was the “bodyguard” that accompanied Jamie to France? Read more…

TMZ gets its hands on Jamie McCourt’s official divorce filing today, and it’s a doozy.

(We all had the same reaction)

First off, Jamie lists the date of separation as July 6, 2009. Here are some of the things Jamie is demanding in the settle with husband Frank:

- travel by private jet
- 5 star hotel accommodations
- travel expenses - Unlimited
- business dinners 5 nights per week
- business lunches 5 days per week
- making Dodger Legends available for events without charge
- access to team doctors for McCourt family members
- access to the owner’s suite for Dodger home games and non-baseball events at the stadium
- Tickets to All-Star games and playoff games — even if the Dodgers aren’t playing
- a pass to all National League games

That’s not even the best part. Read more…

More fun with the McCourts’ freakshow divorce today, as TMZ reports on the events following a 911 call Jamie McCourt made to police about Frank.

(Oh god no. This guy.)

Frank’s version:

Mr. McCourt was living alone at the residence in West Los Angeles and his wife was residing in Malibu. That morning, Mr. McCourt left the house and went jogging. When he returned home to the West Los Angeles residence, he found his wife (Jamie) swimming in the pool and her personal “security assistant” Jeff Fuller, was also at the residence.

Jeff Fuller? The same Fuller who is now romantically involved with Jamie, but only started seeing her after the McCourts’ breakup?

Meanwhile, Jamie’s side has a very, VERY different account of the events. Read more…