Are would-be Dodgers owners lining up to overpay? (Web links)

Frank McCourt dreams, maybe not like the rest of us, but he dreams. His dreams entail a buyer ready to plunk down at least $1.5 billion for the Dodgers, maybe even $2 billion. And while he’s dreaming, getting to keep the parking lots surrounding the stadium.

Yeah, not like the rest of us.

McCourt has reportedly submitted eight potential buyers to Major League Baseball, now vetting the financial backgrounds of each, before turning over its finalist back to McCourt to conclude his auction by April Fools’ Day (some things you just can’t make up).

Will he get the bid he dreams of? Stay tuned. But if the new owner is dropping $1.5 billion to $2 billion, sports business writer Darren Rovell of CNBC.com said there is no money to be made on the team.

Rovell said the team itself is still valued at $800 million and the property from $200 million to $300 million. Some have claimed this is less about buying the Dodgers than the TV rights.

Wrote Rovell: “Some will say it’s in the TV money, but it’s not there either. A deal with a network would yield about $150 million a year, but if the Dodgers start a regional sports network, they’ll likely be sharing at least 25% of the overall revenue, which would affect the rights fee.”

If it’s a vanity buy, it is one crazy purchase. And then you have to wonder about the impact down the line.

“If a bid is a stupid bid, do you think the owner wants to pump more money into the team?” Rovell asked. “If a bid is fiscally irresponsible, does it necessarily increase the value of all teams? No. It’s just an outlier.”

Also on the Web:

-- Does Tommy Lasorda know? CBS Sports’ Danny Kobler writes that Arizona Manager Kirk Gibson is more determined than ever to live up to the legacy of Sparky Anderson.

-- The Times’ Dylan Hernandez asks Don Mattingly how fortunate he feels to be working with a beat writer like Dylan Hernandez (thanks to Eric Stephen of True Blue LA):

-- The Dodgers are the No.1 team in baseball in one area – best uniforms, writes ESPN’s Jim Caple.

-- A.J. Ellis has this right in a column by The Times’ Bill Dwyre praising Ellis’ defense and effort: “Whatever I add offensively will be a bonus.”

-- Dodgers.com’s Ken Gurnick takes a look at the Dodgers’ top 10 prospects you need to watch this spring.

-- It’s the end of the world as we know it: Roberto Baly of Vin Scully Is My Homeboy discovers that the Tijuana Truenos will have a new manager this summer – Pedro Guerrero.

-- The Times’ Bill Shaikin writes that the bankruptcy judge is urging McCourt and the Bryan Stow family to reach a settlement without his intervention.

-- Fox Sports’ Steve Lyons says Dee Gordon could prove most intriguing player in camp because the Dodgers have turned over the starting shortstop spot to him.

-- ESPN/LA’s Tony Jackson said there is no closer controversy, for now.

-- The Dodgers have a new “official skincare partner” in Murad. The team isn’t interested in silky skin so much as sun protection.

-- And this is from a few days back, but Baly found this classic video of the Dodgers at spring training in 1967. I swear I saw Ted Lilly stretching.