Bid Gets Daly Affirmation

Having refused to comment on the sale of the Dodgers since revealing at the start of the protracted process that he would be leaving when a new owner took over, Dodger Chairman Bob Daly said Thursday that Frank McCourt has received “a bum rap” and that he expected McCourt’s controversial bid to buy the club to be approved.

In a phone interview after returning to Los Angeles from the owners meetings, Daly said that Dan Evans, his beleaguered general manager, has received a similar “bum rap” because “he has had one hand tied behind his back” because of the unresolved ownership situation and the fact that “it was my adamant decision not to trade any of the young prospects.”

Whether Daly was trying to relieve some of the heat on Evans and dispel some of the concern about McCourt’s operating resources if owners approve his $430-million and highly leveraged proposal to buy the club from News Corp. wasn’t clear.

However, Daly also had spoken up during Thursday’s full meeting of major league owners.

In making what a National League executive called “something of a farewell speech,” Daly told the owners he had come to know McCourt during recent months and that he “is a good guy who will have the club’s best interests at heart.”

Talking from Los Angeles later, Daly said that was an accurate report of what he had said in the meeting and the way he felt.

“Frank is a good man who will do a good job, but no one is giving him a chance to get his sea legs,” Daly said. “I’ve done my own analysis of his assets because I have a stake in the situation and I’m very confident there’s no problem and that fans in L.A. will look back years from now and say he’s been a very good owner.

“The issue right now is one of timing. Frank has the assets, but they are tied up basically in [Boston] real estate and he’s reluctant to try and sell when prospective buyers know he has to do it by a certain date.

“It’s like when you’re under the gun to try and sell a house by a certain date. It’s a different negotiation when there isn’t a deadline involved.”

McCourt, in his agreement with News Corp., must complete the transaction by Jan. 31, and he is trying to do it entirely with loans. News Corp. is loaning more than $200 million, but Daly said, “Look, would they be doing it if the assets weren’t there?

“I mean, to me, it’s a situation where News Corp. is comparable to a bank which recognizes that McCourt is a customer with legitimate collateral and who isn’t a risk.”

News Corp., however, also is determined to sell and end what at times has been a lengthy and frustrating process, but industry officials reiterated Thursday that issues pertaining to the debt-equity rule in McCourt’s proposal still have to be resolved. McCourt and his wife Jamie are to meet with baseball lawyers and officials in Los Angeles next week in another attempt to get that done, with the possibility, a high-ranking official has said, they may have to put in some of their own money.

With the deadline approaching, officials initially had hoped the sale could have been voted on at Thursday’s meeting. Now, if the problems are resolved, it will be done by conference call before Jan. 31.

Ownership committee chairman Bill Bartholomay, in his report to the owners Thursday, reaffirmed what he had told The Times on Wednesday, that McCourt’s proposal remains a work in progress. “There were no questions, no discussion and no indication when the committee will or won’t make a recommendation regarding approval,” the NL executive said.

Having returned to Los Angeles, Daly said he expected the deal to get done and that he planned to sell his 5% stake because “I don’t want to work under anyone. I’ve already bought season tickets [for 2004] and will always be a fan.”

He also said that he expected the Dodger payroll and philosophy in the future to be modeled after that of the San Francisco Giants, who have been competitive with a payroll ranging from $65 million to $90 million.

“It’s not a matter of who owns the team,” Daly said. “It’s a matter of reality. What team can afford a $120-million payroll every year except the [New York] Yankees? No one has their revenue.

“We’ll be over $100 million again this year, with the biggest payroll in the division, but we have only $40 million committed for 2005 and nothing in 2006.

“McCourt will take over a club that’s in good shape for the future.”

In that regard, Daly said, it was his concept to retain Edwin Jackson, Greg Miller and Franklin Gutierrez, the three young players opposing teams have asked for most often in trade talks, and to specifically not deal them for players with only one year left on their contracts such as Richie Sexson, Derrek Lee and Magglio Ordonez.

The most glaring result is that the Dodgers have not rebuilt their major league-worst offense. However, Daly predicted they would make a deal for the needed right-handed hitter before spring training and said it was paramount for the organization to begin reestablishing its farm system.

“We’ve been forced to rely on free agents, and the financial consequences have been severe,” he said. “It was my idea to regroup, and Dan agreed. He’s a good guy and a good soldier, and whether McCourt keeps him or not, I think people will look back in time and be very happy with the rebirth of the farm system and the number of products at the major league level and recognize that Dan contributed to that.”

However, Daly said he has not recommended the general manager’s retention to McCourt because, “I don’t think it’s my place. I think Frank has to come in and make his own decisions.”