MLB Tabs Tom Schieffer To Run Dodgers
NEW YORK, NY (Sports Network) - Former Texas Rangers president Tom Schieffer was appointed by commissioner Bud Selig on Monday as the "Monitor" of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The move comes less than a week after Major League Baseball took over operation of the franchise from owner Frank McCourt.
Schieffer, 63, was an investor in the ownership group headed by George W. Bush and Rusty Rose that purchased the Rangers in 1989. He was the club president from 1991-99 and the club's general partner from November 1994 until June 1998.
"We are very fortunate to have someone of Tom Schieffer's stature monitor the operations of the Los Angeles Dodgers on behalf of Major League Baseball," Selig said in a statement. "Tom is a distinguished public servant who has represented the nation with excellence and has demonstrated extraordinary leadership throughout his career. The many years that he spent managing the operations of a successful franchise will benefit the Dodgers and Major League Baseball as a whole. I am grateful for Tom's acceptance of this role."
When Bush became President of the United States, Schieffer served as a U.S. ambassador to first Australia and later Japan.
The decision to take control of the Dodgers came several days after a report by the Los Angeles Times said McCourt, struggling to make payroll, received a $30 million loan from Fox to cover expenses.
It was the second time McCourt took money from Fox to cover expenses since the end of last season. The loan was made personally to him, and not to the Dodgers, the paper reported.
McCourt has owned the Dodgers since 2004, when he bought controlling interest of the team from Fox. But he has been involved in a messy divorce with wife Jamie McCourt since their separation two years ago and ownership of the team has been contested.
