PHOENIX — It was a dirty, low-down trick. And it was brilliant.
Los Angeles Dodgers president Stan Kasten, sitting in the bar at the owners’ meetings last August with club CEO Mark Walter, saw Boston Red Sox president Larry Lucchino on the other side of the room.
Kasten needed to talk to him privately. Yet, he had a problem: A couple of reporters in the bar. In need of a distraction, he called us over and introduced us to Walter.
Soon, Kasten quietly stole off, leaving us with Walter, who laid out his vision for the Dodgers.
One hour passed, then another as Walter discussed making the Dodgers the greatest team in all of baseball. Finally, Walter went to bed. The bar closed. We called it a night.
Little did we know the Dodgers and Red Sox were putting the finishing touches on the biggest trade in the history of both franchises. Ten days later, it was finalized. Nine players switched teams – including former All-Stars Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Josh Beckett – and the Dodgers assumed a record $250 million in salaries.
Nothing like getting hoodwinked.
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“We thought we actually had the deal done before the (July 31) trade deadline,” Kasten told USA TODAY Sports, “but it got revived at the owners’ meetings. When you guys were drinking with Mark, I was doing the deal with Larry.”
Says Walter, a bit apologetic: “You know what kind of luggage I am? I was with you. So when people ask, ‘What was Mark’s role in that trade?’ people will say, ‘He was an anchor, but he kept people missing.'”
Not be fooled again, I made sure Kasten and Walter stayed together when they sat down for an interview with USA TODAY Sports on their first day together at the Dodgers’ spring-training complex last week.
“You’re learning,” Kasten says, fresh off an offseason that saw the Dodgers lavish $147 million on prized free agent pitcher Zack Greinke, running their future salary commitments to over $500 million in less than a year owning the club.
On this afternoon, drinking nothing stronger than soda pop to wash down the hot dogs outside their private suite at Camelback Ranch, they divulged:
They nearly purchased the Houston Astros, and received the Astros’ private financial statements as prospective buyers, before the Dodgers became available.
“Stan warned me the Dodgers might cost $900 million,” Walter said.
Kasten: “Damn, I wish you hadn’t told him that.”
It wound up costing $2.15 billion.
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Walter doesn’t interfere with Kasten or the front-office staff, but when asked whether he ever sends trade proposals , Kasten roared with laughter.
“Endlessly,” Kasten says. ” In every method of communication known to man. This man is creative, with a capital, C, that’s all I’m going to say.”
Says Walter: “I told you , ‘You have to start thinking outside the box.”‘
Kasten and Walter can’t believe someone was idiotic enough to let Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax part ways with the organization, and they’ve done everything in their power to make sure he never leaves again.
“I’m not public-relations oriented,” Walter says, “but why would anybody have alienated him? You mean there was a rift between him and the Dodgers? He’s not just a great guy, but a corporate asset.
“So I asked, ‘Well, how do we get him back? You sit down and talk to him. If you’re not a jerk, he likes you. And the fans are so crazy about him.”
Walter hates to lose, and when annoyed, will text Kasten. Kasten really hates to lose, and paces. It makes it almost impossible for them to watch a game together.
“There was a point when the Colorado Rockies were on the verge of having the worst pitching staff in the history of Major League Baseball,” Walter said. “We couldn’t score off them. I was like, ‘Really? So what does that say? They’re the worst pitchers, and we can’t hit them, so that makes us the worst batters?’
“I don’t mind losing, but come on, can’t we get a hit now and then?”‘
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They believe the Dodgers will become a dynasty, and when asked whether it’s possible for anyone to duplicate the Atlanta Braves’ era when they won 14 consecutive division titles with Kasten as president, they weren’t shy.
“It’s going to be done again,” Walter said, “this time on the West Coast. Oh, sorry.”
Kasten, briefly taken aback by the bravado, said: “I’m saying, ‘Yes.’ But that’s all I’m going to say.”
They were one hour late in their introductory meeting with prospective fellow owner Magic Johnson thanks to L.A. traffic. Johnson had one major question, and agreed that afternoon to be a partner.
“Magic looks at Mark right away,” Kasten said, “and he says, ‘Do you want to win?’
“Mark says, ‘Why would you want to go through this kind of thing if you didn’t want to win?’
“That’s what sold Magic right away. It’s important to all of us. We just want to do this right.”
Walter and Kasten weren’t smug in noting they ended up with the Dodgers and not the Astros.
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Still, how would you feel, going to to buy a Smart Car, and driving off the lot with a Bentley?
“It would have been different,” Kasten says , “but they’re the fourth biggest market in America, and the biggest market with only one (baseball) team. They had a brand new (regional sports network). They have a lot of things going for them.
“But we both agreed that if something comes up with the Dodgers, we have to look at that much more seriously than anything we were doing.”
They feared they might have to pay $900 million. They later realized that if they had to raise it to about $1.3 billion, it might be a bargain.
Instead, they paid $2.15 billion, the most ever for a sports franchise, leaving owners wondering whether they should be ridiculed or committed.
“When you got into the due diligence, and saw the opportunities and what upside there was,” Kasten says, “that’s why 24 groups signed up.”
Walter and Co. reached an agreement with outgoing owner Frank McCourt, agreed to share future earnings on any land development around Dodger Stadium, and looked like geniuses when they reached a TV rights deal with Time-Warner that guarantees at least $7 billion.
The Dodgers have a payroll of about $230 million this year, the highest in baseball history. They’re shelling out in excess of $100 million for stadium improvements, nearly tripling the size of their clubhouse for the players.
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“You know who doesn’t complain?” Kasten says. “The Dodger fans. And that’s who we really care about. Having a strong Dodger franchise is good for baseball.”
Walter: “L.A. doesn’t want a crappy team.”
The fans have already purchased 28,500 season tickets, Kasten says, the highest total in franchise history, up from 17,000 last season. Kasten ponders whether they must cap the total at 31,000 to assure fans can still buy single-game tickets.
“They’re investing in us,” Kasten says, “because of the cumulative impact of all we’ve done.
“If we do our jobs, the fans will come out. It’s nothing more complicated than that. I just never thought it would happen this fast.”
Pardon Walter for being a bit confused. He lives and works in Chicago, and is a Cubs season-ticket holder. He had no idea season tickets could possibly be available.
“I’m getting some numbers early on,” Walter says, “and I say, ‘What do you mean these tickets aren’t sold?’ You’ve got to stand in line to get a Cubs season ticket. It’s like, ‘How the hell does that happen? Chicago is just one-third of the size of L.A.’ We’re going to change that.”
Certainly, success isn’t guaranteed overnight. The Dodgers have won only two playoff series in the last 25 years, and the San Francisco Giants, winners of two of the last three World Series, are in their division.
” I’d love to be in a World Series this year,” Walter says, “but we’re going to win over time. I don’t want to be in the World Series this year, and never again. I want us to be a team that people are not looking forward to playing unless they want to play the best.”
This is why Walter persuaded Kasten to pull off the trade with the Red Sox. They coveted first baseman Adrian Gonzalez for months. When the trade deadline passed, Walter convinced Kasten not to give up.
“We had to worry about that waiver wire, making sure who would go through,” Walter said. “All they had to do was scrub one of the players, and it would have screwed up the whole deal. Well, I guess we could have had the same result, and might have saved $20 million.
Kasten: “Yeah, but that’s never been a big thing with him. He’s never given me that as a mandate.”
Walter: “To save $20 million?”
Kasten: “Well, job No. 1 is making the team better. We’ll worry about the other part, later.”
It’s this philosophy that has Dodger fans acting as if Koufax and Don Drysdale are back on the mound, Roy Campanella behind the plate. They walk up and shake the hands of Kasten and Walter. And they thank them for McCourt’s departure.
There will be tests along the way, mistakes made. You can never please everyone, as they learned when they received a letter a few weeks ago.
Yes, someone actually complained about the Dodgers bringing Koufax back into the organization.
“Overall, this has been just great,” Walter said. “I can’t ask for anything more. Come on, is there anything better than a hot dog and beer on a hot, summer day at a baseball game?”
Perhaps not, but that hot dog will taste better, and that beer will go down smoother, if a few victories happen to go along with it.
Yeah, you might want to keep an eye on these two.
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References
- ^ http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2013/03/01/clayton-kershaw-rough-outing-dodgers-beat-angels-spring-trianing/1955679/ (www.usatoday.com)
- ^ http://www.usatoday.com/story/gameon/2013/02/28/brewers-racing-sausage-returned-with-note-and-photos/1954299/ (www.usatoday.com)
- ^ http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/yankees/2013/02/28/yankees-made-significant-offer-to-robinson-cano/1954857/ (www.usatoday.com)
- ^ http://www.usatoday.com/story/gameon/2013/02/28/cubs-seventh-inning-stretch-tradition-ending/1954027/ (www.usatoday.com)
- ^ http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2013/03/01/stephen-strasburg-perfecting-sinker-nationals-mets-tie-spring-training/1955721/ (www.usatoday.com)
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