XiaNaphryz
LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
No wonder the Dodgers couldn't get past the NLCS in recent years:
Vlad Shpunt? Really?Mismanaged financially during the Fox years, the team started turning a profit again. But McCourt, already heavily in debt from the original purchase, borrowed more money against the franchise to cover an array of expenses, some of which held dubious value for the team. He reportedly owes at least $450 million.
According to various published reports on the divorce, the McCourts financed makeup sessions for Jamie, a hairstylist charging $150,000 annually for regular house calls, and the services of a Russian-born "healer" named Vladimir Shpunt who watched games on TV and tried to channel his special energy to the Dodgers.
In the beginning, the McCourts spent freely on upgrading the team, helping the Dodgers reach the playoffs four times in their first six years as owners. But the club started cutting back on player development, a Dodgers specialty, a few years ago, and the major-league payroll dropped 21 percent from 2008 to 2010. McCourt needed a $30 million loan from his team's television partner to meet the payroll this month.