frank mccourt

Former Los Angeles Dodger first baseman Steve Garvey says he has put together an investment group interested in buying his former team, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The future of the Dodgers has been thrown into doubt since a judge threw out a post-nuptial agreement between Frank and Jamie McCourt that would have given Frank McCourt sole ownership of the Dodgers. That makes the former Mrs. McCourt half-owner of the team.

Garvey, who recently fell short of election to the Baseball Hall of Fame, did not disclose how much his group has offered for the team, or whether it would have a controlling interest, according to the report. He said he had "three to five" investors from the business and entertainment fields, but did not identify them.

Frank McCourt has said that he doesn't want to sell the team. But there is public pressure building because of the disarray the team has been in during the last two seasons. The divorce proceedings were a major distraction to running the ball club, and contributed to manager Joe Torre retiring from the job after last season.

Garvey said he would serve as the general managing partner if the bid were successful. "I think I know what it takes to put a winner on the field," he said, according to the report.

Frank McCourt's spokesman, Steve Sugerman, said McCourt wants to keep the team within his family.

"There are some great treasures out there that people would love to buy, the Dodgers among them. But, like the Mona Lisa and the Pacific Ocean, the Dodgers aren't for sale," Sugerman said, according to the report.

Dallas Mavericks owner owner Mark Cuban said a year ago that he might be interested in buying the Dodgers, having ben rebuffed in his attempts to buy the Chicago Cubs.

The Los Angeles Dodgers may be out of the playoffs but all of Los Angeles is still following the team, or rather, the drama surrounding the team's owners. Frank and Jamie McCourt announced that they are getting divorced recently and it's gotten ugly quickly. Jamie McCourt was fired from her position as the team's chief executive this week. Her name is already off the team website and Frank McCourt has said that his wife failed to follow procedures and acted inappropriately with a subordinate.

Radar Online says that the pair, who were college sweethearts and have been married for more than 20 years, did not have a prenuptial agreement. California is a community property state and that property may include ownership of the Dodgers. Frank McCourt has claimed that he is the sole owner of the Dodgers but Jamie McCourt considers herself a co-owner. The LA Times has reported that she is believed to have been contacting investors and prominent baseball figures to try and determine the future of the team. Some have questioned whether or not the public would accept Jamie McCourt as a solo owner.

The pair has more than just the team at stake. They also own a large amount of Los Angeles property including two homes in Holmbly Hills and two homes in Malibu including the the John Launter-designed Segel Residence which they bought for $27,250,272 from actors Courteney Cox and David Arquette.

UPDATE: Jamie McCourt's divorce filing states that she wants the same perks that she enjoyed during her marriage including private jet travel, luxury suites at five-star hotels and her usual access to stylists, spas and other personal care. She's asking for an astounding $321,000 a month in spousal support if reinstated to her former position as the head of the Dodgers, if not she wants nearly $488,000 per month.

From the NY Post's Gimme Shelter:
--Actor/musician Steven Van Zandt, who is a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, and his wife, Maureen, have bid on a three-bedroom, three-bath penthouse in a former church on West Fourth Street. The apartment with stained glass windows has an asking price of $5.99 million.
--Actress Frances McDormand and her filmmaker husband Joel Coen have listed their Hudson Valley hideaway. The home on a country road in the town of Esopus, NY has three bedrooms, a screened porch and an old-fashioned kitchen. It is listed at $895,000. The charming home is shown above and the listing is here.
--The Russian Federation have purchased one of Manhattan's pricier townhouses for $35 million. The 25-foot-wide residence at 36 E. 75th St. was built in 1893 and has six bedrooms.
--The price has dropped on the 2005 Hamptons Cottages & Gardens Idea House. Hamptons C&G publisher Richard Ekstract and his wife, Eileen, have lowered the price of their eight-bedroom, 7,500-square-foot Bridgehampton mansion on 3.7 gated acres. It is our estate of the day later today.

From Berg Properties Big Time Listings:
--Tobey Maguire has bought a 0.93-acre vacant parcel in Brentwood.
--Comedian Carlos Mencia has purchased actor Eddie Cibrian's Encino mansion which was listed at $4.395 million. Cibrian has paid $2.5 million for a mansion in Calabasas.
--Actor John Leguizamo has paid $5,750,000 for a town house in Manhattan's Washington Square area.
--Turns out that Mark Harmon did not buy a new place in Malibu, it went to someone else with a similar name.


From the NY Observer's Manhattan Transfers:
Dr. Marlene Krauss and her husband, Dr. Zachary Berk have paid $7.65 million for the triplex penthouse at the Claremont House, a 1980's-era condo on East 72nd Street between Park and Madison avenues. It was our estate of the day in December 2006 when it was listed at $8.995 million. The couple own the floor below the penthouse, and are combining the two units into a four-level apartment. The couple has put their 15th floor home on the market for $4.75 million to raise money for renovations. The listing is here.

From the Wall Street Journal's Private Properties:
--As the Real Estalker Mama previously reported, the movie producer Jon Peters is asking $39.5 million for four adjoining Beverly Hills parcels he bought in 1996 but never fully developed. The listing is here.
--Limited Brands marketing chief Ed Razek has bought an oceanfront villa in the Turks & Caicos. Thetvilla is in Dellis Cay, a 560-acre, residential development being constructed on a private island with a master plan by Pritzker prize-winning architect Zaha Hadid.
--Baseball player Steve Finley, has trimmed 3.4 acres from his home for sale and reduced the price to $13.95 million. The listing is on the Barry Estates website.

From the Real Estalker:
--Jessica Alba has paid around $4.05 million for a new Beverly Hills home.
--Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner have been spotted house hunting in Los Angeles.
--Another huge estate hits the market in Los Angeles. The Singleton family has put their Holmby Hills home on the market for $85 million. The main home, designed by Wallace Neff is 15,520 square feet with 10 bedrooms. It is on over seven acres. The listing is here.
--Kate Hudson has reportedly been looking at real estate in TriBeCa.
--Producer Max Mutchnick and partner Erik Hyman are set to purchases a major estate in Hancock Park.
--Television writer Juanita Bartlett has put her Martha's Vineyard home on the market for $12.95 million. The listing is here.
--Writer and producer Aaron Sorkin recently picked up a beautiful home in the Sunset Strip area of Los Angeles for $6.1 million.
--Tennis star Pete Sampras and his wife actress Bridgette Wilson-Sampras have listed their Beverly Hills mansion for for $25 million. The listing is here.
Actor Harvey Fierstein has put his Brewster, New York home on the market for $749,900. The listing is here.
--via the London Sunday Times, the Toprak Mansion in London has been sold for £50 million.

From the LA Times Hot Property:
--L.A. Dodgers owners Frank and Jamie McCourt who bought a Malibu home from Courteney Cox and David Arquette last summer have now bought the house next door for close to $19 million. The new home is California bungalow built in 1949.
--An heiress from Mexico named Jeanette Longoria has bought the Hollywood Hills home belonging to Australian singer Natalie Imbruglia, which Big Time Listings reported sold back in December for an asking price of $2.725 million.
--We've been following the story of the former home of Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple Computer, since 2006. It hit the market for $10 million but is now listed at just $6.9 million. The home has amazing details including prehistoric caves with dinosaur footprints, mineral shells and fossils. There are five bedroom suites,an espresso lounge with views of the Santa Cruz Mountains and a pet suite. The original website for the estate is here.

From the Malibu Real Estate blog:
--An interesting analysis of prices in the desirable seaside community

From AOL Real Estate:
--A list of the best cities to rent in.
--Yes, you really can get a house for $100K.