VERO BEACH, Fla. — New Dodger co-owners Frank and Jamie McCourt moved Tuesday to allay concerns of employees and clarify their recent comments about the state of the organization.
The Boston couple affirmed their belief in the club's workforce a day after Jamie McCourt, the vice chairman, made strong comments about demanding more of the Dodgers, saying she intended to encourage, not criticize.
Frank McCourt, the chairman, said he plans to soon address the Dodger Stadium staff in a conference call, hoping to take the focus off the recent spate of front-office resignations and put it back on the field.
The McCourts acknowledged they're learning on the job, but they want it known they have good intentions for the Dodgers and their fans.
"There's a tremendous amount to learn, there's just absolutely no question about it, and we're learning as we go here," Frank McCourt said. "Having said that, I hope that whether it be the employees and the fans, or anybody else involved in the organization, they understand that we care a tremendous amount about this franchise.
"We really care about getting the Dodgers back on the top of the heap here and having the best organization in baseball both on and off the field. There's incredible potential here and there are tremendous people here working in this organization."
Many within the organization, and throughout baseball, were alarmed by Jamie McCourt's comments in Tuesday's editions of The Times in response to questions about the resignations of Bob Graziano, team president; Kris Rone, executive vice president of business; and Derrick Hall, senior vice president of communications.
She appeared to lash out at the former regime, stressing the need to "try to change the culture of the Dodgers" while seemingly taking jabs at the club's marketing efforts and charitable unit, the Dream Foundation.
Moreover, Jamie McCourt pushed the bar higher for the Dodgers, saying it was "crazy" for the team to miss the playoffs the last seven seasons, adding, "They should have been drawing 4 million fans, not 3 million fans."
High-level baseball officials expressed concern about the comments and front-office turnover, saying they plan to speak with the McCourts.
"It serves no purpose ripping former owners and former employees," a top official said. "They need people with experience in the community and in baseball. They've lost some very good people in a short amount of time and that concerns us."
