Rick Caruso

Los Angeles developer Rick Caruso and former Dodgers manager Joe Torre have withdrawn a joint bid to buy the Dodgers. Caruso and Torre cited owner Frank McCourt's refusal to include the Dodger Stadium parking lots in the sale, according to a letter, dated last Friday, that the men sent to Major League Baseball. The Times obtained a copy of the letter Thursday. Caruso and Torre would reenter the bidding if McCourt would agree to sell the parking lots, people familiar with the sale process but not authorized to publicly speak about it said.

The bidding on the Dodgers has moved into the second round, with 11 parties cleared to advance in the process. With various bid groups discussing mergers and/or trying to acquire additional financing, and with the investment bank handling the sale receptive to substantial offers even at this late date, the list below is subject to change. The lineup of Dodgers bidders, as of Wednesday: Magic Johnson/Stan Kasten: Could soon be joined by richest man in L.A., Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong.

On the day after Frank McCourt agreed to sell the Dodgers, billionaire Ron Burkle issued a statement that indicated he would consider buying the team. "It is one of the best brands in all of sports," Burkle said. "And, like many people, I'd be very proud to be a part of its future. " Burkle did not bid on the Dodgers, but he might still play a part in the future of the team. With the opening round of bidding concluded, Burkle might consider backing groups led by Rick Caruso or Stanley Gold, according to a person familiar with the sale process but not authorized to discuss it. McCourt and his bankers cut the list of prospective owners Friday.

The owner of the reigning NBA champions will not be the next owner of the Dodgers. Mark Cuban was eliminated from the Dodgers' ownership sweepstakes Friday, along with baseball executive and former agent Dennis Gilbert, according to two people familiar with the process but not authorized to discuss it. At least eight bidders advanced to the second round Friday, including a group led by Magic Johnson and veteran baseball executive Stan Kasten...

I can't say for sure whether Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky will run for mayor in 2013. I don't even know with certainty whether he's already made up his mind and is just stringing the rest of us along. What I can tell you without any question, though, is that he's enjoying being asked. Before a well-connected group at the Palm last week, Yaroslavsky managed the neat trick of simultaneously insisting that he's still undecided and laying out the campaign he would wage if he jumped into the race.

Joe Torre entered the Dodgers sweepstakes on Wednesday, joining forces with developer Rick Caruso in a bid to buy the city's beloved baseball team. The Dodgers ownership derby is fast becoming the most intriguing reality show in Los Angeles, with athletic legends, civic icons and assorted billionaires jockeying for control of a team mired in bankruptcy proceedings. Magic Johnson is in. Mark Cuban, owner of the NBA champion Dallas Mavericks, is in. Steven Cohen, a billionaire eight times over, is in. Dennis Gilbert, the onetime agent for Barry Bonds and champion of amateur baseball in Southern California, is in. Ron Burkle and Tom Golisano, billionaires with experience as National Hockey League owners, are in. Peter O'Malley, the owner when the Dodgers last won the World Series in 1988, is in. So are Fred Claire, the general manager that year, and Orel Hershiser, the star pitcher that year — but the three men are in separate groups.

Former Dodgers manager Joe Torre has discussed teaming with one of Los Angeles' most prominent real estate developers in pursuing the team. Rick Caruso, whose signature project is the Grove but who has not run a sports franchise, could strengthen a potential bid by aligning with Torre. The discussions between Caruso and Torre were first reported Tuesday by the New York Times and subsequently confirmed by the Los Angeles Times. Charles Sipkins, a spokesman for Caruso, declined to comment.

Wealthy developer Rick Caruso resigned Wednesday from the scandal-plagued Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission, ending a stormy tenure during which he clashed frequently with fellow panel members over their stewardship of the stadium. In his resignation letter , Caruso said he is stepping down because criticism of his dual role as a trustee for USC, whose football team is the Coliseum's main tenant, might have "restricted" his ability to serve effectively. But that is merely the latest point at which Caruso, who is considering a run for mayor, parted ways with other commissioners.

One of the world's biggest casino operators has hired Los Angeles shopping center magnate Rick Caruso to develop a $550-million retail and entertainment district in the middle of the Las Vegas Strip crowned by an enormous Ferris wheel. Caruso, who is weighing a run for mayor of Los Angeles, was tapped by Caesars Entertainment Corp. to oversee creation of the Linq, a new open-air attraction across Las Vegas Boulevard from Caesars Palace. The outdoor venue would have more in common with Caruso's Grove shopping center in Los Angeles than it would with hermetically sealed casinos.