Burt Solomon: Before the McCourts, There was Another Dodgers Divorce

Burt Solomon, an editor at the Atlantic and National Journal, is the author of "Where They Ain't: The Fabled Life and Untimely Death of the Original Baltimore Orioles, the Team That Gave Birth to Modern Baseball."

If the McCourts' ugly divorce has plucked the Dodgers from Angelenos' control, consider this: It was a divorce that brought the ballclub to Los Angeles in the first place.

Last time, the culprit was Charles Ebbets. The headstrong owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers had separated amicably from his wife, Minnie, and taken up quarters with a lovely neighbor, Grace, who was a year older than his son. Minnie didn't squawk until she glimpsed Grace in a fancy automobile, reveling in luxury, after Minnie's own allowance had been cut. She filed for divorce.

In 1921, a divorce was granted and Minnie received a comfortable house on Ocean Avenue in Brooklyn and a monthly income of $625 for life. As collateral, Charles deposited half of the ballclub's stock in a local bank. And there it sat.

After Ebbets died in 1925, his son-in-law announced that "no reasonable offer will be refused" for the ballclub. But as the heirs fought over the estate for more than two decades, the ballclub was losing money. To make ends meet, the ballclub needed to borrow money, so the sequestered stock became encumbered by debt (including the mortgage on Ebbets Field). Early on, suitor after suitor approached the bank, saw the debt on the books and fled in terror....