The new owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers should be local -- and love the city, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said in a brief interview with The Times.
Villaraigosa made the remarks after appearing at a Wednesday morning news conference concerning security at LAX.
"As a Dodger fan and an Angeleno, it has been a very, very tough season," Villaraigosa said. "I can't describe the anguish we felt with the beating of Bryan Stow."
He called current owner Frank McCourt's decision to sell the Dodgers a "new chapter."
"I'm looking forward to local ownership," Villaraigosa said. "I want the owner to be from Los Angeles. I want someone who loves this town and believes in this city."
The new owner would be the third since Peter O'Malley sold the team to News Corp. in 1998. The Dodgers had remained in the O'Malley family since their patriarch, Walter, moved the team from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1958.
Bidders could include Mark Cuban, owner of the NBA champion Dallas Mavericks, who was a runner-up when the Texas Rangers were auctioned in bankruptcy court last year. Chicago White Sox executive Dennis Gilbert, the former player agent who also bid on the Rangers, is expected to assemble a group to bid on the Dodgers.
Southern California businessmen Ron Burkle, Alec Gores and Alan Casden also could be bidders. Burkle and Gores have ties to professional sports, and Casden pursued the Dodgers before McCourt bough the team.
Other potential suitors include Milwaukee Brewers owner Mark Attanasio and Boston Red Sox Chairman Tom Werner, each of whom live in Los Angeles. Former Dodgers stars Steve Garvey and Orel Hershiser also have expressed interest in putting together an investment group to bid on the team.
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-- Dan Weikel
Photo: Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa says the new owner of the Dodgers should be local. Credit: Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times
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