Los Angeles Dodgers: Magic Johnson Ownership Group Easy Choice for Frank McCourt

It's easy to understand the excitement over the news that an ownership group featuring Magic Johnson will be taking over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

L.A. fans are accustomed to seeing Magic come through at the end, lead his team to a victory and send everyone home happy.

Of course, it also has to be a major relief that Frank McCourt will no longer own the team, using one of baseball's classic franchises as his own personal bank account to fund a ridiculously lavish lifestyle. (Who knew parking lots could buy you so many houses?)

After enduring a long slog of a process during which McCourt fought Major League Baseball to keep the team while letting it spiral downward into bankruptcy, Dodgers fans no longer have an owner that makes them want to cover their eyes in shame.

However, with near-universal acclaim for a transaction that brings a globally renowned sports figure back into the spotlight, is it natural to be just a bit cynical?

Oh, wait—T.J. Simers already beat me to that in the Los Angeles Times. I guess it just makes me a little bit nervous when everyone piles on to praise something. Sorry, my father raised me to question such things.

What's not to like? Magic Johnson has been yearning to get into the management side of sports. He knows how much the Dodgers have meant to the city of Los Angeles. And the man is passionate about winning.

In an interview with Bill Plaschke, Johnson said he was convinced to join Guggenheim Baseball Partners (which I bet looks great on a business card) after Mark Walter, who holds controlling interest in the group, told him he was serious about winning and would put money into the team. If it's good enough for Magic, it should be good enough for us, right?

Whether or not Johnson knows anything about running a baseball team is a question that could be asked—but that's where Stan Kasten comes in. Kasten has major executive experience as former president of the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals. He helped turn the Braves into a perennial National League power, and while the Nats might not be there yet, he worked to create a major asset for the team with a new ballpark.

With a popular figurehead and baseball man among the Guggenheim people, it's no wonder McCourt jumped on selling the team to this new ownership group. As reported by Richard Sandomir of The New York Times, Major League Baseball wanted an auction among three bidding groups, but McCourt impulsively went with the team that would surely be the most celebrated choice.

Auction? What auction? Who would disagree with selling the team to Magic? Even Dodgers players Matt Kemp and Tony Gwynn Jr. can't wait to get basketballs signed by the new owner. Maybe they think the new boss will have pick-up games in the Dodger Stadium parking lot.

It's enough to make you think McCourt chose Magic and the Guggenheim group in an attempt to salvage a shred of his reputation with Dodgers fans and his peers in baseball. Perhaps he envisions handshakes and pats on the back with a "Nice job, Frank!"

Well, then there's the money. McCourt wasn't just starstruck by the former point guard with the megawatt smile. Guggenheim Baseball Partners did put $2 billion on the table to buy the team, the highest price ever paid for a sports franchise.

With that kind of money in the vault, the Dodgers probably won't be losing out on free agents like Prince Fielder in the years to come. Kemp could have some company in the team's $100 million club soon enough. That's definitely worth some excitement.