Michael Norris (aka Bear) has written two excellent pieces the past two days on the history of the Dodgers, specifically, the O’Malley’s ownership of the team until it was sold to Fox Group in late 1997. It was approved in overwhelmingly by MLB owners in March 1998. Peter O’Malley said the primary reason for selling the Dodgers was “estate planning,” but Tommy Lasorda said the following:
“I think that Peter has just been unhappy lately with the situation, the direction the game of baseball is going.”
Peter O’Malley didn’t give a direct answer at a Dodger Stadium news conference when asked if his decision had anything to do with labor problems, but he did say his only regret in baseball was “the inability of the owners and the players association to work together for the good of the game.