When it comes to the owners of sports teams, Georgetown has been able to cultivate both the good and the villainous. For the latter group, look no further than Frank McCourt (COL ’75), owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and his ex-wife, Jamie McCourt (COL ’75).

As a Dodgers fan, I’ve watched (and quietly wept) as the couple dismantled a once great franchise. Now that Bud Selig, the Commissioner of Major League Baseball, has taken control of the team’s operations, and rejected a television deal with Fox that would have bailed McCourt out, it is time to delve into what makes this current member of the Georgetown Board of Directors the most hated man in Los Angeles.

The McCourts, who met as Georgetown students, purchased the Dodgers in 2004, and since then, the team has witnessed its greatest postseason runs (two losses to the Phillies in the National League Championship Series) since Kirk Gibson’s World Series home run in 1988 (which I missed being alive for by 11 months).

But a few successful seasons aside, the McCourts made some changes that deterred fans from being able to enjoy their beloved team—prices on tickets, parking, and food skyrocketed. In 2004, the cheap seats cost $6, which had been their price since 1992. The top deck now costs $12 in advance and $15 day-of-game. It’s another $15 to park at the stadium. They also banned moving between sections during the game, an especially sucky rule since anyone who’s been to a Nationals game knows how much fun it is when this rule isn’t enforced.

But Dodgers fans aren’t the only ones who can complain about the rising prices of baseball tickets. What we can complain about, though, are the outrages committed by the McCourts using team money. The team paid Frank $5 million and Jamie $2 million per year from Dodgers-related business (Frank had split the franchise into numerous entities). Two of their sons also received $600,000 per year, while one was attending school at Stanford and the other had a full-time job at Goldman Sachs.

The team’s funds also enabled the McCourts to buy four homes in Los Angeles, for the low, low price of $89 million. And oh yeah, did I mention these salaries were almost entirely tax-free? According to Jamie McCourt’s court filings, one of Frank’s financial advisors said that the couple “used the business to fund whatever they needed, or wanted, as if it was their personal ATM or credit card”.

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Georgetown senior Erick Fernandez joins 15 other players in being named to the preseason All-Big East baseball team.

One of two catchers selected—along with Pitt’s Kevan Smith—Fernandez 49 of the 51 games the Hoyas played last season.

Fernandez had a .317 batting average in his junior season, down slightly from his team-leading .349 average the year before. In addition to his 5 home runs and 29 RBI last year, he was second in the Big East for caught stealing among catchers.

Following his junior year, Fernandez was one of two Hoyas drafted in the Major League Baseball draft. Drafted by the Washington Nationals in 46^th round (1,376^th overall), Fernandez opted to return to play at Georgetown.

Despite high hopes for Fernandez’s performance, Georgetown is predicted by the Big East coaches’ poll to place 12^th in the conference.

Photo: Georgetown Sports Information

Georgetown baseball and softball teams may soon have a new home field.

University officials are currently in talks with the city of Alexandria about signing a multi-year lease for the use of fields near Four Mile Run.

City Councilmember Frank Fannon told The Washington Post that under the deal, the University would pay for capital needed to renovate the fields—located near Cora Kelly Elementary School—and in return the city would give the University the lease.

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Mike Seander, a graduate student on Georgetown’s baseball team, caught the attention of the Washington Post yesterday. Not for his on-the-field talents, though.

You see, Seander raps. (His rap name? Mike Stud.)

“It’s absurd,” Dan Capeless, his teammate, told the Post. “People are going nuts. DJs are screaming his name. Very outlandish.”

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The National Collegiate Athletic Association has put Georgetown on a three-year probation due to major rules violations related to work-study payments to 26 baseball players between 2000 and 2007. The NCAA is also vacating all records of games from that period that implicated players participated in.

According to a letter from University President John DeGioia, the Department of Athletics paid an excess $61,522 in work-study compensation. DeGioia writes that this is Georgetown’s first major NCAA rules infraction, and it was self-reported.

The NCAA released a press release today explaining the punishments for the violation:

• Public reprimand and censure.
• Three years of probation (September 2, 2009, to September 1, 2012).
• Limit of five equivalency scholarships for baseball for 2007-08 and 2008-09 academic years (self-imposed by the university). The committee extended this restriction to the 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12 academic years. If the institution has already obligated more than five equivalencies in baseball for the 2009-10 academic year, it may delay the initiation of this limit to 2010-11, in which case this penalty will end with the 2012-13 academic year.
• Financial penalty of $61,000.
• Vacation of all wins in which any of the involved 26 baseball student-athletes competed while ineligible during the 2000-01 through 2006-07 baseball seasons.

Expect more information in tomorrow’s edition of the Voice.

Photo from Georgetown Athletics.

Last week’s bracket, performances, saw some voting irregularities, but the Chimes’ rendition of “Georgetown Girl” ultimately triumphed.

This week we’ll be looking at sports other than basketball (yes, they exist).

Inside the Huddle: Hoyas First Game at Citi Field: Highlights from the March 29, 2009 game against St. Johns in which our baseball team broke in Citi Field with a 6—4 victory.

More videos, voting and nominations for next week’s category—speakers—after the jump!

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