Former Dodgers co-owner Jamie McCourt to be named ambassador to France - MLB

You might recall a couple of months ago that White House chief of staff Reince Priebus was reported to be in favor of nominating Marlins owner Jeff Loria to be the ambassador to France. I’m not sure what happened with that in the interim, but Prebius just got pushed out so, presumably, his ideas no longer hold currency in the West Wing.

Enter a new nominee for the title of ambassador to France: Jaime McCourt, the ex-wife of former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt. Or so reports the Boston Globe. So at least they’re keeping it baseball-related.

For those who don’t recall, Jamie McCourt’s tenure as co-owner of the Dodgers was tumultuous. That is, if you even consider her a co-owner. She claimed at various times that she was or wasn’t depending on whether or not it suited her financially at any given moment and Frank, of course, claimed the opposite whenever it suited him. It was complicated. The important part was that, when she and Frank got divorced, all hell broke loose for a couple of years, making a lot of lawyers rich.

Jamie McCourt also acted financially sophisticated or unsophisticated depending upon what the situation called for. She has an MBA from MIT and a law degree, and worked in private practice as an international securities lawyer for years, representing sophisticated companies in complex deals. Then, after buying the Dodgers, she became deeply involved in matters relating to broadcasting and regional sports network negotiations and ran the team’s charitable operations. That is until all the lawsuits and investigations started and she pretended to be a babe in the woods, wholly unaware of how complicated business was. Since then she’s gone on speaking tours in which she tells women just how bad it is to be unaware of one’s financial situation like she was. Good work if you can get it!

As for the job in France: diplomacy is a tricky business. You have to be able to navigate complicated situations and maintain complicated relationships as facts and positions change on the ground. You have to be flexible and not be afraid of shifting positions as the political winds blow from different directions.

Which is to say that Jamie McCourt outta be perfect for the job.

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YOKOHAMA, Japan – Trevor Bauer apparently was shunned by every major league team, so he’s signed a one-year deal with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars.

Before about 75 reporters in a Yokohama hotel, he slipped on the BayStars uniform – No. 96 – on Friday and said all the right things. Not a single Japanese reporter asked him about his suspension in the United States over domestic violence allegations or the reasons surrounding it.

The only question about it came from The Associated Press. Bauer disputed the fact the question suggested he was suspended from the major leagues.

“I don’t believe that’s accurate,” he said of the suspension. “But I’m excited to be here. I’m excited to pitch again. I’ve always wanted to play in Japan.”

He said the suspension dealt technically with matters of pay, and he said he had contacted major league teams about playing this year. He said he would have been eligible, but did not say if he had offers.

The 2020 NL Cy Young Award winner was released by the Los Angeles Dodgers on Jan. 12, three weeks after an arbitrator reduced his suspension imposed by Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred from 324 to 194 games.

The penalty followed an investigation into domestic violence, which the pitcher has denied.

Manfred suspended Bauer last April for violating the league’s domestic violence and sexual assault policy, after a San Diego woman said he beat and sexually abused her in 2021.

Bauer has maintained he did nothing wrong, saying everything that happened between him and the woman was consensual. He was never charged with a crime.

Bauer joined his hometown Dodgers before the 2021 season and was 8-5 with a 2.59 ERA in 17 starts before being placed on paid leave.

Bauer said his goal with the BayStars was to strike out 200 and keep his average fastball velocity at 96 mph – hence his uniform number. He said he is also working on a better change-up pitch.

He said he hoped to play by mid-April – about two weeks after the Japanese season begins – and said he has been training for the last 1 1/2 years.

“I’ve been doing a lot of strength training and throwing,” he said. “I didn’t really take any time off. So I’ve had a year and a half of development time. I’m stronger than ever. More powerful than ever.”

Yokohama has not won a title in 25 years, and Bauer said that was his goal in the one-year deal.

“First and foremost, I want to help the Stars win a championship,” he said. “That involves pitching well. That involves helping teammates and learning from them. If they have questions – you know – share my knowledge with them.”

He also repeated several times about his desire to play in Japan, dating from a collegiate tournament in 2009 at the Tokyo Dome. He said playing in Japan was on his mind even before winning the Cy Young – and also immediately after.

“The Tokyo Dome was sold out,” he said. “I’d never played in front of that many people – probably combined in my life. In the United States, college games aren’t very big, so seeing that amount of passion. How many people came to a college game in Japan. It really struck me.”

He said he’d been practicing with the Japanese ball, which he said was slightly softer with higher seams.

“But overall it just feels like a baseball and the pitches move the same. The velocity is similar. I don’t notice much of a difference.”

Other teams in Japan have made similar controversial signings before.

Former major league reliever Roberto Osuna – who received a 75-game suspension for violating MLB’s domestic violence policy – signed last season with the Chiba Lotte Marines.

He has signed for this season with the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks.

In 1987, Dodgers relief pitcher Steve Howe, who had a career plagued with drug problems, tried to sign with the Seibu Lions. But he did not play in the country after the Japanese baseball commissioner disqualified Howe because of his history of drug abuse.

Bauer was an All-Star in 2018 and went 83-69 with a 3.79 ERA in 10 seasons for Arizona (2012), Cleveland, (2013-19), Cincinnati (2019-20) and the Dodgers. He won the NL Cy Young Award with Cincinnati during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.