An L.A. Times article by Bill Shaikin about the Angels’ surprising signing of Vlad Guerrero buried this quote fairly deep:

With major league owners scheduled to vote this month on whether to approve the bid of would-be Dodger buyer Frank McCourt, a source said Sunday that McCourt asked Commissioner Bud Selig whether some owners might vote against him if he spent freely to acquire Guerrero yet presented a financing package heavily dependent on loans. Selig offered no assurances, the source said, and McCourt sent word to General Manager Dan Evans to cease talks with Guerrero.

My man on the L.A. beat, Jon Weisman, has been pleading for weeks to put Guerrero in Dodger blue, and he writes that the deal casts aspersions on McCourt’s ability to afford the team: “[W]e’re supposed to believe or accept that, amid a market correction for player salaries, Vladimir Guerrero’s is the one that would drive McCourt out of business?… If McCourt can’t afford to sign Guerrero with the Dodger payroll already on the Atkins diet, he can’t afford to buy the Dodgers. Period.”

While I share Jon’s concern that the team may be bought by an owner who won’t spend the appropriate money to make the Dodgers competitive, I see a far more ominous cloud over this. Namely, that Selig effectively blackmailed McCourt out of pursuing Vlad in exchange for his blessing regarding the Dodger sale — we all know that behind the scenes, Bud can orchestrate the other owners’ yea or nay on this.

I want to see sombody investigate this as further evidence of collusion or at least a foul Seligulan shenanigan. As per our ongoing community-wide discussion on the growing influence of non-mainstream baseball writers, I think we can do our part in building a fire that will make Bud sweat this one.