As most sports fans are now aware, an agreement has been reached for the sale of the Los Angeles Dodgers to a group that includes Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Stan Kasten, Mark Walter, Peter Guber, Todd Boehly and Bobby Patton.

Dodgers fans everywhere are celebrating, and for good reason. Not only will Frank McCourt finally be out of the picture (mostly), but one of the most beloved Los Angeles sports figures of all time is now the front of the new ownership group. What could be better than one of your childhood heroes buying a sports team that you love? This has been the initial reaction from Dodgers fans, and has also been the focus of media, whose overwhelming highlight of the story has been something along the lines of "Magic Johnson is buying the Dodgers." However, I think its important to realize that Magic is more of a figurehead of this group, so lets take a look at the rest of the partners and the few details we know about the ownership structure.

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In yesterday's post, Dodger fans from all over the world, it was very interesting to see the geographic diversity of the members of this blog. It seemed the community covered more than half of the United States along with several other countries around the world. It made me wonder how or when everyone became Dodgers fans. I'm sure for a lot of people it was as simple as "I grew up in the Los Angeles area" or "the Dodgers were the team on TV". Still, if you read and comment on this blog, there was probably a point when you decided to become a life-long Dodger fan. I'm guessing there are a lot of interesting stories out there, especially from those from outside the LA region.

As for myself, I clearly remember the moment I became a Dodgers fan. It was the Summer of 1987 and I was 5 years old. We lived in the LA area and one day my Dad was in the family room watching a Dodger game. For some reason he used to like to lay on the floor and look up at the TV. In retrospect, I'm guessing it was because sports didn't look great on TV in the 80's and he probably just wanted to see it more clearly. Anyway, he was laying on the floor, perched on one elbow with his head in his hand, eating some mixed nuts and drinking a beer.

I remember walking down our long hallway into the room and sitting down cross-legged next to him. He asked me if I wanted some nuts, and I said, "No, but what are you doing!?" He replied with a trademark grin that I can only describe as warm and chiseled and said, "I'm watching the Dodgers game, you wanna watch the game with me?" I did. Like any kid who looks up to his Dad, I wanted to sit there with him, so I watched the whole game, asking basic questions about the game and this team, the Dodgers. And that was it.

From that point on I was a Dodgers fan and I was hooked. I started learning everything I could about every player, collecting baseball cards and pretending to be Steve Sax in the driveway. The next year in 1988, I started going to games, and of course they won the World Series which really sunk in the hook.

An interesting thing to me is that while I am a huge Dodgers fan, I have two older brothers who grew up in the same circumstances and neither of them are Dodgers fans. Part of that is simply that they were never big baseball fans, but I think a larger part is the small, otherwise ordinary connection I made with my Dad that day. If I hadn't walked into the living room that day, maybe I would have never been a Dodgers fan or even enjoyed baseball.

So, that is my story. How did you become a fan?

The White Sox seem to be our most compatible trade partner right now for several reasons:

1) Ned Colletti has shown a propensity to do deals with Kenny Williams. In fact, the White Sox have been our most frequent trade partner since Ned's arrival, and I think the Juan Pierre trade showed a willingness on both sides to work together and get something done. 

2) Kenny Williams has a propensity to trade for guys with potential, even if they are overpaid and haven't quite lived up to that potential. Alex Rios would be one example and guys like Loney and Broxton fit this description.

3) The White Sox may be in need of both a Closer and a first baseman. Conveniently, the Dodgers have one of each in Loney and Broxton.

4) The Dodgers could potentially use an Outfielder, a 3B and a 2B. The White Sox are reportedly willing to entertain offers for Carlos Quentin and Gordon Beckham. Also, at 3B, they have a logjam with Mark Teahen, and two of the best 3B prospects in the game in Dayan Viciedo and Brent Morel.

I doubt there is a deal that would get done as simple as a 1 for 1 or 2 for 2 swap. Maybe some prospects and/or money would have to be involved. However, the needs and availability are there on both sides to get something done that would be beneficial to both teams.

From Tim Sullivan's article at signonsandiego.com, "According to profootballreference.com, the NFL’s top 10 career rushers totaled 75 fumbles as rookies. Eric Dickerson coughed up the ball 13 times in his debut season; Barry Sanders 10; Walter Payton 9; LaDainian Tomlinson 8."

Those are several of the top running backs of all time, so maybe we should let the guy play a season or two before making judgements. Personally, fumbles and the ankle aside, I have been impressed so far.

Saw this in a post from Mike Florio...

Owens, McNabb, and Chargers tight end Antonio Gates will face former NBA stars Hakeem Olajuwon, Kenny Smith, and Rick Fox in basketball, during an episode featuring no "Joes" and only "Pros."

I'm guessing AJ is not too happy about this, but I'm sure it will be a pretty mellow matchup. Not sure when this is being filmed, but I will be keeping my fingers crossed for Gates' health. Other than that, it should be fun to watch.