The Dodgers and I have been having an exchange of emails. Am I wrong here?

From: Hunhoff, Josh [mailto:JoshH@ladodgers.com]
Sent: Tuesday, November 16, 2010 4:05 PM
Subject: 2011 Dodgers 25 Game Fielders Choice Pick em Plan

Dodger Fan,

Hello and hope all is well.  Well after weeks of preparation our 2011 Mini Plans are ready and I’ve attached the order form that coincides with the plan you had this past season.  The 2011 Fielders Choice Pick em Plan has gone down to 25 games.  You still get all the great benefits as last year and this year there are no restrictions to which games you can select.

Please take a look at the 25 game order form that is attached and it’s as easy as always also I’ve attached the just released 2011 better than ever Promotional Schedule.  Just select the 25 games or more you’d like to come to along with your location of choice.  Also new this year we are offering you the option to take advantage of our 3 month payment plan starting on November 29th.  If you choose to go with our payment plan your scheduled payments would be 11/29/10, 1/14/11 & 2/14/11 while also giving you the month of December off.  Should you not choose to go with our payment plan option you can always pick out your games and get in touch with me when ever you are ready.

Lastly, there are a few ways for you to get your completed order forms to me 1) email them to joshh@ladodgers.com 2) fax to 323-224-4294 attention Josh Hunhoff or 3) mail them to Josh Hunhoff, 1000 Elysian Park Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90012

I do look forward to our continued relationship and working with you during this upcoming season.

Should you have any further questions never hesitate to contact me.

Thank you and Go Dodgers!

Josh Hunhoff

Ticket Sales Supervisor

Los Angeles Dodgers

P. 323-224-2612

F. 323-224-4294

joshh@ladodgers.com

From: Tom Leykis [mailto: toml@blowmeuptom.com]
Sent: Tuesday, November 16, 2010 4:27 PM
To: Hunhoff, Josh
Subject: RE: 2011 Dodgers 25 Game Fielders Choice Pick em Plan

Dear Josh:

I’m sure you’re a very nice guy and none of this is your fault, but until we know who is going to own the Dodgers and whether they are committed to having a payroll commensurate with being in the second largest market in the country, I will not be purchasing any tickets to Dodger games, individually or as a package.

When I read that the Minnesota Twins now have a bigger payroll than the Dodgers, I had had enough.

When your tickets become cheaper than the Twins’ or when you have a new owner and the appropriate payroll, please feel free to get back in touch. Until then, please remove me from your list. I will be watching on TV.

Tom

PS:  I have been a Dodger fan for decades. This is the only way your organization will learn: if we stop spending money over there. And I DO love Dodger Stadium. I will be missing it while I wait for the ownership and payroll situations to be resolved.

From: Hunhoff, Josh <JoshH@ladodgers.com>
Subject: RE: 2011 Dodgers 25 Game Fielders Choice Pick em Plan
To: "Tom Leykis" <tom@blowmeuptom.com>
Date: Thursday, December 2, 2010, 5:23 PM

Tom,

Hello and hope all is well. You had asked that I get back in touch with you once we made good on some items you wanted to see improve. I know you’re a Dodger fan so I’m sure you’re aware of the recent additions we’ve made which include the signing of 4 solid free agent pickups - Ted Lilly, Hiroki Kuroda, Jon Garland and Juan Uribe. No one in baseball has been more active in the free agent market and thus improving their team than the Dodgers. Not only did we sign some key players but we also have a coaching staff that rivals any in baseball, including the return of Davey Lopes. We currently have 6 former Dodgers on our staff that will return us to our Dodger roots and is sure to make a difference when it comes to performing and executing on the field!

I also found a reliable link that lays out all the MLB teams 2010 Payroll and shows how we stack up against others. http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/salaries/_/name/lad/los-angeles-dodgers

Lastly, after doing some research on ticket prices around the league, I can assure you that we’re very much in line with other ballparks in large markets like Los Angeles and have worked very hard as an organization to keep our pricing as low as possible.

I know you’re aware of the recent player acquisitions but I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t get back to you with some additional information to help explain all that we’re doing to turn things around in 2011.

I do hope you consider returning as a Dodgers ticket plan holder and I’ll be here ready to assist you when and if you decide to renew your plan.

Thank you and Go Dodgers.

Josh Hunhoff

Ticket Sales Supervisor

Los Angeles Dodgers

P. 323-224-2612

F. 323-224-4294

joshh@ladodgers.com

Josh,

Thanks so much for your email and for the link to ESPN. There's a lot of useful information in there. Let's review.

• You have a 37-year old third baseman in Casey Blake who hit .248 with only 64 RBI last season. He's great in the clubhouse. Are you selling tickets to the clubhouse? How about someone who's great on the field?
• Your left fielder is who, again?
• You got rid of a perfectly good left fielder to make room for a steroid user who has now been forceably retired. And, to boot, you (meaning we, the season ticket holders) are still paying Juan Pierre's salary.
• Do the names Jason Schmidt and Bill Mueller sound familiar?

• Your shortstop, Mr. Furcal, is good...when he plays. Last year he played 97 games out of 162. That computes to about $100,000 per game. Over the 421 games he has played since 2007, he has been paid a total of $46,460,391 or an average of $110,357.22 per game, which would equal $17,877,870.15 per season if he ever played 162 games in a season, which he never does. That salary, by the way, would make him second in salary only to Derek Jeter among major league shortstops. As it is, he's third. And he played only 97 games last season.

• Nice that you signed free agents Ted Lilly and Hiroki Kuroda. Those names sound familiar. Who did they play for last year again? And Jon Garland. Seems I've heard his name too. Meanwhile, where will free agent Cliff Lee play this year? The Cliff Lee who has recent World Series experience? And not that long ago, a Mr. CC Sabathia let it be known that he wanted to play in Los Angeles because he is from Vallejo, CA. How much was the Dodgers' offer to him? And he is playing where?

• Juan Uribe had a good year last year...for him. In fact, it was a career year with 24 homers and 85 RBI. However, he batted a whopping .248, struck out 92 times, and has averaged a strikeout every 5.19 at-bats for his career. He has never batted over .300. This is the man who is going to lead us to the World Series? Maybe if he has Pablo Sandoval and Buster Posey to help him he will. Did you sign them too?

• Your catchers are an almost 35-year-old career .239 hitter and a career minor leaguer who so far has hit .256 in the big leagues.

Now, let's talk about your total payroll. There is a discrepancy between USA Today and ESPN. USA Today says you have the 12th highest payroll in baseball behind the Minnesota Twins. You might want to contact CBS Sports because their website says the same thing: http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/story/13162308/-baseball-payrolls-list. But let's say that ESPN is right.

Los Angeles is the second largest metropolitan area in the United States. Two of the top five payrolls are in the largest US market, New York, and that only makes sense in a league without a salary cap. But let's look at who else is up there above the Los Angeles Dodgers.

• The Boston Red Sox. 10th largest metro area. City population: 590,000 or 1/6 the population of the city of Los Angeles. Dodger payroll: 68% less than the Red Sox.
• The Chicago Cubs. 3rd largest metro. One million less city residents than LA. Dodger payroll: 54% less.
• The Philadelphia Phillies. 6th largest metro. Less than half LA's city population (and dropping). Dodger payroll: 50% less.
• The Detroit Tigers. 11th largest metro. A city with one-quarter the residents of Los Angeles. Unemployment rate: 14.4%. Dodger payroll: 29% less.

We are the second largest metropolitan area in the United States. In that case, having the 11th highest payroll in Major League Baseball is nothing to be bragging about and it's certainly no selling point. At the same time, according to the Fan Cost Index, the Dodgers rank 7th, above the Tigers and way above the Angels who share this market and who don't even own their own stadiums and parking lots as the Dodgers do.

Bottom line: buying Dodger tickets is currently a bad bet for a smart consumer, not to mention the fact that the crowd at the games has gotten scarier than ever. It's not a place you want to take family or friends on one of those nights when there are scads of empty seats.

So, in an age when I can get Dodger tickets on StubHub many nights for as little as 98 cents (plus $5 to print them out...which might explain the kind of crowd that is now showing up), why in the world would I commit to multiple games at full price for a losing team such as the one you currently offer? Every game is on HDTV for free where I get Vin Scully for nine whole innings. And I get better beer and hotdogs in front of the big screen with free parking and without your interminable concession lines.

You seem like a very nice guy. None of this is your fault, and I wouldn't wish your job on anyone although, for your information, I hear that the job of selling ice to the Eskimos is about to open up.

I'll be back for the playoffs when and if you ever make it again. Oh yeah, and by the way, I asked you to get back to me when you know definitively the name of the owner of this team.

Do you?

Your former season ticket holder,

Tom Leykis

A postscript: The day after I sent this letter, it appeared that the Dodgers answered my prayers about filling their empty outfield position vacated by former Dodger Scott Podsednik. This from the LA Times'  excellent Dodgers beat writer, Dylan Hernandez:

"The Dodgers are close to signing outfielder Tony Gwynn Jr. to a one-year deal worth $675,000, according to a baseball source who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The son of Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, Gwynn Jr. wasn't tendered a contract by the San Diego Padres last week and became a free agent. Gwynn Jr., 28, hit .204 and stole 17 bases in 117 games as a part-time center field last season.

An excellent defensive center fielder, Gwynn Jr. would give the Dodgers the option of moving Matt Kemp back to a corner outfield spot."