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Dodgers’ proposed TV deal has baseball world in uproar

Adrian Gonzalez signs a baseball for fans before the game against the Miami Marlins on Aug. 25, 2012.
(Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
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As just possibly you might have imagined, there has been all kinds of reaction to the news the Dodgers and Fox are on the cusp of signing a staggering $6 billion to $7 billion new TV contract.

It’s either the end of civilization or the greatest thing ever. The demise of Twinkies or the birth of the DVR.

A sampling:

-- Fan Graph’s Wendy Thum tries to compare the proposal to the rest of the league’s media-rights deals, and finds it challenging and a little scary.

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-- Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan calls the deal “dangerous” and fears a wider dividing between big- and small-market clubs.

-- SB Nation’s Rob Neyer isn’t so sure this latest gloomy impact on the state of baseball will prove any more detrimental that previous cries the sky was falling.

-- The Seattle PI is eager for it to be the Mariners’ turn at a new deal, and Grant Brisbee at McCovey Chronicles laments the Dodgers have become screw-you-we’re-rich team.

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-- Mike Petriello at Mike Scioscia’s Tragic Illness thinks all that money means the Dodgers can, and should, sign right-hander Zack Greinke. But ESPN/LA questions whether Greinke is actually worth a mega deal.

-- MLB’s Lyle Spencer said that coupled with the Giants winning the World Series, the rich TV deals by the Dodgers and Angels signal a baseball power shift to the West Coast.

-- Fox Sports’ Jon Morosi thinks because of all that incoming loot, the Dodgers will be the most active team at next week’s winter meetings in Nashville.

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-- Dayn Perry at CBS Sports reminds the deal is even bigger than most recognize because of an earlier bankruptcy agreement worked out with MLB that limits the revenue sharing aspect.

-- Kenneth Steinhorn at Isportsweb worries the whole deal could ultimately morph into a Ponzi scheme.

In some non-TV items:

-- Hey, I want to be a vice president! The Dodgers promoted, sort of, four in their front office to vice-president positions – Logan White (scouting), De Jon Watson (player development), Vance Lovelace (player personnel) and Rick Ragazzo (professional scouting).

-- Jon Heyman at CBS Sports said seven teams are interested in signing Shane Victorino, including the Giants.

-- And Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci offers nine rule changes he thinks MLB needs to invoke now.

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