Two big items in the LA Times yesterday about Boston transplants in Los Angeles. First was the news about Boston's Whitey Bulger:
Legendary Boston crime boss James "Whitey" Bulger, who has been on the run for more than a decade, was arrested Wednesday in Santa Monica, multiple law enforcement sources told The Times. Bulger, 81, has been the subject of several books and was the inspiration for "The Departed," a 2006 Martin Scorsese film starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson.
Bulger fled Boston in late 1994 as federal agents were about to arrest him in connection with 21 killings, racketeering and other crimes that spanned the early 1970s to the mid-1980s. He was arrested by the FBI inside a building without incident, according to the sources, who asked not to be named because they were not authorized to speak on the matter. The details surrounding his arrest were unclear Wednesday night.
Next was this nugget about Frank McCourt, who apparently plans to hold the Dodgers hostage once he's rubbed out as an owner by Major League Baseball Capo di Tutti Capo Bud Selig:
Dodgers owner vows to retain the stadium and related assets even if he loses the team because of financial problems. McCourt's vow to retain Dodger Stadium and related assets even if he loses the team caught the attention of at least one prospective buyer. Mark Cuban, owner of the NBA champion Dallas Mavericks, said the Dodgers appeared to be "such a mess" financially.
It was also revealed that the Dodgers' charity was primarily a vehicle to make the McCourts look good, and Frank had to pay back $100,000 that the California Attorney General found was improperly used to promote his wife and her luxurious travel schedule rather then the needs of the people the charity was supposed to have helped.
OK, so McCourt hasn't actually killed anyone (although the family of Brian Stowe holds him liable for his beating and subsequent coma), just the spirit of a city's beloved team.
