Basketball legend Magic Johnson led a group that won an auction for the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team Tuesday night, marking the final chapter of in a soap-opera style saga for the legendary franchise, according to people involved in the process. With a bid of $2 billion, Johnson and partners Peter Guber, Stan Kasten, Bobby…

Jeff Lewis/US Presswire Hi everyone. I’m packing up gear.January 31 marks the last day for Dodger Thoughts at ESPNLosAngeles.com. Please follow me to my new location, which will have the dodgerthoughts.com URL.Please note that it could take a few hou…

A native of Los Angeles, Jon Weisman has been writing about the Dodgers at Dodger Thoughts since 2002 and thinking deeply about them since the 1970s. He is the author of 100 Things Dodgers Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die, published in 2009. W…

Been meaning to wonder aloud about Hong-Chih Kuo, who remains unsigned with February just around the corner. The Dodgers declined to offer salary arbitration to Kuo for obvious reasons following his massive struggles in 2011, but the memory of his 2010…

January, 28, 2012 Jan 28 8:32 AM PT Can the seventh-best team in the National League in 2011 become the fifth-best team in 2012? Nothing’s official yet, but Bud Selig thinks the expansion of MLB’s playoffs to 10 teams could come this year, report…

Potential ownership groups featuring Peter O’Malley, Magic Johnson, Joe Torre, Steve Cohen and Stanley Gold are among those whom Tony Jackson of ESPNLosAngeles.com is reporting have gained first-round approval in the bidding for the Dodgers.Bill Shaiki…

INSIDE PITCH In Ned Colletti’s six years as the Dodgers’ general manager, the organization has avoided the biggest free agent names, not even bothering to negotiate with players who signed massive long-term contracts. Instead, the Dodgers focused on one- to three-year contracts to stay with the salary restraints imposed by ownership. They didn’t pursue Cliff Lee…

INSIDE PITCH The Dodgers are trying not to read too much into the massive week Jerry Sands(notes) put together. Similarly, they’re trying not to read too much into the struggles he endured for over a month when he was in the big leagues earlier this season. They know it’s part of the learning curve, part…

INSIDE PITCH The return of Stephen Strasburg was the biggest story in baseball on Tuesday, and the Dodgers were excited to be part of it. “I think you want to see the best guys out there,” Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. “Guys like this are fun to play against.” But it also provides a road map for…