<div id="subtitle">Dodgers season will begin with McCourt feud over team ownership unresolved</div><div><p>An ownership dispute between Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt and his estranged wife will linger through at least a third of the 2010 season after a judge on Tuesday set a hearing for late May.</p><p>McCourt, mired in a bitter divorce with wife Jamie, had wanted the ownership issue decided by spring training.</p><p>The case has been cited as a distraction for the storied franchise at a time when the free agent market is heating up.</p><p>The hearing was cordial but contentious, with both sides lobbing accusations in legal and baseball parlance.</p><p>Dennis Wasser, Jamie McCourt's attorney, complained that the proper documents to determine Frank McCourt's income and wealth hadn't been turned over.</p><p>"There's been game-playing in this case, and it's not baseball," Wasser said. "It's hide-and-seek."</p><p>He accused Frank McCourt of crying poverty and contracting a fictional illness, "RAIDS — Recently Acquired Income Deficiency Syndrome."</p><p>Frank McCourt's attorney, Sorrell Trope, questioned whether Wasser was arguing his case to Gordon or the two rows of reporters who attended the hearing.</p><p>"He's certainly not in the batter's box," Trope said. "He's out in left field."</p><p>Marc Seltzer, an attorney who also represents Frank McCourt, blasted Wasser's contention.</p><p>"Mr. Wasser's use of an acronym for an illness in support of his unfounded argument is really beyond the pale of decency," Seltzer said.</p><p>Superior Court Commissioner Scott M. Gordon set a two-day hearing on spousal support payments for March 29 and said the ownership issue would be heard from May 24 to June 3.</p><p>The Dodgers begin the regular season April 5 in Pittsburgh. Gordon agreed to move up the spousal support hearing from that date because Frank McCourt would be traveling with the team.</p><p>"It's obviously a distraction to management," Seltzer said after Tuesday's hearing.</p><p>Jamie McCourt has also sought nearly $488,000 a month in spousal support, but the figure is likely to change once a complete picture of Frank McCourt's finances is known</p><p>Wasser said the firing of his client as the team's chief executive has caused any disruptions experienced by the team.</p><p>Frank McCourt fired his wife in October, along with her boyfriend-bodyguard. Jamie McCourt failed in her bid to be reinstated to the position.</p><p>The Dodgers have faced numerous challenges during the offseason. Their pitching rotation took a hit when one of their most reliable starters, Randy Wolf, signed with the Milwaukee Brewers.</p><p>The Dodgers opened the offseason with 16 potential free agents, including Manny Ramirez, who exercised his $20 million option for next season last month.</p><p>The Dodgers dealt outfielder Juan Pierre to the Chicago White Sox in a move that cut some salary from the team's $100 million-plus payroll.</p><p>It seems the McCo</p><p>urts' divorce will continue to produce distractions.</p><p>"More bombshells will come in this case," Wasser promised after the hearing.</p><p>(This version CORRECTS Corrects spelling of attorney's name to Seltzer. ADDS quote responding to accusation about Frank McCourt's financial status. Moving on general news and sports services.)</p><img src="http://admatch-syndication.mochila.com/images/ad.gif?aid=65503968&bid=informcom" /></div><div id="copyright"><div>

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