The Guardians announced Monday that owner Larry Dolan has passed away at the age of 94. Dolan purchased the franchise back in 2000 for a reported sale price of $323MM. He served as the then-Indians’ control person through 2013, when his son, Paul, succeeded him in that regard. The team has released a tribute video honoring Larry’s life and contributions to the community.
“We are saddened by the loss of our Dad, but lucky to have him as part of our lives as long as we did,” Paul said in a statement on behalf of the family. “He was a loving husband, father and grandfather who was passionate about his family, work, our community and his love of our local sports teams, including owning the Cleveland Guardians.”
The Dolan family has owned the franchise for a quarter of a century now, but plans were set in motion for a change back in 2022. David Blitzer, who co-owns the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and the NHL’s New Jersey Devils, purchased a 25-30% stake in the team that June.
In addition to the purchase of that minority stake, a plan was implemented for Blitzer to see his share of the club grow to a majority stake over a six-year period. The current distribution of ownership shares isn’t clear, but there’s been nothing to suggest that Blitzer is not still in line to become the majority owner in a few years’ time.
“Mr. Dolan invested his entire life in Greater Cleveland and impacted our community on so many level,” Guardians senior vice president of public affairs Bob DiBiasio said within the team’s release. “From his service to our country as a First Lieutenant in the United States Marines, his many philanthropic acts of kindness, career in law, business, education, and sports, many benefited from his engagement, influence, and passion. Especially in the world of sports. We are forever grateful for his passion in supporting the Northeast Ohio community and our franchise; through his initial leadership the Dolan family continues to be the longest tenured owners in franchise history.”
Though the franchise is still seeking its first World Series win since 1948, there’s little denying the broad-reaching success achieved during the Dolan family’s ownership tenure. Since 2000, Cleveland has won seven division titles, secured another pair of Wild Card berths and advanced to the 2016 World Series, where they fell to the Cubs in a seven-game classic. Cleveland has won 2046 games under the Dolan family, compared to 1902 losses. The Guardians’ player development staff has become one of the most well-respected groups in the entire sport — particularly when it comes to developing young pitching.
While Cleveland typically ranks in the bottom-third of the league in terms of player payroll, that player development prowess has kept the Guards in contention more often than not and again has them in place to contend in the American League Central, even as formerly rebuilding clubs like the Tigers and Royals more firmly emerge as win-now competitors. While Larry won’t see his beloved club reach baseball’s pinnacle, he’ll leave a legacy of competitive teams that can’t be matched by the majority of comparably payroll-limited clubs. We at MLBTR offer heartfelt condolences to the Dolan family and the entire organization.
That’s too bad. I wonder if Charlie The Wild Thing Sheen is interested?
He’s a Reds fan actually
Bought out a whole section of the Angels bleachers once with a buddy so they could catch a HR ball. “Wanted to avoid the violence”. Just Charlie and his buddy, smacking their mitt, waiting for a ball to fall into papas lap. None got hit their way.
Theo – I remember that vividly!
Sheen was actually with three buddies, he specifically wanted to catch a Cecil Fielder homerun ball.
And he got a great deal, paying about $2.50 each for the 2,615 seats.
I am surprised old Tiger Blood came up empty handed!
Wade – That night it was a pitchers duel between Aldred and Langston.
Wallach and Parent were the only guys to hit homeruns, both to right field.
If Sheen had done it for the Sunday or Monday game, he’d have gotten a Lewis or Bautista homerun ball.
That is pretty cool thank you.
Jerry “the King” Lawler
Rest in peace Mr. Dolan, thoughts and prayers to your loved ones.
Hopefully they can make it to the World Series one more time while Paul is still the control person.
It’s sad that he didn’t get to see Cleveland win another World Series since 1948. (When he was 18!)
LOL!
Keep it classy Cleveland.
The lake. The lake. The lake is on fire!
River
What a clown
We don’t need no water let the lake/river burn. Burn lake/river burn.
Stepped-up cost basis will make it cheaper for the franchise to change hands than when Mr. Dolan was living.
It all depends how it was held. If it was in trust, there’s a chance they lose the step-up basis depending on how things were structured.
I’m just glad there is already a clear succession plan in place. These things can get messy and it ends up impacting the entire organization. For the fans’ sake, hopefully this is a smooth transition.
Right? Look at the Padres. Future looked bright, and now after a couple of years, its the beginning of the end.
The Padres were basically gambling that investing all that money into players would make them competitive enough to win a division or two, and also get them enough buzz to increase their cable deal which was close to expiring (and also grow ticket revenue and some playoff revenue). Instead they ended up with no deal, now on MLB network, and they didn’t even get a division title out of it.
Which super sucks, because teams “going for it” like that is very exciting. And for that to essentially fail is bad for fans.
They proved there are no shortcuts. Have to build the right way instead of just throwing big bucks at a bunch of free agents.
Precisely. The best thing for Cleveland is being reminded by the colossal San Diego failure, which was inexcusable given they were the only game in town. Never wise to irresponsibly force-feed the major league roster at any time, but when there was no competition for the sports dollar it’s even dumber.
I felt the Marlins were gifted the 97 season. There were so many blatantly bad calls that went the Marlins’ way.
Making the playoffs represents a significant achievement, especially when there were fewer teams that made it. Once in, it’s a total crapshoot.
Probably because they were Indians back then who were used to stealing things. So having something taken away must have been equal justice. I know I watch too much CNN.
I have no idea what this even means.
That’s bad luck for the new expansion team.
At the end of their lives, what goes through these owners heads about the legacy that they’re leaving behind?
Rosebud
This is good.
While i don’t want to be “that guy” but claiming the Dolan’s have kept the team competitive “more often than not” is not entirely true, the team has made the playoffs 9 times in the 25 years the Dolan’s have owned the franchise and have finished 10 games or more out of first 11 times with 5 more seasons finishing at least 5 games back.
They are actually tied with the Tampa Bay Rays for 8th in playoff appearances in the last 25 years and the Rays didn’t make their first playoff appearance til 2008.
Anyway, R.I.P. Larry Dolan
I’m a Guardians fan and I hate that you kind of have to adjust your expectations for their market size, but in this sport you kinda have to. Almost entirely basing their success on playoff appearances is misleading on your part.
Their record in the 20+ years since the Dolan family took over is that of an 84 win pace over 162 games, so I’m not sure how that means they haven’t been competitive more often than not. They’ve also only been below .500 twice since 2013, and in those two years they were 80-82 and 76-86. They took over at a weird place for the franchise coming off the huge success they had in the 1990s, and for the most part they’ve done a pretty good job of sustaining it.
Again, I hate having to play the “good enough is good enough” card because this team hasn’t won a championship since 50 years before I was born (and I wish they’d spend more), but I appreciate the consistency and reliability they’ve provided when the Browns have pretty much done the exact opposite for us.
I think their player development gets a lot of credit for that.
So, the Dolans don’t get credit for that?
Is installing excellent people, paying them well, creating a culture of success, and letting the baseball people run things without interference not the responsibility of ownership?
The Browns are a perfect example (at least in the NFL, maybe all sports) that spending doesn’t necessarily equate to winning if the money is spent on all the wrong people.
I feel Cleveland’s best chance came during the mid/late 90’s run with a solid pitching staff and a lineup you feared from top to bottom. Got to two World Series and just couldn’t seal the deal
You can’t compare the NFL: salary cap and floor unlike baseball
WS failures:
2016 – Poor defensive CF play.
1997 – Crucial error by a normally excellent defensive 2B.
1995 – Manager outmanaged; poor defense at 2B.
Those teams were really good. The Braves and the Indians seemed to have missed out on opportunities in that time period.
The strange part there is you have two completely different Second Baseman at total opposite ends of the spectrum and yet ultimately the same outcome.
That ’95 team was the true epitome of good pitching will beat good offense everytime
Rest in peace, Mr. Dolan.
Either Donner or Blitzen may run the club one day, just not poor Rudolph
First it was Harry Doyle, and now this.
He is finding out he can’t take the money with him now. Good riddance.
Too soon, and always will be.
There he is!
He didn’t have to take it with him. He left it to people and things he cared about.Im sure he was just fine in his life decisions and seemingly from your negative post that you will not be.
Cleveland Indians
Thanks for not bowing to the woke mob and changing Cleveland’s historic team name just to appease a group of loud, unemployed, kool-aid haired morons who live to hate everything online and don’t even like baseball.
I’m shy, employed, keratin-haired, not moronic, try not to spend too much time online, don’t hate much, and love baseball.
Guardians was an upgrade.
Yea, I was confused. Why was Cleaveland thematically represented by people from India?
I didn’t love the name change, but I can appreciate why it was done.
“Chief Wahoo”? Seriously?
Come on, people. If you don’t get it, try imagining a few thousand “New England Whiteys” sweatshirts around town bearing over and over and over a thin-faced, pinched-looking caricature of a Protestant named “Reverend Schmucky.”
Feeling it yet?
Not bloody likely. For a lot of people these days, disrespect is the entire point, and the more, the better.
That mascot was stopped decades ago.
You explained them to a tee. Except lately I’ve been seeing alotta suburban, holier than thou white people releasing their guilt complex online, searching for pats on the back, because they feel bad about not wanting to be anywhere near a minority.
Statements of this kind are far more revealing of your own thinking than anybody else’s.
Cash bar at the funeral
The late 80s in Cleveland were wild. Keith Hernandez and Steve Carlton in the blue and red. Trading away any viable starter for offense during the “youth movement”
Is this the owner who changed the name from Indians. Fry in hell sir.
In his first press conference after buying the franchise, Mr Dolan declared that the money would be spent on pitching. Thats exactly what he did, building perhaps the best pitching development system in baseball. Young pitchers were developed, and a lot of veteran pitchers reestablished their careers in Cleveland.
Dolan bought a team that was old, injured, and very expensive (and still pretty good), and had to do the neccessary, but unpopular long term rebuild.
A set of crippling injuries, the kind that small market orgs can’t overcome, set the org back several years, but overall the record has been very good, esp over the past dozen years, when Cleveland has been one of the winningest teams in baseball. Cleveland has had eleven 90 win seasons during his ownership.
Dolan never interfered with the real baseball people, and the franchise has been remarkably stable. His son, Paul, has carried on just as well.
Cleveland and NE Ohio has been lucky to have had Larry Dolan.
WhoAzcue says, “Cats with the win again!”
The writer should have set the comments to “off”. A person passed, it’s not about new ownership or what he did or didn’t do. My condolences to the Dolan family.
It’s sad that this has to be taken into consideration. Why can’t people just be respectful?
My condolences.
So sad.
the fans who’ve never lived outside ohio will probably never appreciate what the dolans accomplished while jacobs will be venerated even though it was all about the money for him. sweetheart tax deal to do the stadium, never paid more than $8mil salary and sold out for top dollar (even made it a sealed bid auction to force the dolans to make their top offer) when he saw that payroll was going to exceed revenue.
that’s right; jacobs never spent a dime of his own money on salaries even though they were a top five in payroll in the 90’s.
the john hart approach of bludgeoning mediocre pitching won a fair amount of regular season games but has never won a world series. the 1997 season “success” came with a pitching staff that gave up over 800 runs and won only 86 games and were carried by jared wright in the playoffs.
Excellent comment across the board, thank you.
RIP
INDIANS