"The ownership group interested in purchasing the Los Angeles Dodgers, led by former Dodger greats Steve Garvey and Orel Hershiser, hasn't yet revealed details about who their financial backers are except to say that they have them.

Thursday afternoon, in his first public comments since Dodgers owner Frank McCourt announced that he would put the team up for sale via an auction in bankruptcy court, Hershiser shot down skepticism about the seriousness and strength of their bid.

"I'm as serious as my heart beats," Hershiser told ESPNLosAngeles.com. "The next step in the process is to be approved by baseball to bid on the team. We think with the people we have in place and the assets we have in place, we will be a serious contender."

Hershiser, a baseball analyst for ESPN, said the group's financial backers prefer to remain in the background at this point. But after reviewing details of their plan this week, he's confident they have more than enough capital and assets to make a serious run at the team, which most analysts have estimated could sell for between $800 million to $1.2 billion dollars.

"I'm excited to be involved in the process. It would be a dream come true to go after one more prize, one more championship, and do something special for the fans of Los Angeles," he said."