One day after dismissing Exec VP Fred Claire and
manager Bill Russell and replacing them in the interim with
Tommy Lasorda and Glenn Hoffman, respectively, Dodgers
officials defended the move and said it was a baseball
decision and not a Fox decision. News Corp. President Peter
Chernin, on Dodgers President Bob Graziano, who issued the
dismissals: "Bob is not a puppet, he is not just pretending.
These are his decisions." News Corp. Co-COO Chase Carey:
"Of course, we wouldn't approve of anything suicidal, but
short of that, it's his business to run." Chernin, on the
moves implemented since Fox acquired the team: "This could
be a case of a backlog of changes, made all at once. We
respect the Dodger tradition. ... We would like to enter a
period of calm" (Bill Plaschke, L.A. TIMES, 6/23).
Dodgers Chair Peter O'Malley said yesterday, "I've been
asked the hypothetical question that if my family still
owned the Dodgers would I have made the same decision, and
my answer is yes." In L.A., Ross Newhan: "Call it the
biggest tremor yet in a series of events that have rocked an
organization accustomed to stability" (L.A. TIMES, 6/23).
LASORDA PLAYS POLITICS: Newhan reports that sources say
Lasorda "has been playing the political game in his frequent
travels, seeking a greater role and position. Fox may not
have told Graziano to address that now, but Graziano knew
Fox wanted the Dodger blue salesman in a more visible
situation at some point" (L.A. TIMES, 6/23). On ESPN
SportsZone, Peter Gammons wrote that from the time Fox
showed interest in the Dodgers, Lasorda "was angling to get
back in power, and Fox was searching for a post-O'Malley
personality. They have already notified [MLB] they will
change the traditional Dodger uniform next season" (ESPN
SportsZone, 6/22). ESPN's Tom Friend: "The problem with the
new ownership here is that they're into the two 'I's':
impatience and image. And image is Lasorda" ("SportsCenter,"
6/22). In N.Y., Claire Smith: "The reemergence of
O'Malley's good friend, Lasorda, proved as intriguing as the
Dodgers' decision to step out of character by dismissing a
manager" (N.Y. TIMES, 6/23). In Philadelphia, Bill Conlin,
on Lasorda: "I think he's just happy to see Claire, who
undercut him at the end, out the door" (DAILY NEWS, 6/23).
REAX: In L.A., Randy Harvey writes that if Graziano's
decision "doesn't prove to be a good one, he'll be the next
person transitioned out" (L.A. TIMES, 6/23). In L.A., Dave
McNary writes under the header, "Murdoch's Style Impacting
Team" (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 6/23). An L.A. DAILY NEWS
editorial: "We find Murdoch's aggressive drive to succeed
refreshing. ... [W]hat most fans want even more are
victories and championships" (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 6/23).
RATINGS DOWN: USA TODAY's Chuck Johnson reports that
the Dodgers' TV ratings on KTLA are down this season, as
viewership has dropped from 5.5% of all L.A. area TV
households last year to 3.5% this season (USA TODAY, 6/23).
