Former Dodgers Exec VP Fred Claire will hold a press
conference in Pasadena today (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 6/24).
National reaction to the team's dismissal of Claire and
manager Bill Russell continues. In DC, Thomas Boswell
writes that "it's sad to see the Los Angeles Dodgers getting
Foxed" (WASHINGTON POST, 6/24). In L.A., J.A. Adande writes
"the Fox folks have turned this season into a bad sitcom.
... Everything the Dodgers stood for has been erased. ...
Dodgers fans deserve better. But baseball doesn't" (L.A.
TIMES, 6/24). But Fox Sports Senior VP/Media Relations
Vince Wladika downplayed the changes to the team since the
Fox Group acquired the franchise: "We think that anytime you
have one corporation take over another, there are obviously
going to be some changes" (AP, 6/23).
THIS NOT JUST IN ON FOX'S MLB BROADCAST: USA TODAY's
Michael Hiestand notes that Fox's "Insider" segment on its
MLB coverage Saturday suggested Rockies manager Don Baylor
will be fired after the All-Star break but did not mention
anything about the Dodger firings announced Sunday night.
Hiestand: "So is there a problem with Fox's interoffice
mail? Conglomerates, after all, long ago made 'synergy'
their mantra." Fox Sports Exec Producer Jeff Terenzio
called covering the net's coverage of the Dodgers "one of
the most tricky editorial decisions we've faced. ... We'd
have to be completely accurate" (USA TODAY, 6/24).
WHERE ARE THE ANGELS IN THE OUTFIELD? The Dodgers are
drawing nearly 10,000 more fans per game than the Angels,
and in L.A., Eric Noland wrote it is "a source of some
bewilderment for the entertainment wizards at Disney. But
they were aware when they bought into the Angels they were
inheriting a boxcar of baggage" (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 6/23).
