SPORTS
November 17, 2014
THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 9
Dodgers stay busy revamping front office
OFF-SEASON CHANGES. Filipino American
Farhan Zaidi, the new general manager for the Los An-
geles Dodgers, poses for a photo at Dodger Stadium
in Los Angeles. The Dodgers are busy revamping their
front office, adding Zaidi and three other hires in just
more than three weeks since Andrew Friedman took
over as president of baseball operations. (AP Photo/
Damian Dovarganes)
staff.”
Zaidi grew up in the Philippines, where
he played first base in Little League, and is
one of the few Muslims in the major
leagues.
“I’m a big proponent of diversity in our
game, so from that standpoint, I’m proud
of it,” he said.
Friedman has acted decisively since
arriving from Tampa Bay in mid-October,
presiding over the biggest makeover of the
front office since Guggenheim Baseball
Management bought the Dodgers two-
and-a-half years ago.
The flurry of moves include Colletti
being reassigned as senior adviser to
Kasten, and the departures of vice
president of player development De Jon
Watson and vice president of scouting
Logan White.
Gabe Kapler was hired as player
development director and Billy Gasparino
as amateur scouting director.
Kapler had been working as a baseball
analyst for Fox Sports 1 after playing 12
seasons in the majors. Gasparino spent the
last four years with San Diego in a similar
position.
By Beth Harris
AP Sports Writer
OS ANGELES — The Dodgers are
busy revamping their front office,
adding general manager (GM)
Farhan Zaidi and three other hires in just
more than three weeks since Andrew
Friedman took over as president of
baseball operations.
Friedman was eager to fill several
positions ahead of the GM meetings in
Arizona.
Zaidi was introduced at Dodger Stadium
after 10 seasons as assistant GM of the
Oakland Athletics. The 37-year-old, who
holds bachelor’s and doctorate degrees in
economics, said he will have greater
hands-on management of the Dodgers
than he did in Oakland, where he was
more of a sounding board to GM Billy
Beane.
“There’s such a great amount of
potential, that’s what excited me,” Zaidi
said.
Joining him in the Los Angeles front
office is Josh Byrnes, a former GM for
Arizona and San Diego who will supervise
scouting and player development while
Zaidi focuses on the major league roster.
“Both guys are going to touch
everything,” Friedman said by phone from
the Dodgers’ spring training facility in
Arizona. “We’re adding an incredibly
talented group.”
Zaidi is a proponent of advanced
L
analytics, which makes him a solid fit with
Friedman’s reputation for building a
roster by crunching numbers.
“Farhan has an incredible mind for the
game,”
Friedman
said.
“For
us,
information is king and it’s about having
people who appreciate that.”
In leaving Oakland, where Beane’s use
of statistical analysis was portrayed in the
book and movie Moneyball, Zaidi joked:
“They actually cut out part of my brain on
that and kept it there.”
Zaidi stressed that the Dodgers will seek
a balanced approach between old-school
scouting and modern-day analytics.
“I view any new stat or metric with an
inherent skepticism,” he said. “There’s
always something that is missing.”
Team president and CEO Stan Kasten
agreed, adding that the Dodgers will
always need “wise old owls” to make
decisions in addition to statistics.
Zaidi joins a franchise that boasts a
collection of former GMs, including
Friedman, Byrnes, and Ned Colletti.
“I think that’s a great thing,” he said.
“Having other people around not just to
share responsibility, but to serve as a
sounding board, will be great. You can’t
have too much experience on a baseball
Mi Hyang Lee wins playoff to claim Mizuno Classic
SHIMA, Japan (AP) — Mi Hyang Lee of South Korea
birdied the fifth hole of a three-way playoff to win the
Mizuno Classic for her first Ladies Professional Golf
Association (LPGA) title.
Lee sank a birdie putt to beat compatriot Ilhee Lee and
Japan’s Kotono Kozuma. She shot a 69 in regulation to
finish tied at 11-under 205 with Lee (70) and Kozuma, who
also had a 69 in the final round.
“It was my first playoff ever, so before I started the
playoff I was a little nervous,” said Lee, who made her
LPGA debut in 2012. “I just kept playing and made pars
and birdies and the other players played really good. It
was exciting when I made the last putt.”
The trio parred the first two playoff holes before an
exciting third playoff hole where all three players made
long birdie putts with the shortest being Mi Hyang Lee’s
at 25 feet to keep the three-person playoff rolling.
The group exchanged pars again on the 4th playoff hole
before Lee tapped in for the win and the $180,000 winner’s
prize.
The 21-year-old is the seventh South Korean to win on
the LPGA Tour in 2014, and the second consecutive after
Yuna Kim named 2018
Winter Olympics ambassador
PYEONGCHANG,
South Korea (AP) —
Olympic figure skating
gold medallist Yuna Kim
has been appointed as an
official ambassador for the
2018 Winter Games in her
native South Korea.
The organizing commit-
tee for the Pyeongchang
Olympics announced the
appointment, saying it
expected “her to take the
lead in promoting the
games to the world.”
Kim, who won gold at the
2010 Olympics in Van-
couver and silver at the
2014 Sochi Games, helped
campaign for Pyeongchang
during the city’s candidacy
and was one of the
presenters for the city at
the International Olympic
Committee meeting in
South Africa in 2011 when
it was selected as host.
Inbee Park won in Taiwan.
Prior to the tournament, Lee had only three top-10
finishes, including a sixth-place finish at the Reignwood
LPGA Classic last month in Beijing.
Laura Davies, who held a share of the lead after the
second round and was bidding to become the oldest winner
in LPGA history at 51, had a 71 to finish one stroke back of
the leaders.
Karrie Webb of Australia and Morgan Pressel of the
United States were also among the group of nine players
tied for fourth place.
Defending champion Teresa Lu of Taiwan shot a 67 to
finish tied for 13th, while second-ranked Stacy Lewis, the
2012 winner, had a 69 and was six strokes off the lead.
The Mizuno Classic was the final stop on the LPGA’s
Asian tour.
PRIZE-WINNING PUTT. Mi Hyang Lee of South Korea birdied the
fifth hole of a three-way playoff to win the Mizuno Classic for her first La-
dies Professional Golf Association title. (AP Photo/Joshua Paul/NurPhoto)
Commissioners Fritz and Fish invite
all Portlanders to engage in a conversation
about the future of...
.
Please attend these meetings
and give us your feedback
PYEONGCHANG PRO-
MOTER. Former South Korean
Olympic figure skater Yuna Kim
speaks in Seoul, South Korea dur-
ing a ceremony for her appoint-
ment as an honorary ambassador
for the 2018 Winter Olympics.
(AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
“The memories that I
made with the bid commit-
tee are still fresh in my
mind,” Kim said. “With
these memories in stow I
am excited to bring the
same passion and commit-
ment with me to this new
Continued on page 16
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