International Tennis Hall of Famer Billie Jean King and partner Ilana Kloss have become members of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ ownership group, the team announced on Thursday. The Dodgers plan to introduce the tennis icon King and Kloss during a press conference at Dodger Stadium today.
The 74-year-old King, who won 12 Grand Slam singles titles and 39 overall in a legendary career on and off the court, grew up as a Dodgers fan in Long Beach, Calif., and expressed her excitement to become minority owners along with her partner Kloss.
“I’m totally going to pinch myself... I’m pinching myself already,’” King told the Los Angeles Times from her New York residence. “When you’re born and raised a Southern California kid, you dream your dreams of coming back, but how could I have ever dreamed of something like this? Joining the Dodgers is my life coming full circle.’”
In a statement released by the Dodgers, King praised the organisation for being a franchise that demonstrated inclusion, from breaking the colour barrier with Jackie Robinson and the team’s many foreign player additions through the years.
“(Dodger Owner & Chairman) Mark Walter and the entire Dodger organization are a first-class operation that have proven to be leaders in sports on and off the field of play,” she said. “We share a commitment to equality and inclusion, including the LGBTQ community, and we hope to further expand the team’s efforts in those areas as we move forward together.”
“We’re excited and proud to welcome two trailblazing athletes, social advocates and businesswomen, Billie Jean King and Ilana Kloss, to our ownership group,” said Walter. “Just like Billie Jean and Ilana, the Dodger franchise has a history of and commitment to breaking barriers, inclusion and winning, and we’re looking forward to them continuing to promote these attributes within our organization.”
In addition to joining the Guggenheim Baseball Management Group headed by Walter and including Lakers legend Magic Johnson, King and Kloss also hope to become members of the LA Sparks’ ownership group, pending WNBA approval.
King’s younger brother, Randy Moffitt, pitched 12 major-league seasons, 10 of them with the rival San Francisco Giants from 1972-81. He also pitched for the Houston Astros and Toronto Blue Jays and went 43-52 with a 3.65 ERA and 96 saves.
Marlins’ Jeter says Mattingly will return in 2019
With the Miami Marlins trying to avoid their third 100-loss season in franchise history, CEO/part-owner Derek Jeter on Thursday portrayed manager Don Mattingly’s job as safe for the 2019 season. When asked by reporters before Miami’s home game against the Cincinnati Reds about his skipper’s job status for next season, with the team entering Thursday owning a 59-92 record, Jeter replied, “Is he going to be back in 2019? He’s under contract. Yeah.”
Next year marks the final season of Mattingly’s four-year contract. In his three seasons, the Marlins have not finished with a winning record. However, expectations entering this season were lowered after an offseason spent shedding higher-priced veteran players as the organization underwent a rebuild.
“I’ve been preaching patience,” Jeter said. “I’ve been finding I don’t have much of it. But we’re making progress and we’re taking steps in that direction. It was an organization that had been broken. We have to fix that. I’d like for it to happen overnight.”
Billie Jean King
