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SPORTSFriday 23 October 2015
Dodgers and Mattingly part ways in mutual agreement
BY BETH HARRIS In this Monday, Oct. 12, 2015, file photo, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Don Mattingly speaks decisive Game 5 of the NL
AP SPORTS WRITER during a news conference before Game 3 of baseball’s National League Division Series against Division Series, Mattingly
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Don the New York Mets in New York. met over the last week with
Mattingly and the Los An- Friedman, Zaidi and Josh
geles Dodgers stuck to their it was neither side would so black-and-white here. ers. Byrnes, senior vice presi-
scripts Thursday, insisting specify. There’s a huge middle, and Friedman said he expects dent of baseball opera-
they agreed to a mutual “It came back to this was it’s gray there. We’re not to hire a manager by the tions.
parting of the ways while the right time and right hiding anything. It really is start of baseball’s winter “I never appreciated hear-
never revealing the exact thing,” Mattingly said. “An- how things played out.” meetings that run Dec. ing the way Game 5 devel-
reason he won’t return as drew, Farhan and Josh (By- Zaidi said a contract exten- 7-10 in Nashville, Tennes- oped was Don Mattingly’s
manager. rnes) are great guys and sion was discussed, but no see. He and Zaidi began fault,” Friedman said.
Like a publicist announcing they’re going to do great official offer was made. discussing possible candi- Los Angeles reached the
the demise of a Hollywood things. The organization is in “I’ve had my own level of dates Wednesday, includ- postseason in three straight
marriage, the parties insist- great shape.” cynicism hearing about ing those with and without years for the first time but
ed the split was amicable. Mattingly said he felt want- people mutually parting previous managerial expe- the Dodgers won just one
Mattingly even suggested ed, his players backed him, ways,” he said. “We can sit rience. They declined to re- series, beating Atlanta in
he “will be friends like forev- and Friedman and Zaidi ex- up here with all level of sin- veal names. the Division Series two years
er” with his former bosses. pressed their respect and cerity and say that’s how it “We expect to have a ago, while losing three.
“I don’t really want to get admiration for him, making came about.” younger team going for- Mattingly was a holdover
into details of our conversa- it all the more puzzling why Los Angeles was 446-363 in ward,” Zaidi said. from the previous front of-
tions. They were good con- he’s walking away from a five years under Mattingly, The contracts of Mattingly’s fice regime, having been
versations, they were open storied organization that finishing with a winning re- coaches are expiring, and manager Joe Torre’s hand-
and they were honest,” boasts baseball’s highest cord in every season and they have been told they picked successor in 2010
Mattingly said by phone payroll. claiming the last three NL are free to look for new after he coached under
from his offseason home in Neither side shed any light West titles. But the Dodg- jobs, Friedman said. the Hall of Famer for seven
Evansville, Indiana. “It just to help the franchise’s ers have not reached the Friedman called the cir- seasons in New York and
became evident that this longtime fans understand World Series since winning cumstances of Mattingly’s Los Angeles.
was the best thing for both the move. the championship in 1988. departure “a little bit of an Mattingly worked this sea-
parties.” “If there is a reason that this The 54-year-old former Yan- unusual situation.” son under the new tandem
At Dodger Stadium, presi- happened we would share kees star ranks sixth in wins After the Dodgers lost 3-2 of Friedman and Zaidi,
dent of baseball opera- it,” Friedman said. “It’s not among Dodgers manag- to the New York Mets in a who had greater hands-on
tions Andrew Friedman and management than what
general manager Farhan Mattingly was used to un-
Zaidi parroted the same der former GM Ned Colletti.
vacuous message. Between Zaidi’s expertise
“It was kind of organic,” in advanced analytics and
Friedman said. “It just kind Friedman’s reputation for
of crystalized that is some- building a roster by crunch-
thing that potentially made ing numbers, Mattingly had
a lot of sense.” a plethora of data at his
Before they came to that disposal this season.
conclusion, the parties dis- He said he “loved” the in-
cussed extending Matting- creased information.
ly’s contract beyond next “Information is good, dis-
year, its final season. cussion is good, debating
“When we started on Friday things back and forth is
we expected him to be our good,” Mattingly said. “I just
manager in 2016,” Fried- look it as collaboration and
man said. “I think that was us just working together. I
his thought process, also.” feel like Andrew, Farhan
But something clearly and Josh will be friends like
changed as the discus- forever. That relationship is
sions wore on. Exactly what not strained in any way.”q
