MARKET SAVVY; DODGERS' MALONE TESTS THE MARKET AND REFUSES TO LOSE.Byline: Brian Dohn Daily News Staff Writer No task is too small for Dodgers general manager Kevin Malone
Kevin Malone is a fictional character from the US television series, The Office. He is played by Brian Baumgartner. . If he's going to do something, he's going to give it his all. And he expects to succeed. All the time. Soon after he was hired by the Dodgers last year, a retreat to Vero Beach Vero Beach (vēr`o), city (1990 pop. 17,350), seat of Indian River co., E Fla., on Indian River (a lagoon and part of the Intracoastal Waterway); founded c.1888, inc. 1919. , Fla., was organized so all the new faces in the team's front office could get to know each other better. As a bonding exercise, people were split into teams to compete in a series of contests designed to build teamwork. ``My team won all the games,'' Malone said. There was a timed contest to build a bridge made of Legos. Malone's team not only won but set the all-time team record for time and pieces used. His team also won the song contest and the sheep calling contest. The retreat ended with a softball game. Malone managed one team against former Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda's team. Any guesses on the winner? ``Maloney's Baloneys won,'' Malone said with a coy smile. Malone, 41, doesn't just enjoy competition, he thrives on it. That's how you go from being a $12,000-a-year scout to the top baseball official of one of the most powerful organizations in baseball. ``He's so competitive-spirited,'' Dodgers president and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. Bob Graziano Bob Graziano is a former president of the Los Angeles Dodgers of American Major League Baseball. He is currently Managing Director for the Western Region of Northern Trust, an investment management company. said. ``What I like about him is his thorough and complete understanding of scouting and baseball. You have to have that spirit to be able to compete.'' It's always been that way for Malone, who grew up in Louisville, Ky. His brother Kyle remembers how intense he was. Once in a Little League game, in the last inning of a blowout, the coach asked Kyle to play right field. Kyle declined, saying he didn't want to get hot and sweaty for one meaningless inning. ``Kevin came over, grabbed me, threw me on the ground and kicked dirt on me,'' Kyle said. ``Then he said, `Now you're dirty so get out there.' . . . Nobody wanted to play the Malone boys in our neighborhood. Kevin never let us lose.'' Malone despises losing in any context. This spring at Dodgertown, Malone would play basketball almost nightly. The games were measured by sweat buckets and bruises. On most nights, Malone's team would win (who would beat the boss?), but when he lost he would often lament the next day about what he could have done differently to win, or he'd stay on the court afterward to work on his jumper. Late at night at his Louisville home, his father, Tim, said he was often awakened by loud noises in the backyard. It would be young Kevin, throwing a ball against the house or swinging a bat against an old tire. ``He always wanted to win so he worked so hard,'' Tim Malone said. ``Baseball. He loved it. He always wanted to play. He always wanted to get a game going. I never heard him say, `Oh, no. Not today.' He couldn't get enough.'' He did, however, get enough of losing in Montreal. After two years as the Expos general manager, Malone was frustrated that ownership wanted him to preside over a fire sale less than two years after the Expos went a major- league-best 74-40 before the 1994 players' strike. His personality doesn't jive with not trying to win. In good conscience, Malone couldn't remain in Montreal. ``When I lose I get sick to my stomach,'' Malone said. ``People in the smaller markets saying they have no hope, they have no chance - that's unacceptable. If I ever heard my general manager say that, I'd fire him. Find a way to get it done or go do something else.'' It was that attitude that allowed Malone to build a career. Malone was a second baseman second baseman n. Baseball The infielder who is positioned near and to the first-base side of second base. Noun 1. second baseman - (baseball) the person who plays second base second sacker , playing at Florida Southern University for a semester before he transferred to the University of Louisville See also
1. ^ [1] 2. ^ [2] URL accessed on June 8 2006 3. , where he earned a baseball scholarship and was later inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame. When his playing days were done, he found another way to stay in the game. In 1985, Malone began at the bottom as an area scout for the California Angels. He spent three years sitting in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. traffic, hurrying from one game to another. He scouted for the Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Twins are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Twins have played in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. , then moved up through the Expos organization before spending the last two seasons as assistant general manager of the Baltimore Orioles This article is about the contemporary American major league baseball team. For other uses, see Baltimore Oriole (disambiguation). The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland. . Malone has an eye for scouting players, a talent. But it's backed up equally by hard work. ``I remember when he called us last September,'' his father recalls. ``He said, `I got the job in Los Angeles.' I got choked up and his mother started crying.'' If you ask Tim Malone, he'll tell you dedication and an unrelenting drive got his son the Dodgers' job. Kevin Malone doesn't disagree, but he is quick to point out one other factor. ``Just getting this Dodger job, I've worked hard and I had some success and I have some knowledge,'' Malone said, ``but it had to be by the grace of God. It had to be by His control that I'm the Dodgers general manager.'' Malone can boast with the best, but in this instant he is humble because he is also a born-again Christian Noun 1. born-again Christian - a Christian who has experienced a dramatic conversion to faith in Jesus Christian - a religious person who believes Jesus is the Christ and who is a member of a Christian denomination . Between his playing days and his scouting days, he spent time at the Tennessee Temple Theological Seminary in Chattanooga, Tenn, where he met his wife, Marilyn. He had planned to enter the ministry. This is where Malone delicately balances an imaginary line In general, an imaginary line is any sort of line that has only an abstract definition, and does not exist in fact. As a geographical concept, an imaginary line may serve as an arbitrary division (such as a border). . He will not overburden anyone with his religious beliefs, but he will quote Scripture during difficult times. ``I'm here on this earth to point people toward Him, and that doesn't mean I'm a freak,'' Malone said. ``I've been called a Jesus freak Jesus freak n. Slang A member of a movement among young Christians adapting traditional evangelicalism to pop culture. . I've been called a lot of things, but my point was always, `Hey, you Hey, You is the debut EP of Japanese band Mono. Track listing
saw the way I used to live my life - selfish, no regard for people, took advantage of people, used people.' ``I was - was - a freak. Then I suddenly have a change in my life . . . and now I'm what they call a Jesus freak.'' This is the other side of Malone, a devoted family man who takes his two children, Shannon (12) and Shawn (9) to school most days. He says his discovery of religion saved him from peril. He's still a competitor, but he conducts himself with humility and compassion for others. While sitting in the press box at Dodgertown's Holman Stadium There are at least two sports venues called Holman Stadium:
But competition and challenge are the major reasons Malone took the job with the Dodgers. He said the Fox Group told him he would receive the financial support needed to build a winning team. So he spent $124 million on free agents, revamped the minor-league system and restored confidence bordering on cockiness to the Dodgers. ``You don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. what's going to happen with injuries,'' Malone said during spring training. ``If we stay healthy, I think we can be in the World Series.'' With Malone, you wouldn't expect it any other way. A CLOSER LOOK Who: Kevin Malone What: Dodgers general manager Age: 41 Resume: Named club's executive vice president and general manager Sept. 11, 1998. Is the Dodgers' sixth general manager. . . . Rocked the baseball world by signing free-agent pitcher Kevin Brown The name Kevin Brown can refer to several different people, including the following:
Todd made his major league debut with the New York Mets on May 18, 1990 when he was only 20 years old. and hired manager Davey Johnson  This article or section is written like an .Please help [ rewrite this article] from a neutral point of view. Mark blatant advertising for , using . . The 1994 Expos went 74-40 before the end of the season was canceled by the players' strike. Was Montreal's director of scouting from 1992-93. . . . Was East Coast scouting director for the Minnesota Twins from 1989-91. . . . Was an Expos scout and coach for Single-A Jamestown from 1987-88. . . . Began his scouting career in 1985 with the California Angels. . . . Was drafted in the 35th round by the Cleveland Indians in 1980 and spent one season in the farm system. . . . Played baseball at the University of Louisville, graduating in 1980 with a bachelor's degree in justice administration. Elected to Louisville's athletic hall of fame. . . . Attended Bishop David High in Louisville. . . . His wife, Marilyn, and children Shannon (12) and Shawn (9) reside in Santa Clarita. - Brian Dohn DODGERS GMs SINCE 1968 Name Tenure Titles Al Campanis 1968-87 4 Fred Claire 1987-98 1 Tom Lasorda 1998 0 Kevin Malone 1998-present ? CAPTION(S): 4 Photos, 2 Boxes PHOTO (1--2--Color) MARKET SAVVY (Featuring the Dodgers' Kevin Malone and the Angels' Bill Bavasi) Photos by Associated Press Photo Illustration by Eric Barrow/Daily News (3) New Dodgers general manager Kevin Malone is a born-again Christian who relishes competition and believes the Dodgers can make it to the World Series. Joe Binoya/Daily News (4--Color) ``When I lose I get sick to my stomach. People in smaller markets saying they have no hope, they have no chance - that's unacceptable. Find a way to get it done or go do something else.'' - Kevin Malone BOX: (1) A CLOSER LOOK (see text) (2) DODGER GMs SINCE 1968 (see text) |
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