ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, January 7, 1997 TAG: 9701070105
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: From Associated Press reports
Peter O'Malley, whose family has controlled the Dodgers since 1950 - seven years before they moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles - surprised baseball Monday by announcing the team is for sale.
O'Malley, who is believed to be 60, said estate planning was the primary reason behind the decision. He succeeded his father, Walter, as team president in March 1970, but none of Peter's three children has held more than a part-time position with the team.
``It's probably smart to plan for the future. That's probably the main reason,'' O'Malley said. ``I'm not a tax expert, [but] it's a pretty good idea not to have all your eggs in one basket.''
The O'Malley family is second in seniority among baseball ownership groups, trailing only the family of the late Tom Yawkey, which purchased the Boston Red Sox after the 1933 season and turned it over to the Jean R. Yawkey Trust, which remains the team's primary owner.
``The O'Malleys leave to baseball a rich and powerful legacy,'' acting commissioner Bud Selig said.
The sale price could be more than $300 million, well above the current record for a baseball team, the $173 million paid by Peter Angelos' group for the Baltimore Orioles in 1993.
In addition to the team, the Dodgers own the 300-acre site near downtown Los Angeles that includes Dodger Stadium, which the team also owns; a spring training facility in Vero Beach, Fla.; and some property in the Dominican Republic known as Campo Las Palmas.
Walter O'Malley took control of the Dodgers on Oct.26, 1950, from Branch Rickey, who had been general manager since October 1942 and a part owner since August 1945.
Walter O'Malley moved the team from Ebbets Field to Los Angeles following the 1957 season and persuaded Horace Stoneham to move the New York Giants from the Polo Grounds to San Francisco, ushering in the nationwide expansion of the major leagues, which had never put a franchise west of the Mississippi.
NHL Blues hire Colorado assistant
Just like Mike Keenan, the new coach of the St.Louis Blues has 21/2 seasons to get the job done.
That, however, is the only similarity between the old era and the new.
At a news conference to announce the hiring of Joel Quenneville, the top assistant of the Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche, the key word was stability. Keenan turned over almost the entire roster during his 30 months on the job as coach and GM, alienating fans by dealing away fan favorites Brendan Shanahan and Curtis Joseph and driving up the payroll with ill-advised signings. The new leadership team - Quenneville and general manager Ron Caron, who had been interim GM since Keenan was fired Dec.19 - said that won't happen again.
``I don't plan on making many changes,'' Quenneville said, noting the Blues were 2-0-2 in their past four games under interim coach Jimmy Roberts.
* Sports Illustrated will test a sports magazine for women in April as it tries to capitalize on growing interest in women's sports.
The as-yet unnamed magazine, which currently carries the working title ``Sports Illustrated Woman,'' will be published twice in 1997. After that, it will be determined how often to publish in 1998, said SI president Don Elliman.
LENGTH: Medium: 66 lines KEYWORDS: HOCKEY BASEBALLby CNB