Forum » leading to two operations on her right foot

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - In the middle of Andrew Friedmans introduction as the Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations, a question was asked from a corner of the room.Are you looking to acquire a younger, faster, stronger first baseman? someone queried.Friedman swiveled his head to see who was speaking, and then he laughed. The question came from incumbent first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, who lives in Southern California during the off-season.Gonzalez can count on other outsiders being brought in under Friedman, who plans to hire a new general manager and to retain Don Mattingly as manager.Friedman was introduced at Dodger Stadium on Friday, and he said hes having conversations about hiring a GM to work under him but offered no timetable. Ned Colletti was shifted from the GM job to senior adviser to team president and CEO Stan Kasten.A 37-year-old former Wall Street analyst, Friedman was hired this week from the Tampa Bay Rays, where he guided the team to four post-season appearances, including division in titles in 2008 and 2010.Friedman said has spoken twice with Mattingly, and they plan to meet next week. He said Mattingly will definitely be the manager next season and he tamped down speculation that close friend, Rays manager Joe Maddon, would follow him to Los Angeles.Im going into it with the mindset that were going to work with Donnie for a long time, Friedman said. Were very aligned on a lot of things philosophically.Mattingly has two seasons remaining in his three-year deal, while Maddon has one year left in his contract.In Tampa Bay, Friedman oversaw one of the major leagues lowest payrolls. With the Dodgers, he will have baseballs highest payroll at his disposal, one that rose to a record $256 million this year.Its obviously different, he said. Our focus is going to be on constructing the best team we possibly can. There are things that will make much more sense here than in other markets.Friedman was short on specifics, and he repeatedly said it was premature to comment on such things as GM, farm director, coaches and the roster, including whether free-agent shortstop Hanley Ramirez would be given a $15.3 million qualifying offer.Friedman opened his comments by reading from several prepared pages.Ive been busting him a little bit for having to write a speech. Its not something were used to, but he wanted to make his points, Kasten said. I think he did pretty well.Friedman name-checked some of his famous predecessors in the job, including Buzzy Bavasi and Branch Rickey, while also saluting such former Dodger greats as Sandy Koufax, Tom Lasorda and Don Newcombe, who was on hand. He also thanked the Rays and Colletti.It feels great to be a Dodger today, Friedman said, smiling. I fully recognize the magnitude of the job ahead of me.The Dodgers won 94 games and the NL West title but lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in the playoffs in Collettis last two seasons as GM. They were beaten in four games in the NL Division Series, a year after losing in six games in the NL Championship Series.I have a ton of personal and professional respect for Ned, Friedman said. Hes got a lot of institutional knowledge. Id be foolish not to tap into it.Friedman repeatedly used the words process, collaboration and information is king in describing his approach to the job.All I care about is getting more decisions right than wrong, he said.Friedman is known for his use of analytics, and he acknowledged those will blend with traditional scouting in building the roster.We do a lot of digging on people were going to acquire, he said. People are going to know exactly what were thinking. Custom Nike Atlanta Braves Jerseys . Clevelands manager had just watched his team lose 5-3 to Kansas City, which completed a 2-6 homestand and dropped the Indians 2 1/2 games behind Detroit in the AL Central. Wholesale Custom Nike Baseball Jerseys . The 18-year-old Januzaj has made his breakthrough at United this season, including scoring twice in a 2-1 win over Sunderland before the recent international break. His performances have sparked a debate about where his international future lies. https://www.customnikebaseballjerseys.com/. But history aside, theyre still happy to participate in the Par 3 contest, traditionally held on the day prior to the first round of the Masters. Custom Nike Baseball Jerseys Online . Mats Zuccarello and Derek Stepan scored shootout goals, and backup goalie Cam Talbot earned his second win in two nights as the Rangers shook off a late tying tally and beat the Maple Leafs 2-1 Monday night. Custom Nike Minnesota Twins Jerseys . -- Phil Mickelson came to the St. LONDON -- It was clear something was wrong with Serena Williams from the moment she began trying to warm up for her Wimbledon doubles match Tuesday. She weakly pushed volleys into the net from a couple of feet away. She whiffed on practice strokes. She even had trouble with the simple task of collecting tennis balls from the ball kids. After Williams was examined for about 10 minutes on the sideline by medical staff, including a check of her blood pressure, the match began. After three games, though, an out-of-sorts Williams and her partner, older sister Venus, stopped. The tournament referees office and WTA later said Serena, who lost in singles Saturday, had a viral illness. "I am heartbroken Im not able to continue in the tournament," Serena said in a statement. "I thought I could rally this morning because I really wanted to compete, but this bug just got the best of me." About 1 1/2 hours after leaving the court, Serena walked out of the All England Club, still wearing her white match outfit, and with a tournament towel draped around her waist. She got into a car and was driven away. "Unfortunately, Serena has been feeling unwell for the past few days and she just couldnt play to her potential today," Venus said. "Im really proud of her for trying because we just love playing doubles together." They have won 13 Grand Slam doubles titles as a pair, including five at Wimbledon. In singles, the 32-year-old Serena is ranked No. 1 and owns 17 major championships, the most among active women; five came at the All England Club. "We were all looking forward to a great match. From the bottom of my heart, I thank all of the fans for their cheers and understanding," said Serena, who was beaten in tthree sets by 25th-seeded Alize Cornet in the third round of singles.dddddddddddd "I look forward to returning to Wimbledon next year." While being looked at by a doctor before the start of the second-round doubles match against Kristina Barrois and Stefanie Voegele, Serena hunched over and covered her face with her hands. During the delay, one of the Williams other sisters, along with Serenas agent and her hitting partner, left their seats in the stands. Eventually, play began. With Serena serving in the third game, she was broken at love with four double-faults. One of the best servers in the womens game, she hit balls that bounced before reaching the net. At love-40 in that game, chair umpire Kader Nouni took the unusual step of climbing down from his perch and walking over to speak to Serena. She then served another double-fault to fall behind 3-0. Serena and Venus walked to the sideline holding hands, and Nouni announced to the crowd at No. 1 Court: "Ladies and gentlemen, unfortunately, Miss Williams has to retire." Serena wiped away tears as she walked toward the courts exit. Her career has been marked by health problems. She missed eight months after having surgery on her left knee in 2003, the year she had completed a self-styled "Serena Slam" by winning four consecutive major titles. Days after winning Wimbledon in 2010, Williams cut both feet on broken glass while leaving a restaurant, leading to two operations on her right foot. Then she got clots in her lungs and needed to inject herself with a blood thinner. Those shots led to a pool of blood gathering under her stomachs skin, requiring another hospital procedure. In all, she was off the tour for about 10 months, returning in 2011. ' ' '