NEWS » Billie Jean King has gone back to her roots in be

LOS ANGELES (AP) — coming part of the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ ownership group.The tennis champion first became enamored with the team when it arrived from Brooklyn in 1958. King says she and younger brother Randy Moffitt “grew up bleeding Dodger blue” in Long Beach. Moffitt later pitched in the majors for teams that included the rival San Francisco Giants http://www.redsfanproshop.com/authentic-cliff-pennington-jersey , or as King puts it “the wrong team.”King and her partner Ilana Kloss have taken an undisclosed stake in the Dodgers at the invitation of owner Mark Walter.“It’s a great thing for the Dodgers,” manager Dave Roberts said.Pending approval by the WNBA, King and Kloss are also expected to have an ownership interest along with Walter in the Los Angeles Sparks.“We’re not allowed to talk about it,” King said, referring to her percentage of the Dodgers. “We’re all in this together.”King said she hopes they “can make a difference that’s meaningful and be impactful.”She and Kloss met Walter and his wife Kimbra in the last year while helping raise money for a new tennis complex on the South Side of Chicago, where King splits her time when she’s not in New York.“We took a beat and waited and then said we’ve got to do this,” said Kloss, who is King’s former doubles partner. “It’s funny how little deals sometimes take forever and deals that are the most meaningful are about the people and the relationships.”Walter, King and Kloss didn’t get into specifics about what their roles with the team will be.“We need a lot of listening first because this has happened very fast Joe Morgan Jersey ,” King said. “We need to learn from everybody.”Walter said King and Kloss “know a ton” about professional sports and leagues, with King having co-founded World TeamTennis, which just wrapped up its 43rd season.“They’re so underselling what they add in terms of value,” Walter said.One area that King and Kloss hope to expand upon is the Dodgers’ efforts to be inclusive to the LGBTQ community.“I care so much about everyone,” King said. “I want everyone to feel included.”Kloss added, “We really are excited not only about doing well but doing good.”King, the 74-year-old former No. 1 player in the world, was like a kid at batting practice Thursday. Sporting a No. 17 jersey, she and Kloss stood behind the cage watching the Dodgers take cuts while chatting with coaches.King said it is her and her brother’s favorite number since both favor odd numbers.King caught up with outfielder Chase Utley Dave Concepcion Jersey , whom she’s known since his days with the Philadelphia Phillies. She pointed out that they attended the same junior high and high school, albeit at different times, in Long Beach.King and Kloss are the first women among the current Dodgers ownership, which includes NBA legend Magic Johnson and entertainment executive Peter Guber.“It’s great as women that we’re a part of this,” King said. “It sends a very strong message.” Rockies news and notes for November 1, 2018"Rockies don’t pick up option on Gerardo Parra | Rockies.comOn Tuesday the Rockies declined Gerardo Parra’s team option for the 2019 season, and instead they chose to pay him the $1.5 million buyout. That completes the three-year, up and down deal the Rockies and Parra agreed to prior to the 2016 season. But, as Do-Hyoung Park writes http://www.redsfanproshop.com/authentic-cliff-pennington-jersey , that doesn’t mean it’s the end of the end of the line in this relationship. Park writes that the Rockies “will entertain the idea of agreeing to a less expensive deal with Parra, who showed value as a pinch-hitter this season.” That arrangement would make some sense, especially if Carlos Gonzlez is really gone this time and Matt Holliday isn’t coming back in a bench role. Free agency is underway, so we could learn about what will happen very soon. Previewing the 2019 Asheville Tourists | Notes from the SallyMaybe it’s too early for a preview of the Tourists 2019 season. Then again, maybe it’s not. Every team’s biggest free agent regret | MLB.comThis ranking from Will Leitch is all-time, not just this past offseason. Mike Hampton is named as the Rockies’ biggest free agent regret here, though there could be some competition for that mantle in the next few years.