MLB ALL-STAR GAME

July 10, 2000

Tommy Lasorda

Paul Seiler

Bob Watson

MANAGER TOMMY LASORDA: Thank you very much, Dave. Thank all of you for coming. When he said for me to express my feelings, I just want everybody to know that this is one of the most exciting things that happened to me. I've been fortunate enough to manage the Dodgers for 20 years. I had a lot of great, great times, a lot of winning teams, World Championships. But to me, this is bigger. It's bigger because it's the United States of America. When a person has the privilege and an honor of directing a team into the Olympics, I think it's just wonderful. You know, I watch the Olympics, and I see these winners going up to the podium and receiving their medals, and they play the National Anthem, then you see the losers depressed, and they worked so hard to get there, but still represented the country in the highest degree of class, dignity and character. I'm very, very happy. I'm happy with the people I'm surrounded with -- people who have worked so very, very hard to try prepare to come up with a team that's going to be very successful over in the Olympics. They have worked very hard in trying to select the best players that we can get, and I think with their knowledge of the game and their willingness to work real hard, that we're going to come up with a team that this country's going to be very, very proud of. So I know one thing, people may think I'm whacky or something, but, by golly, I stood up in that ball field many times and looked up at that flag and had tears in my eyes knowing it symbolized that I was fortunate enough to be born in the greatest country in the world. Now they've handed me the reins to take this baseball team over there and perform in the Olympics. So you're looking at the happiest, most grateful, most appreciative guy in the whole world. Thank you.

CO-CHAIRMAN BOB WATSON: Thank you, David. For the first time in the Olympics, baseball is going to be using professional players. Last year, I was fortunate to be part of the committee that selected players for the Pan Am Games, who also, for the first time, used professional players. So with that being said, we're going to select and have selected from a pretty good pool of players, both Minor League, 40-man roster guys who are slated not to be in the Major Leagues on September 1st. Also, we've added another level of player, and that's the recently retired player. We're down to -- I don't know -- where are we? 70 players -- something like that. We've had meetings here; we're going to continue to have meetings with all of the Major League Clubs tomorrow, and up until the future here. And that future, as was stated, on August 23rd, we will announce our club. We feel that to compete, we needed to add the professional player, because most of the countries that we're competing against, say from Cuba, they have a club that's played together for a long, long time. The Japanese are sending an All-Star Team from their respective leagues, one player from each club. The Koreans are shutting down their Professional League and sending an All-Star Team. The Host Team, the Australians, are going to be some solid competition headed up by David Neilson, who was an All-Star catcher for the Milwaukee Brewers. I think also the Italians are going to have a number of the Minor League Italian players that have parents who are from the old country. So the competition is going to be key. We have our work cut out for us. Mr. Lasorda has given me the marching orders. He said: "I'm not going 6,000 miles to lose." So we are going to try to give him the best thing we can.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR PAUL SEILER: Thank you, Dave. Just very quickly, who is USA Baseball, and what's their role in this process? In the Olympic Games, for those of you who may not be educated in our world, every Olympic sport, whether it's the Summer or Winter, has a NGB, National Governing Body, who is responsible for identifying, selecting, and training the Olympic athletes in that sport. You have the Five Rings of Colorado Springs in the Olympic movement, but Colorado Springs does not pick the baseball team. They do not pick the best synchronized swimmer, or track and field stars. USA Baseball does it for the sport of baseball. We have National Teams this year, four different levels, including 15-, 16-, 17-, 18-year-olds -- our College and National Team, and of course, this year our Olympic Team, made up of professional players. Our role in this is really as the pipeline, the conduit, the connection between the U.S. Olympic Committee, Olympic Committee, Major League Baseball, and the Players' Association. We're the organization that all of that communication, contact, cooperation, procedure, process goes through in the Olympic movement. Very quickly, also, why did the United States decide to use professional players in the Olympics? The United States did not decide to use professional players in the Olympics. The way that process is, we are governed as a sport by an International Federation, the International Baseball Federation, the IBAF. There are 100 countries that are members of the International Baseball Federation. At the conclusion of the Olympic Games in 1996, it is IBAF that put to its member countries the vote of opening the Games to professional athletes much like FIBA did with basketball prior to the Dream Team coming on the scene in 1992. The United States was one of those 100 votes, and the votes were unanimous within our International Federation to open up major international competition to the inclusion of professional athletes. So basically the rules have changed since the conclusion of the Games in '96, and this is something that USA Baseball has had to deal with on a very unique level, because if you think back to 1984 when Rod Dedeaux had Mark McGwire and Barry Larkin, some of the guys here tonight, then in '88 with Robin Ventura and Tino Martinez, then Nomar. There's traditionally been the college athlete that's represented the United States in International Competition, including and up to our pinnacle of competition, the Olympic Games. When that changed, we had to make the change to integrate the professional athletes, and it's really been through the cooperation of Sandy Alderson and Major League Baseball's Executive Offices, as well as Donald Fehr and the Players' Association to lend the support, not only in support but in manpower, to go out, look at the players, have a Bob Watson involved and a Bill Bavasi, so that when the United States and Major League Baseball is represented in Sydney, it's with a quality club. You know, it needs to be said publicly that USA Baseball could not do what we're doing today without the cooperation of Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball's Players' Association. As far as I stand, as the Executive Director and CEO of this organization, we feel very confident in the team we're going to take to Sydney. People say: "Are you going to win a gold medal?" I don't know that we're going to win a gold medal. But it won't be for a lack of trying. We've said it before with Tommy -- I want him to know it here in a public Forum. There's no doubt in my mind the athletes and coaches we take to Sydney will know why they're there, what their role is, how they're going to conduct themselves, and what their expectations are. We look at sins of our forefathers in terms of basketball, and maybe the things that happened in Japan with the Hockey Team, and I think it's safe to say that you're going to see a team that all of America is going to be proud of the way they're represented, not only our country but our pasttime. So that's kind of where USA Baseball stands on the issue.

CO-CHAIRMAN BOB WATSON: We've identified the players that, you know, we would like to have. We will talk with clubs on a one-on-one basis here in the very near future. But that's still no guarantee we will have them. There's injuries, there's call-ups, there's trades, you know, that affect that. But, yes, to answer your question. Yes, we've identified players.

CO-CHAIRMAN BOB WATSON: The cooperation has been very good. There's some players from every ballclub that are not going to be available. The clubs have told us, you know, they're not going to be available. But for the most part, I mean the cooperation has been better than we could have expected.

CO-CHAIRMAN BOB WATSON: Yeah. I mean, sure, you would like to have certain players, but that's not possible. So as I sit here and tell you, we're pleased with the cooperation.

CO-CHAIRMAN BOB WATSON: Well, the details are still being worked out. As they say in the legal terms, they're dotting the I's and crossing the T's. There's a compensation package that is significant for the players; and, you know, as soon as they do all of that and sign it, I'm quite sure you guys will be notified what it is.

CO-CHAIRMAN BOB WATSON: I'm not going to tell you that until they dot the I's and cross the T's.

CO-CHAIRMAN BOB WATSON: That question has been asked before, and the answer that I will give today is that, you know, the choice is not the player's. It's the club's choice, you know, to call them up or not. Yes, if it was in the player's hands and he's a first-time call-up, he signs to be a professional ball player, it's a dream to be in the Big Leagues. But it's not the player's call; it's the club's call. The clubs are trying to evaluate their players, and clubs that are in the pennant race are going to, you know, do the best thing they can for the integrity of the game. You know, I believe even the clubs that are not in the pennant race have a moral issue to put the best team on the field to play those clubs who are in the pennant race. So, you know, it's the club's call.

CO-CHAIRMAN BOB WATSON: It's a possibility, but we're going there to win. Yesterday's Futures Game is just that: Kids of the future. We're in the now. We want to go there with the best club that is prepared to win now. There might be some veteran players that might not run as fast or throw as hard, but they know how to play the game, and they're professionals. And, you know, the upside for Josh Hamilton or any of the kids that are out here yesterday is tremendous. But we're going to take a serious look at ten or twelve of those guys that are out there, no doubt. There's a couple of college guys who had outstanding years. He's (Paul Seiler) got a couple on his National Team right now that are going to get consideration. Chances are, you know, slim. But to answer your question, they will have some consideration. But the veterans have a better shot.

MANAGER TOMMY LASORDA: Well, the recently retired players, Bob and the staff have gone out to look at some of those guys. If they're not playing, I don't see how they could be ready to play in the Olympics. They have got to be playing in a league. They have got to be playing to where they're in the top physical condition to play the game. The ones that we're looking at with much more time are the fellows who are playing during the season, the guys who are playing a complete season, and their season is over in September. So we're looking at those guys, and we're talking to some of those guys, but they've got to be ready to play.

MANAGER TOMMY LASORDA: If we feel that they can help this team, yes, by all means, we'd take them.

CO-CHAIRMAN BOB WATSON: The Committee has at its disposal the Major League Scouting Bureau. Our Selection Committee numbers 19 guys that represent 24 organizations. So we have it covered. Plus Billy's out scouting; I'm out scouting. I'm going to send Phil Regan out scouting, maybe Reggie will go. Eddie Rodriguez is a Minor League Instructor right now, plus he will have the Staten Island Club; and he's going to be, you know, out there. So we'll have eyes on, you know -- if you can play, we'll know. Okay?

MANAGER TOMMY LASORDA: Well, I don't know what the situation is with him, with his suspension. I can't make a statement on that as of now.

MANAGER TOMMY LASORDA: That's a hypothetical question. I want to see if he's eligible or not before I answer that. I don't know.

MANAGER TOMMY LASORDA: There's a few of them.

CO-CHAIRMAN BOB WATSON: I'll answer this because I'm the guy who's out there. You got next week, I'm going to see Tim Raines, Pat Kelly, Lance Johnson. I've already seen Terry Steinbach. I've already seen Orestes Destrade and Chili Davis and Wade Boggs have withdrawn. You know, they've personally withdrawn their names from the consideration. I think there was an interesting name that was brought up here recently: Orel Hershiser. We'll see if he's going to play somewhere so we can evaluate him. We'll keep our eyes peeled on the guys who might get released or traded or whatever, you know, on clubs that might take them off rosters or something. But that answers your question there.

CO-CHAIRMAN BOB WATSON: Sure.

MANAGER TOMMY LASORDA: We know that they've got outstanding pitchers over there, and we know that that's what they're going to really set their sights on. By the All-Stars itself, the majority of them ought to be pitchers, no question about it. But we just feel that the guys that we're going to select, we're just going to have to be better than them. We hope that they're better than them. They better be better than them.

CO-CHAIRMAN BOB WATSON: He's a guy that has played on the U.S. Team.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR PAUL SEILER: Junior Team in '96.

CO-CHAIRMAN BOB WATSON: He was with us last year at the Pan Ams. If he's not in the Big Leagues, he would be a guy we would love to have.

MANAGER TOMMY LASORDA: He's the kind of guy we want. He's the kind of guy we're looking for.

CO-CHAIRMAN BOB WATSON: If Pat Gillick wants him, he's going to Seattle, I can almost guarantee you.

CO-CHAIRMAN BOB WATSON: Yes.

CO-CHAIRMAN BOB WATSON: He's definitely progressing. He's throwing strikes. He's come a long way from last year. There's no doubt he's going to be a dominant pitcher in the Big Leagues.

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