Kim Ng should be the next Giants' GM

[McCovey]

Ok, I am impressed with Kim Ng, the Dodgers current Vice President and assistant GM. She has a long track record of success and she's young at age 39. Her resume from the Dodgers website.


Kim Ng enters her seventh season as Vice President and Assistant General Manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. She is one of only two female executives in Major League Baseball to hold such a position in baseball operations and was the first woman to interview for a general manager’s position in Major League history when she did so with the Dodgers in 2005.

Ng’s primary responsibilities are to assist General Manager Ned Colletti in player acquisitions and contract negotiations in addition to coordinating player transactions. She oversees the club’s arbitration efforts, player development and professional scouting departments and manages the day-to-day operations of the baseball department including the medical, clubhouse and team travel divisions.
Considered one of the future leaders of baseball, Ng was recently tabbed one of “10 to Watch” by Baseball America in its 25th anniversary issue saluting the most influential people in the game. Additionally, she was featured by Newsweek during its year-end “Who’s Next?” edition in 2006.
In 2007, she was one of 20 fellows that were named to the Young Leaders Forum for the National Committee on United States-China relations and took part in a four-day retreat in Nanjing, China. The Young Leaders Forum (YLF) provides an opportunity to enhance the dialogue between the two countries and build lasting economic, geopolitical and cultural ties among the people of both nations.

Ng’s tenure at the Dodgers has been highlighted by dramatic improvement in scouting and player development, leading to numerous accolades including the most recent honor, as the Dodgers were named the 2006 Organization of the Year by Baseball America. The publication also called Ng a top general manager prospect in its “Best Tools” issue.

In 2004, along with her other duties, Ng assumed the interim position of Director of Player Development and was responsible for overseeing the Dodgers’ Minor League department, including developing and evaluating all players in the farm system, appointing minor league managers and coaching staff, and overseeing the club’s winter ball participation and relationships between the Dodgers and their minor league affiliates.

Prior to joining the Dodgers, Ng served as Vice President and Assistant General Manager for the New York Yankees (1998 - 2001). At 29 years of age when hired by the Yankees, she was the youngest Assistant General Manager in Major League Baseball. In her four seasons with the Yankees, New York advanced to the World Series four times and won three World Championships. Before her time with the Yankees’ organization, Ng served as Director of Waivers and Records for the American League in 1997. She approved all player transactions and contracts and assisted American League General Managers to interpret and apply the Major League Rules and the Basic Agreement.


She began her career in baseball with the Chicago White Sox serving as Special Projects Analyst (1991 - 1994) and was then promoted to Assistant Director of Baseball Operations in 1995. In those positions, she assisted in analyzing player tendencies, signing free agents, tracking Major League player movement, arbitration, negotiating contracts, and budgeting.

Ng graduated from the University of Chicago, where she played softball for four years and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Public Policy. A native of Ridgewood, NJ, she resides in Silver Lake, CA with her husband Tony Markward.

[Bear]

You know last year when you brought up her name I thought no big deal. Now after giving it some thought I feel you may be on to something. Everyone I talk to say she is on every teams short list if a GM job comes open. So now I feel the Giants need to give Kim Ng a long look. :beerbang:

[robbnen]

That would be a burn on Bill Singer who lost his job when he made a racist comment about her.

[McCovey]

That would be a burn on Bill Singer who lost his job when he made a racist comment about her.
One of Singer's most idiotic moments. :rolleyes:

[Bear]

What was the statement?

[McCovey]

What was the statement?
From ESPN.com 11/18/2003:


Report: 'No way' Singer can save job

ESPN.com news services

NEW YORK -- Bill Singer's new job with the Mets appeared in jeopardy amid speculation he would be let go following his racially insensitive remarks last week to a Los Angeles Dodgers executive.

Reports in New York area newspapers said Singer, hired as a superscout Nov. 6, could be fired or asked to resign this week.

"He's still employed by us at the moment, but the matter is under organizational review," Mets spokesman Jay Horwitz said Sunday night. "No decision has been made."

Singer and the team have apologized for racially insensitive remarks to a Los Angeles Dodgers' official during the general managers' meetings this week.

Singer's apology is not likely to save his job, however. The Mets have already begun looking for his replacement, according to a story in the New York Daily News on Sunday. And sources told the newspaper there is "no way" that Singer will survive the controversy.

Singer made the comments to Dodgers assistant general manager Kim Ng at a hotel bar in Arizona on Tuesday night, prompting Yankees general manager Brian Cashman -- Ng's former boss -- to step in, sources familiar with the conversation told the Daily News. The Los Angeles Times also reported that Singer confronted Ng, citing unnamed baseball officials who were present.

After the incident, Singer met privately with Mets general manager Jim Duquette and claimed that he had been on a low-carbohydrate diet, which caused him to suffer a chemical imbalance in conjunction with consuming alcohol, the Daily News reported.

"That didn't wash with Jim and it sure as hell won't wash with [owner] Fred [Wilpon]," a Mets source told the Daily News. "Plain and simple, there's no excuse for that kind of behavior, and there's no saving this guy."

Singer issued a statement released by the Mets on Friday.

"I am embarrassed by what I said when I met with Ng on Tuesday evening," Singer said. "My comments were truly inappropriate and I'm truly sorry. I have apologized to her and hope she will forgive me."

According to The Times, Singer approached Ng as baseball people gathered in the hotel bar after attending an instructional league game Tuesday. Two officials within earshot described the exchange, which Singer initiated, to The Times as follows:

Singer: "What are you doing here?"

Ng: "I'm working."

Singer: "What are you doing here?"

Ng: "I'm working. I'm the Dodger assistant general manager."

Singer: "Where are you from?"

Ng: "I was born in Indiana and grew up in New York."

Singer: "Where are you from?"

Ng: "My family's from China."

Singer: Nonsensically mock Chinese, then "What country in China?"

"There was a situation," Ng told the Daily News. "I've talked to Jim Duquette about it. That's all I'm going to comment about it."

Cashman declined to comment to the Daily News.

"His conduct was inexcusable and extremely disappointing," Dodgers GM Dan Evans told the Times. "Kim handled the entire situation in a professional manner, and we addressed the matter with the New York Mets the next day. I would prefer to keep that discussion with the Mets confidential."

Singer, 59, a two-time 20-game winner during his 14-year pitching career in the majors, joined the Mets as an assistant and talent evaluator.

"We learned of the matter recently and have addressed it with Bill Singer directly," Duquette said. "While I cannot share the particulars of that discussion with you, suffice it to say that his comments were entirely unacceptable and inconsistent with the values and standards of our organization. We have extended our apologies to Kim Ng and to the Dodgers organization.

"Bill continues to be employed by us at the moment. However, this entire matter continues to be under review by the organization. We are reserving judgment on this."

Ng became the second female assistant general manager in the majors when she was hired by the Yankees in 1997. At 29, she was the youngest assistant GM in the majors. Ng resigned from the Yankees in 2001 after her contract expired, and was hired by the Dodgers a month later.

Singer later blamed his Atkins diet and/or he was drunk. :rolleyes:

[Bear]

From ESPN.com 11/18/2003:



Singer later blamed his Atkins diet and/or he was drunk. :rolleyes:



I do not know how I missed this. I always like Singer as a pitcher, but he got what was coming to him. Sorry Bill, but you just can't say those things.:nono:

[McCovey]

I do not know how I missed this. I always like Singer as a pitcher, but he got what was coming to him. Sorry Bill, but you just can't say those things.:nono:
It just seems like a very odd thing to say. She told him she was the Dodgers' assistant GM. I guess he didn't believe her.

[Bear]

Singer is a Dumb Ass! :shakehead:

[McCovey]

Here' a Kim Ng 11/18/2003 interview with Baseball Prospectus.

Part #1

Kim Ng started her baseball career straight out of the University of Chicago as an intern for the Chicago White Sox. After rising to take over arbitration duties with the Sox, she took a job with the AL league office. Ng then spent four years with the New York Yankees as an assistant GM, where at age 29 she was the youngest in that position in baseball when hired. After completing her second year as vice president and assistant GM for the Los Angeles Dodgers, she's now one of only two women to hold such a position in baseball operations and the highest-ranking Asian-American executive in the majors. She was mentioned as a candidate for several GM jobs this off-season. Ng recently chatted with BP about learning the business, taking lessons from different mentors, and what it takes to succeed in baseball.

Baseball Prospectus: How did you first get your foot in the door with the White Sox?

Kim Ng: I got an internship with the White Sox five, six months out of college, did that for three or four months, and they liked me enough to hire me full time. After the arbitration season ended, they hired me full time to be an entry-level person. I basically did what anyone would do at those levels, enter scouting reports, operate the radar gun, anything that they had.

BP: How did they come to rely on you to handle arbitration cases? Were you trained for that position in college?

Ng: I had some analytic skills, having come from University of Chicago. But I didn't know about arbitration exhibits, negotiating contracts or anything like that. I had to learn, and I became pretty good at it.

BP: Did the White Sox help you get prepared at all, or did they just throw you out there to sink or swim?

Ng: When I started, they gave me a tape that they had done. They said to take a look at it...but yes, in some ways it was sink or swim. It's not real tough to figure out though--if you have a feel for baseball, it's not rocket science. You just need to be analytical enough, driven enough to be good at it.

BP: You handled arbitration for the Yankees as well. How did each team handle cases? Did one club take a hard-line stance and try to take more cases to arbitration, rather than settling?

Ng: The White Sox do arbitration cases in house, while the Yankees had an outside practitioner come in to handle cases. The Yankees had to take a different approach than most teams, since they had such tremendous post-season success. That definitely factors into cases--it's a huge factor. Playing in the post-season in New York is the ultimate stage, and players tend to do well in arbitration if they succeed on that stage.

BP: It's said that the Yankees were so impressed with your winning the Mariano Rivera case that that's what led to your promotion. How do you try to win a case against a player who might be the best late-inning pitcher in playoff history?

Ng: We were very fair with Mariano in terms of the salary we were offering. We paid him the most that any closer with his service time had received. In arbitration, it's really a question of degree. If you pay a player the most, there's not much more room for you to go.

BP: Obviously you've worked a number of cases with top players. What about the bottom-end guys? If you can pay someone like Rivera the most and still win your case, can you do the same by offering a lesser player the least?

Ng: The farther away you are from being the right number, the more chance you have to lose. The same goes for the agent.

BP: How did your work doing arbitration cases and coming up through front offices help you in terms of growing your knowledge base and improving your player evaluation skills?

Ng: When you're in the baseball operations department, you're watching games every single night, and you get a pretty good feel for what players are capable of and what they're not. Sometimes people think stats don't always tell the truth, and that's true. There are some players where stats don't do them justice. You'll see a player who has great instincts, who does the little things that don't show up in box scores like taking the extra base. I think it is important for people doing arbitration to have a feel for what players can do.

BP: What made you decide to take a job in the American League office?

Ng: I felt that I'd be able to interact with other clubs, with GMs and assistant GMs a lot. It was also a way to delve into the rules, to learn how they're enforced. When you're in the league office, you might get calls from four or five teams about one rule. The lessons get hammered in, and you improve your contacts at the same time.

BP: Take us through the interview process. How did each team differ in terms of who you met with, how long your interview lasted and how you presented yourself to win each job?

Ng: As you go higher up, you meet people higher up in the food chain. With the Dodgers, I met with Bob Daly and Bob Graziano. In New York it was Brian Cashman. In the league office, I was interviewing for the director of waivers and records job. They didn't know as much about me as say, the Yankees did, so I met with more people--Gene Budig, Phyllis Merhige. I had dealt with Brian a ton before interviewing for that job; he'd call the league office for certain rulings, so there was a lot of interaction between us. He knew a lot about my skills and personality, so that was pretty short. In Los Angeles, I had worked with Dan Evans before, so it was more about meeting with people higher up, since I was interviewing for a higher position.

BP: Did you ever get a sense in the interview process--any of your interviews--that there was discrimination in play, even if it was subtle?

Ng: I never got that feeling. Dan Evans knew me. The Yankees, they knew me. Major League Baseball has a number of women who have jobs of significance, one being Phyllis Merhige, who interviewed me.

BP: Your name came up in the press linked to several GM openings this off-season. How far did that go?

Ng: I didn't interview for any of those jobs.

BP: Well, your name was noted in particular in connection to the Expos job, when Omar Minaya was considering offer elsewhere. What would you do if you took over the GM job there?

Ng: I don't really want to speculate, so I'll take a pass.

BP: Let's try this another way. Why do you think you'd be a good candidate for a GM job?

Ng: A lot of it depends on who the owners are and what they're looking for. For me to tell you I have a scout's background in player evaluation, that's wrong. I wouldn't try to say that. More and more general managers out there don't have that extensive background, but have been successful in other areas and have proven themselves over time. Two of those are people I've worked for, Brian Cashman and Dan Evans. With Bill Bavasi getting the Mariners job, it's the same thing, and he would also admit that. Sandy Alderson, years ago, was the same way, and he was able to put together a world championship club.

One of my strongest skills is the decent relationships I have with many agents, players, and other club executives. Someone put it in a really good way: As a GM, you're the conductor of the orchestra--that doesn't mean you need to know how to play every single instrument. But being a good leader, having good communication skills, that's going to take you a long way.

[McCovey]

Here is the rest of the Ng interview:


BP: How would you go about building your ideal team? What are the basic tenets of your team-building philosophy?

Ng: It's going to differ for every club. You can't go in there and tear a team apart. The Dodgers were built on pitching and defense. The Yankees were pretty well-balanced. There are a lot of different ways to build a club. To come in and say, 'I will do XYZ by doing ABC,' you're probably going to hurt yourself in the end.

I can say that I am a proponent of being strong up the middle offensively. It's something I saw with the Yankees having such great success, something I believe in. How you build a team also depends on the ballpark. In Dodger Stadium it's difficult to hit home runs, so you have to adjust to that. The people in place, ballpark factors, there's a wide variety of factors that differ with each organization. But a lot of the emphasis I would put would be on scouting and player development. Financial flexibility is the way to succeed, and having great scouting and player development is the best way to achieve that flexibility.

BP: The Dodgers have had a history of drafting high school pitchers, even though they carry a much higher risk that any other player's background. In general, do you favor high school or college talent?

Ng: I'd take the best available, signable player.

BP: What type of manager would you want working with you?

Ng: 'What type of team would I have?' would be my first question. Generally, I'd want someone who's a great communicator. Given I'd want to focus on player development, it'd be best if it was someone with a player development background, who can assist in the setup and focus on the farm system. It would be someone skilled at dealing with younger players, who's also a great game manager. That's the ideal.

BP: You mentioned working under Brian Cashman, Dan Evans. What was your biggest lesson learned in each of your major league jobs?

Ng: With Brian one of the things I think he's best at is building consensus and a good relationship with the media. With Dan Evans, I have huge respect for his thoroughness and his patience. He's good at waiting for the right deal, trying to get all his options lined up to make the best decision.

BP: In building consensus the way Brian Cashman's done, he's obviously dealing with many factions, with George Steinbrenner and company in Tampa and the people in New York. How important is it to avoid stepping on toes?

Ng: As a general manager I don't know that you're ever going to be able to not step on toes. Any decision you make is not going to be unanimous. Brian has a great feel for what most everyone wants. Of course, every decision that he makes is not necessarily how he wants it. It's the same with other general managers. You get a gut feel, it doesn't necessarily coincide with your scouts, but at the same time the scouts are there for a reason. You listen to your people most of the time, but you can't be afraid to make your own choices too. There's a lot of give and take, of playing politician.

BP: How has the media's increasing role changed a major league general manager's job, and that of a front office in general?

Ng: It's become such a huge part of being a general manager. The electronic age, the information that is out there has grown exponentially in the last 10 years. The relationship you have with the media is important to any organization, and you can run into problems if you don't maintain a good one. How you handle it depends on the personality of the person. You have to be open and up-front. But if the information you have, if sharing it has a chance of hurting your deal, you'd just as soon it not get out.

BP: Kaz Matsui has become a big topic of conversation lately, and the Dodgers have been mentioned as one team that may be in the running for his services. What's the best way to calculate the value of a foreign free agent?

Ng: That's an awful tough question to answer. With the Japanese market there's also a posting system, so that factors into decision-making--it goes beyond the salaries of the players. That's money out the door, and has to be taken into consideration, whether you're dealing with a free agent or posted player. The hardest thing about evaluating players in foreign markets is the level of competition being different. A lot of it is gut feel. And then of course it comes down to the same issue you get with any free agent: It's not what a player's worth, it's what you're willing to pay him. With someone like Ichiro, Seattle might have had a completely different approach than a middle of the country team--because of the Japanese population, you can make some of it up in other revenue streams, just as you can in L.A. You're talking about attracting tourism, selling different products within the ballpark, marketing opportunities with Japanese firms. All of that has to be taken into account.

BP: The economics of the game have changed a great deal, not just from when you started but even in the last couple years. Do you see the downward price trend on mid-tier talent continuing? Do you think we might see no middle class in baseball in the next few years?

Ng: I have no idea (laughs). I learned a long time ago not to try and predict what will happen. Ten years ago if you would have told me what would happen five years later, I would have told you you're nuts. The same with five years ago to today. With the middle class, either a player will get pushed to the top or pushed to the bottom--it's hard to see it going another way.

[Bear]

Thanks for posting this interview. I think she will make some team a fine GM someday. :)

[McCovey]

Thanks for posting this interview. I think she will make some team a fine GM someday. :)
Hopefully, that team is the San Francisco Giants! :beerbang:

[SF Kid]

For a 39 year old she sure seems to have a lot on the ball
(no pun intended :pound: )

I wouldn't be opposed to her. Anything would be better than what we're doing now. She has a pretty good track record from what I've read in this thread.

[McCovey]

For a 39 year old she sure seems to have a lot on the ball
(no pun intended :pound: )
:pound:


I wouldn't be opposed to her. Anything would be better than what we're doing now. She has a pretty good track record from what I've read in this thread.We'll see how this season plays out. I think Sabean is signed through the '09 season. I wonder if the Dodgers would even let the Giants talk to her? The Giants would need permission from the Dodgers to do so. I can see the Dodger management being pricks and say no. :rolleyes:

[SF Kid]

Yeah I doubt the Dodgers are gonna let the Giants of all teams talk to her when they don't have to.

[McCovey]

I wonder when Ng's current contract with the Dodgers expires? I'll look into it.

[Bear]

Well we let them talk to Ned C., their current GM.

[McCovey]

Well we let them talk to Ned C., their current GM.
That is true.

[McCovey]

Can Kim Ng break the gender barrier?

By Tim Brown (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/expertsarchive;_ylt=Apt79zfbX9qpyEbcGmaRXVw8R9MF?a uthor=Tim+Brown), Yahoo! Sports Jul 3, 9:34 pm EDT

I wonder about the value of being first when there is no second in sight.

I wonder if a door is worth beating down if no one is close behind, no one to hold it open for the next.

The air is warm on an afternoon at Dodger Stadium. The sun cuts through the smog like a laser beam. Kim Ng finds a seat in the shade behind home plate and pushes a pair of sleek black sunglasses to the top of her head.

“See,” she says, “it’s your assumption when you say, ‘There’s no one like you.’ There are people like me. There are people that grew up loving baseball. There are people that work their way up from being interns. There are people that have been assistant general managers for a long time that eventually do become general managers. So there are people like me. Or I am like other people.”


She smiles. Stares. Sighs.
http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/tools/med/2008/07/ipt/1215138895.jpg Ng has worked in baseball for 17 years.(US Presswire)

“I can’t necessarily go through life thinking that I’m different,” she says. “I don’t know where that gets me, really.”

Ng is one of two women who hold the title of assistant general manager in baseball, one of three ever, and the only one to possess both the qualifications and aspirations to become a general manager. At 39, she has advanced on the job for 17 years, the last 11 seated at the right hand of general managers for the New York Yankees (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/teams/nyy/;_ylt=AkeNM0q3sTiH1wqElYjvbZk8R9MF) and Los Angeles Dodgers (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/teams/lad/;_ylt=AuR_Q8ZuxvE8PXvYBXPD4ys8R9MF). A handful of women have become major-league owners and team presidents, but no woman has risen to lead an organization’s day-to-day baseball operations, where, traditionally, the work of drafting, preparing, scouting and fielding ballplayers has been left to men, often enough – until only recently – men who played the game at the highest levels.

Rather, the baseball side of front offices has tended to mirror the demographic of their clubhouses, so handfuls of men pressed into small spaces doing what men do and talking about what men talk about in a sports culture, areas a former player and current team executive called, “the most male-dominated, narrow-minded, testosterone-filled, non-feminine-traits places in the world.”

In that arena, Ng, 5-foot-2 in flats, has survived and built her resume and reputation, and now she stands with the most capable of candidates among the next generation of baseball’s general managers.
“Dealing with her this winter, this spring and so far this summer, I’ve been impressed with how ready she’d be for something like that,” said Dodgers manager Joe Torre, who also worked with Ng in New York. “I hope to hell it happens. She’d be a ground breaker not only for baseball but for women.”

One hundred five years since the first World Series, several weeks since American voters chose between a black man and a white woman for a presidential candidate, and a couple of months since the Chicago White Sox (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/teams/chw/;_ylt=AmxhPi_je2ZJtkWH6dhMscM8R9MF) attempted to stir their offense by plunging bats into a mouth-agape blowup doll, the game’s relationship with women on the baseball side remains vague.

The major-league baseball general manager is an all-male, primarily white profession. The barrier to women is real, just as real as the scarcity of qualified women applicants. But are there so few candidates because of the heft of the barrier? Or does the barrier remain sturdy because women such as Ng are so rare, even as opportunities for women on the baseball side become somewhat more plentiful?

There are no definitive answers, other than to acknowledge the distance to be covered, and how the final inches can be the most arduous.

“It is a barrier, that’s fair to say,” commissioner Bud Selig said. “And I do think barriers are broken down, hopefully sooner rather than later.”
Selig’s daughter, Wendy Selig-Prieb, served for six years as CEO of the Milwaukee Brewers (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/teams/mil/;_ylt=AqYk637uxZWS1QkHqZHgQLw8R9MF), the franchise Selig once owned.

“The barrier is broken when you find the right candidate regardless of gender,” said Jean Afterman, Ng’s successor as assistant general manager of the Yankees. “Now, in some cases, women have to be more qualified than the men.”

Ng was born in Indiana, the first of five daughters to Jin Ng and Virginia Fong. Her father was a financial analyst, her mother a banker. Kim attended elementary school in Queens, N.Y., junior high on Long Island and high school in Ridgewood, N.J. She received a bachelor’s degree in public policy from the University of Chicago, where she played four years of softball and, in 1991, took an internship as a research assistant with the White Sox. Computers and data analysis were just beginning to gain traction, and Ng was good at it.

She worked six years with the White Sox, rising to assistant director of baseball operations under then-GM Ron Schueler. After a year working in American League administration, Ng became Brian Cashman’s assistant GM in New York and after four seasons became Danny Evans’ No. 2 in Los Angeles. As Dodgers’ ownership changed hands, she endured the dismissals of general managers Evans and Paul DePodesta, and she is in her third season working under Ned Colletti. For periods of time she has run the Dodgers’ farm system, and she presides over the club’s professional scouts.

As young, computer-savvy intellectuals encroached upon the profession, winning GM jobs in Boston, Texas, Arizona, Tampa Bay and, indeed, Los Angeles, Ng interviewed once, with the Dodgers, in the days after DePodesta was fired. She didn’t get the job. When Bill Bavasi was fired last month in Seattle, Ng was speculated to be a possible replacement, alongside about a dozen others, many of whom lack her resume. Those who are and have been employed by the Mariners say team president Chuck Armstrong is open-minded enough to consider a woman GM if he were to replace interim Lee Pelekoudas after the season. Almost surely, there will be other openings as well.

“I don’t think the group is exclusionary,” said Pam Gardner, president of business operations for the Houston Astros (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/teams/hou/;_ylt=ApyKg245xo9DI9NgSG0h8VA8R9MF). “I think the group is ready and open for it. … If you’re in an environment with open, smart and confident people, then women are welcome. What it takes is someone willing to be open, creative and interested, and an understanding that all types of people make you better.
“It takes a confident group to embrace a woman.”

Ng has supporters, including every GM she has worked for. DePodesta called her, “smart, tough and strong,” concluding of her GM aspirations, “Yes, she could handle it.” Evans hired her twice, once in Chicago and again in Los Angeles.

“When I started nearly 20 years ago, society was a little bit different,” Ng says. “Scouts, field people that are now in their 50s have daughters in their 20s. If given the opportunity, if I’m able to do this, it opens doors for their kids. I think there’s a segment out there that’s actually rooting for me.”

There would be risks, according to baseball insiders and observers, regardless of the depth of Ng’s experience and skills. And, some said, the greater fight may lie after the job is secured.

Frances Crockett, a female and then-president and general manager of the Double-A Charlotte O’s, once told the New York Times, “Any woman walking into a male-dominated business better not be naïve. Baseball isn’t just a man’s world, it’s a good ol’ boy business, and you’ve got to play by their rules if you want to survive. But that doesn’t mean a woman can’t do it. You don’t have to be a player to understand marketing. But do I think they’ll call any of us up to be vice presidents or GMs in the majors? That’s a long time coming.”

Twenty-one years now, to be exact, since Crockett said so. Ng is as near as the sport has come, and there are none close behind her. While the game certainly is becoming more enlightened – there are 11 minority GMs and field managers, out of 60 – there are sure to be men who would consider Ng an interloper, just as they would any woman of authority. In fact, one high-ranking team official said he believed Ng would get “eaten up” in the GM boys club, and a veteran scout feared long-standing biases “might be too tough for her to overcome.”

Others, including Afterman, believe the changing GM model – fewer ex-players, more bright Ivy League types – gradually will swing far enough to accept a woman as well. In fact, as one of the early proponents of the computer as baseball’s friend, Ng arguably helped clear a path for the young men being hired ahead of her, many of whom had limited, if any, playing experience, along with those who would be considered her competition for the next opening.
As one team official said, half-joking, “Those eggheads aren’t one of the guys either.”

To that end, Afterman said, “I think it’s more difficult for an outsider to be accepted than it is a gender issue. And Kim is an insider.”
That said, she added, “The knives will be out; there’s no question about that.”

Con't on next post

[McCovey]

Part 2 Ng article:

Going on five years ago, Ng’s private journey – the work day of an assistant GM is a mostly anonymous one – became a national story. Bill Singer, a former big-league pitcher and at that time a special assistant to New York Mets (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/teams/nym/;_ylt=ArYBycudLdavarMM9IpPnMs8R9MF) GM Jim Duquette, stopped Ng during GM meetings in Phoenix. He asked her who she was. He asked her why she was there. He asked her about her heritage. Ng, recognizing the situation as potentially flammable, patiently answered his questions. He then mocked her in gibberish-speak that was supposed to approximate Chinese.

She calls it, “the Bill Singer incident.” She calls it the worst episode of sexism – not racism – she has experienced.

“I think that’s the ironic thing,” Ng says. “People match it up to race, and I think it was more about gender.”

After claiming he was disoriented by alcohol and the effects of a diet, and after meeting with Ng and Dodgers and Mets officials, Singer was fired. He currently works for the Washington Nationals (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/teams/was/;_ylt=AnMKKneQG2hhpTY1B_XQl008R9MF) as, yes, their coordinator of Pacific Rim operations.

Those who were in the room when Singer attempted to disentangle himself from his words say Ng was firm and poised in the meeting and Singer – the tough old baseball guy – was significantly less than firm and poised.

Ng declines to discuss the meeting, but believes the episode showed how a random event held the potential to sidetrack a well-maintained and earnest career, and was particularly dangerous given the delicacy of what she is attempting to do.

“When I think about it in retrospect, and I knew it at the time, through no fault of my own, I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, I could potentially be seen in a way that I wouldn’t like to be seen,” she says. “I’m very protective of my reputation. I do things in a certain way and try to conduct myself in a certain way because I know I am open to some different issues.

“I couldn’t believe I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and that now I could be seen in this completely different light. I believe I take such great care with what I do and how I behave.”

Her timing still might be off. With money to be made and the pressure never higher to win baseball games immediately, there might not be an owner out there willing to risk potential organizational turmoil over a hire some would view as enlightened, others as a reach, others as a publicity grab. Also, her old boss Cashman is in the final year of his contract, potentially freeing a highly attractive candidate this winter who has produced championships and managed the most difficult ownership in sports. There are many savvy and smart baseball men who have put in their time as well, and whose organizations are perceived as better maintained than the Dodgers.

The odds are better, then, but remain long. What happens after that – owners go through GMs like valet stubs – depends on the owner, and the job performance, and all the usual stuff that makes GMs sweat, plus some.

“I would think it has to do with being confident,” Afterman said of a willing owner, “not only in yourself, but not threatened by a woman. It’s unusual to find a man who’s not threatened by a woman who has some smarts.”

Jeanie Buss, vice president of business operations for the Jerry Buss-owned Lakers in the equally male-dominant NBA, said Ng’s survival chances in the GM chair – assuming the chance comes – would depend on the organization, and those above and below the GM.

“I’m lucky,” she said, “because I have a certain power base because of who my dad is. I’m also a realist. I want to see in my time frame a successful female GM in one of the major leagues. It’s going to be tough. She’s going to get one chance, and it has to have all the pieces in place. I don’t know Kim personally, but from what I know, she really does things the right way. She knows her job; she’s done the work. She deserves an opportunity. But like I said, she’s going to get one shot, and then people would love to say the experiment is over if it’s not a success.”

Then there’s the question of whom, exactly, Ng is attempting to clear the way for. Afterman asserted her preferred course is to a team presidency. That, for the moment, leaves Ng, which, 11 years after she became an assistant GM, is remarkable.

“It’s a lot bigger than one person,” she says. “I hope.”
Where do we find another?

“Arizona,” she says.

Helen Zelman is 23, a baseball operations analyst for the Arizona Diamondbacks (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/teams/ari/;_ylt=AkyB4RY3e1bzB6u22qmYYek8R9MF) who has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from MIT in a drawer somewhere. She has worked as a Questec operator at Fenway Park and was an intern with the Diamondbacks. Now she’s a full-timer, “very involved” in many aspects of baseball operations, according to GM Josh Byrnes, and “a baseball person.”
Zelman ran into Ng during an Arizona Fall League game, introduced herself, then went back to work and began the search for Ng’s footsteps.

“Obviously, what she’s accomplished in the game is tremendous,” Zelman said.

So far, Zelman said, being a woman has not been an obstacle.
“The biggest challenge is I didn’t play baseball at a high level,” she said. “My Little League career ended at 11. I don’t know if it’s a credibility issue. It probably is for some people.”

At Dodger Stadium, the sun is falling behind the upper deck, casting part of the infield in shadows. The Dodgers are concluding batting practice. The Angels are beginning to mill around in front of the visitors’ dugout. Ng has slipped her jacket on. The Dodgers aren’t scoring runs, aren’t winning, and it’s wearing on everyone, including the longtime assistant GM.

If there is a job out there, a barrier to hurdle, or perhaps just weaken for someone else, it’ll wait.

“You just try and do your job every day, and you don’t get caught up in a lot of things that are ancillary to the process,” she says. “You ignore a lot you have to ignore. And you just gut it out. There’s no other way to say it.

“To me, the question is not why, it’s why not. It’s out there. So, gotta keep going till it stops being fun.”

[SF Kid]

Would love to see the Giants break tradition but I doubt it. And the Dodgers wouldn't be happy about that.

Speaking of the Dodgers...they appear to be getting healthy and look like the odds on favorite to win the NL West at this point. They're a half game out before the All Star game and like I said they have people getting healthy. Plus they have a very good manger something the Giants whiffed on IMO.

[Bear]

Torre is no big deal. He is just lucky!:pound:

[McCovey]

Torre is no big deal. He is just lucky!:pound:
Just like Casey Stengel, huh? ;)

[Bear]

Just like Casey Stengel, huh? ;)



That's right Mc! You got it.:pound:

[McCovey]

Bump

[McCovey]

Rats! The Mariners interviewed Kim Ng for their GM job! No! :mad: Can't the Giants fire Sabean now?!! :rolleyes:


Mariners to interview Ng for GM job

Last updated October 8, 2008 11:38 p.m. PT
By JOHN HICKEY
P-I REPORTER

When Los Angeles Dodgers assistant general manager Kim Ng interviews for the Mariners general manager job this week, she will be jumping the gun.

It's not that she isn't ready to be a general manager. Those who have worked with her with the New York Yankees and the Dodgers seem ready to testify that at 39, she's ready.

It's that she's interviewing while the Dodgers are still in the National League playoffs. Baseball protocol says candidates wait until their team's season is over before they interview for a job with another organization. The Dodgers swept the Chicago Cubs in the NL Division Series and play the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL Championship Series starting Thursday.
But Mariners president Chuck Armstrong, who will conduct the interviews, wants to expedite the process, and bringing in Ng this week does that. Ng is expected to meet with Armstrong on Thursday or Friday. Ng, who would be baseball's first female GM should she get the job, is one of five candidates Armstrong likely will interview this week.

The others include two executives of the Arizona Diamondbacks -- assistant GM Peter Woodfork and director of player personnel Jerry DiPoto -- in addition to New York Mets vice president of player development Tony Bernazard and Toronto Blue Jays assistant GM Tony LaCava.

Two internal candidates, interim Mariners general manager Lee Pelekoudas and vice president of international operations Bob Engle, are believed to have had the first of their interviews.

Armstrong is conducting the first round of interviews and is expected to talk with as many as 10 candidates. A second round likely will include as many as five finalists.

Ng, who got her start in baseball as an intern with the Chicago White Sox, also has worked in the American League office in New York. She was named assistant general manager with the Yankees in 1997 at age 29. She joined the Dodgers in 2001.

The Dodgers interviewed her for their GM job in 2005. Ned Colletti go the job and kept Ng as a top lieutenant.

[SF Kid]

I heard that the other day. Wonder if she even wants the job. :chuckle:

[McCovey]

I heard that the other day. Wonder if she even wants the job. :chuckle:
I think she's ready and wants to be a GM.

[Bear]

I think she's ready and wants to be a GM.

Well if someone offers her a job she should take it because not many teams will hire a woman for that position!:eek:

[McCovey]

Well if someone offers her a job she should take it because not many teams will hire a woman for that position!:eek:
Any team that wouldn't hire simply because she's a woman is an idiot team. :rolleyes:

[Bear]

Any team that wouldn't hire simply because she's a woman is an idiot team. :rolleyes:

I agree, but that also means that about 95% plus of the teams in the ML are idiots.:pound:

[SF Kid]

Looks like Ms. Ng is one of the four finalist for the Mariners GM job.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/8685876/Mariners-GM-search-down-to-4

[Bear]

Looks like Ms. Ng is one of the four finalist for the Mariners GM job.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/8685876/Mariners-GM-search-down-to-4

I hear that Joe the Plumber is one of the four up for the job too!:pound::rotf:

[McCovey]

Can't we just fire Sabean now and hire Ng?

[Bear]

Can't we just fire Sabean now and hire Ng?

If Joe the Plumber does not get the job in Seattle maybe he would be willing to work for the Giants.:pound:

[McCovey]

Hmmm...


Baseball needs someone like Kim Ng

By Jerry Brewer
Times staff columnist

I hope it's Kim Ng.

I hope the Mariners choose her as their next general manager.

I hope she has left no doubt about her baseball acumen during the interviews, which would make her selection more practical than historic.
How wonderfully revolutionary would that be? During a year in which the presidential election has showcased diversity, it's appropriate that Ng stands close to crumbling a gender barrier.

Give her mallet. Watch it fall.

Any minute now, the Mariners are primed to accomplish something they haven't in quite some time. They will make a sound decision. Maligned team president Chuck Armstrong has equipped the franchise with four strong general-manager candidates, and you can make a case for any of them being the ideal person to clean up this disaster.

On paper, there's no runaway favorite among Jerry DiPoto, Tony LaCava, Jack Zduriencik and Ng. They're all intriguing and fresh. They all bring terrific, but varied, skill sets.

DiPoto has a strong history of evaluating talent, a glaring need for the Mariners, and as a bonus, he has the charisma to excite the public.

LaCava could be a more polished, more subdued, version of DiPoto.

Zduriencik, the oldest of the group at 57, has been lauded for his work as the scouting director of the rising Milwaukee Brewers. And when Ng broke into the majors 17 years ago, as a Chicago White Sox intern, she became involved in statistical analysis before it became trendy.

The decision for Armstrong and chief executive officer Howard Lincoln will likely come down to who interviewed better and who is capable of inspiring the confidence of a justly embittered fan base. Of course, the easiest way to inspire confidence is to make good decisions.

This is the most important hire of the Lincoln-Armstrong regime, so they won't resort to making a choice based simply on hype or headlines. Ng is the most intriguing choice because of the novelty factor, but if she gets the job, the Mariners' dire situation should provide proof that the franchise didn't just go after the attention-grabbing hire.

Blowing this hire isn't an option. Armstrong and Lincoln are the most criticized sports executives in Seattle. They've avoided losing their jobs because of the team's failings, but even the wacky power structure of an organization with an absentee owner can't keep saving them. Their futures are tied to this move. Although they are picking from an impressive list of finalists, there still must be a best option.

I hope it's Kim Ng.

Baseball needs her to get this job. Every sport needs her to get this job. It's time to transform the male-centric, narrow-minded nature of athletics.
I wouldn't say that if Ng was unqualified. It would be a disaster to put an unprepared woman into such a high-profile job and leave her open to ridicule. It would harm the movement to make sports more gender blind.
And while Ng is ready for this challenge, I still fret about what might happen if she fails. A novelty doesn't get to be a retread. She must succeed, or else her opportunities — and the opportunities for everyone like her — dwindle.

It's a lot of pressure to put on a single person. Even if she succeeded, she'd always have the burden of carrying the gender-equity flag in baseball. Her commitment to the cause would always be analyzed. She'd never get to be just an obsessed GM. Trailblazers have complex lives.
But Ng wouldn't have to let this responsibility torture her. This is her dream. She's probably considered all the stresses and predetermined how to handle them. She would likely take a guarded approach, to keep the burden contained and not be perceived as a sideshow. As long as she did the job well, it shouldn't matter whether she embraced the publicity.
If Ng gets the chance, she will try to make her impact as an insider, as a 17-year executive who's worked for two of the game's most powerful organizations (New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers), as a true baseball savant. She won't go around boldly declaring her newness, won't promote herself as an outsider about to shake up the league.
Most impressive is that she's been able to relate to some of the most complex figures in the game. Jeff Kent is said to be an Ng fan, and Kent doesn't even like his shadow. If she can earn Kent's trust, maybe she can reach Ichiro.

Dodgers manager Joe Torre, who also worked with Ng in New York, told Yahoo.com (http://yahoo.com/) earlier this year that she's prepared to run an organization.
"Dealing with her. I've been impressed with how ready she'd be for something like that," Torre said. "I hope to hell it happens. She'd be a ground breaker not only for baseball but for women."

The Mariners could make their announcement this week. They're close to making a good pick, regardless of which candidate they choose. They're also one brave decision from history.

I hope it's Kim Ng.

[Bear]

We will see. History is not on her side! :shrug:

[Bear]

Kim Ng did not get the job in Seattle so McCovey"s dream lives on that she will one day get the Giants job. I really do not believe this will happen but he does. Dream on Mc.:rolleyes:

[McCovey]

Great news indeed! Now I can start the "Fire Brian Sabean" campaign!

[SF Kid]

Great news indeed! Now I can start the "Fire Brian Sabean" campaign!Maybe an "Official Fire Brian Sebean" thread is in order. I'd cosign that!

[McCovey]

Maybe an "Official Fire Brian Sebean" thread is in order. I'd cosign that!

:beerbang: Can you create a "Fire Brian Sabean" smiley similar to the "Ban the Bear" smiley?

[Bear]

:beerbang: Can you create a "Fire Brian Sabean" smiley similar to the "Ban the Bear" smiley?


How about the "Bear for GM smiley"!:beerbang:

[Clark22]

Another Dodger, Logan White, will make a great GM someday. He is the one who engineered the Dodgers comeback with the farm system. Prior to white they had four or five consecutive poor drafts. Many of their #1 picks came up lame within a year of being drafted.

White would make sure the Giants farm system remains well stocked.

[Bear]

Another Dodger, Logan White, will make a great GM someday. He is the one who engineered the Dodgers comeback with the farm system. Prior to white they had four or five consecutive poor drafts. Many of their #1 picks came up lame within a year of being drafted.

White would make sure the Giants farm system remains well stocked.

Welcome to the Board. and thanks for the information. I hope to see more of your posts!:beerbang:

[McCovey]

So what does Logan White presently do for the Dodgers?

[Bear]

So what does Logan White presently do for the Dodgers?



Logan White
Assistant General Manager, Scouting
Dodgers Web Site

Logan White begins his sixth season with the Dodgers and first as Assistant General Manager, Scouting. In this capacity, White's primary responsibilities are overseeing the organization's amateur and international scouting efforts, including the annual June First-Year Player Draft, along with assisting the GM in various capacities.

Prior to this season, White served as the Director of Amateur Scouting for the Dodgers for five seasons. In that role, he headed up the draft selections of seven players who appeared in the Major Leagues for the Dodgers last season - Chad Billingsley, Jonathan Broxton, Russell Martin, James Loney, Matt Kemp, Eric Stults and Delwyn Young. Along with his staff of amateur scouts, White's history of success in the draft, helped lead to the Dodgers being named Baseball America's 2006 Organization of the Year.

White has had unparalleled success in his first five drafts for the Dodgers, as his June 2004 First-Year Player draft was rated by Baseball America as the best draft in the National League and second best in baseball. His 2003 draft was tabbed as the best in the Major Leagues by the publication and his 2002 Draft was rated as the fourth-best draft in baseball. The Dodgers were the only team to have their draft rated in the top five in each of those three seasons.

In the club's most recent draft, the club's top selection, Clayton Kershaw, had one of the best professional debuts of any pitcher in baseball, going 2-0 with a 1.95 ERA in the Gulf Coast League. White also utilized the club's two compensatory first-round picks to select highly-regarded infielder Preston Mattingly and pitcher Brian Morris.

In 2005, White's 10th-round selection Trayvon Robinson was rated by Baseball America as the second-fastest runner by season's end. First baseman Cory Dunlap, the Dodgers' third-round selection in the June 2004 First-Year Player Draft, was rated by Baseball America as having the top season by a junior college player from the draft after his All-Star season playing for Rookie-level Ogden in the Pioneer League. Additionally, third baseman Blake DeWitt, the Dodgers' second first-round selection and 28th overall pick of the 2004 draft, was rated by the magazine as having the fourth-best season by a high school draft pick.

The Dodgers' first selection in 2003 and 24th overall choice that year,
Billingsley, was rated the third closest to the Majors of all high school players drafted. The club's 2002 first selection and 19th overall pick, Loney, was rated as the second-best high school player taken, the best pure hitter and the second-closest high school player to reaching the Major Leagues.

Prior to joining the Dodgers, White spent seven years with the Baltimore Orioles as the West Coast Supervisor with responsibilities including overseeing all area scouts from the Western part of the United States, as well as evaluating players in Canada and Australia.

White's scouting experience is extensive, as he served as the West Coast Supervisor for the San Diego Padres from 1993-95, an area scout with Baltimore from 1990-92, and an associate scout with the Seattle Mariners from 1988-89. He was a minor league pitcher in the Seattle Mariners organization from 1984-87 and was signed by Jeff Malinoff.

Originally from Portales, NM, White graduated from Western New Mexico University with honors, and was an Academic All-American in 1984. In 1996, he was inducted into the Western New Mexico University Hall of Fame. White, his wife Deena and son, Logan, Jr., reside in Phoenix, AZ.


This guy I feel will get a GM post before Ng. :rolleyes:

[McCovey]

Sounds like White will ge a fine GM one day. I'd still take Kim Ng though. :D

[Bear]

Sounds like White will ge a fine GM one day. I'd still take Kim Ng though. :D

You would but most teams will not. Example: Seattle. On paper she looked better than the guy they took but none the less they took him over her.:shakehead:

[McCovey]

You would but most teams will not. Example: Seattle. On paper she looked better than the guy they took but none the less they took him over her.:shakehead:

The M's interviewed four highly qualified candidates. I believe the M's thought long and hard on their choice for GM. Seriously, I don't think Ng's gender was of any consequence. I believe the M's chose Jack Zduriencik because he has more of a scouting background. Ng's background is not in scouting.

http://ussmariner.com/2008/10/23/thoughts-from-milwaukee/

[kar120c]

Instead of hiring the Dodger's Asst. GM, when the time comes, the Giants should hire Brian Sabean's former Asst. GM - current Dodgers GM Ned Colletti.

[kar120c]

I do not know how I missed this. I always like Singer as a pitcher, but he got what was coming to him. Sorry Bill, but you just can't say those things.:nono:

With all due respect, you can say things like that - if you are the right person. Evidence? When Shaquille O'Neal was asked if he had any advice for (then) NBA Rookie Yao Ming, he made a funny (to him) Chinese face, and said, in a funny (to him) Chinese accent "Order one from Column A, two from Column B". He said this during an NBA game - his remarks were made live, on national television. That was in 2003 - around the same time as Bill Singer's comments. Last I heard, Mr. O'Neal was still employed.

I do not condone the comments of either Mr. Singer, or Mr. O’Neal. Nor do I approve of them. But it would seem difficult to convince people of the seriousness of Mr. Singer’s comments, after seeing the apathy - not to mention consequences (none that I am aware of) - that followed Mr. O’Neal’s comments.

[McCovey]

Instead of hiring the Dodger's Asst. GM, when the time comes, the Giants should hire Brian Sabean's former Asst. GM - current Dodgers GM Ned Colletti.
I'm not sure Ned would be available. And I would much rather have "new blood" for the next GM and not the same old, same old.

[McCovey]

A bump for TK52! :beerbang:

[Bear]

A bump for TK52! :beerbang:

Mc, I keep telling you to quit humping Ms. Ng!:pound:

[McCovey]

Mc, I keep telling you to quit humping Ms. Ng!:pound:
:pound:

Seriously, I hope she at least gets a call from the Giants if Sabean doesn't return in 2010.

[Bear]

Me to, but I fear that will never happen. It will take a special owner to make that hire and I don't see the Giants being that team.;)

[McCovey]

Here's a short radio interview with Kim Ng from about six weeks ago.

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=3958862

[McCovey]

Here's another Kim Ng video.

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4089806

[McCovey]

A good read about Sabean's bad moves.

http://www.onlybaseballmatters.com/archives/2010/01/10/more-fuel-for-the-fire/

[Bear]

This is beating a dead horse.:^^

[SF Kid]

Did Ng die?

[Bear]

Did Ng die?

I don't think so.:nono:

[McCovey]

This is beating a dead horse.:^^
Yes, Sabean's bad moves are a dead horse. :p

[McCovey]

Did Ng die?
No, she's still in LA celebrating the Dodgers two consecutive NL West titles. She's still the Dodgers Assistant GM and Vice President in charge of Player Development.

[Bear]

No, she's still in LA celebrating the Dodgers two consecutive NL West titles. She's still the Dodgers Assistant GM and Vice President in charge of Player Development.

If LA does not get to the series and win it this season look for her to be the new GM in LA.:eek:

[McCovey]

Bump for the new guys! :)

[SF Kid]

Time to give her serious consideration.

[McCovey]

Looks like Kim Ng got tired of waiting for GM job offers. She had decided to leave the Dodgers and go work for MLB under Joe Torre. :rolleyes:

http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/mlb/news/story?id=6192991&campaign=rss&source=MLBHeadlines

[Bear]

Looks like Kim Ng got tired of waiting for GM job offers. She had decided to leave the Dodgers and go work for MLB under Joe Torre. :rolleyes:

http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/mlb/news/story?id=6192991&campaign=rss&source=MLBHeadlines

This does not mean she would not be interested in a GM job in the future. I think this has more to do with the Dodgers organization than with her desire to be a GM someday.:)

[McCovey]

Bump for the SF Kid! :beerbang:

[McCovey]

Will the Cubs interview Kim Ng for their GM position? :shrug:

http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/The-312/August-2011/The-Next-Cubs-GM-Why-Not-Kim-Ng/