DID L.A. VIOLATE MINORITY POLICY?

Did the Los Angeles Dodgers follow minority-hiring guidelines when they replaced manager Grady Little with Joe Torre?

In 1999, Commissioner Bud Selig sent a letter to teams requiring them to notify him about certain job vacancies, including manager. Teams are to provide a list of minority candidates, and the commissioner's office reviews the names before anyone is hired.

The fine for violating this policy could reach $2 million.

In 2000, The Detroit Tigers failed to consider minority candidates before hiring manager Phil Garner. The team was not fined, instead they created a five-member community advisory board to work on minority employment issues.

In 2003 The Florida Marlins were fined a "substantial" amount by Major League Baseball for failing to follow minority-hiring guidelines when they replaced manager Jeff Torborg with Jack McKeon.

Yesterday, Little "resigned" and Torre was hired.

The Yankees interviewed Tony Pena for their vacancy.

The Dodgers interviewed who?

UPDATE 01 NOV 2007

NY TIMES REPORTING:

Commissioner Bud Selig exempted them from following his directive on interviewing minority candidates for decision-making positions.

Once Joe Girardi became the Yankees’ manager, the Dodgers wanted to hire Joe Torre for what they expected would be their managerial vacancy and they didn’t want to delay doing it.

They called Selig and asked to be allowed to skip the mandatory interviews of minority candidates.

Before he acted on the request from the owner, Frank McCourt, Selig studied the Dodgers’ hiring history.

What he found surprised even him. The Dodgers had perhaps the best diversity record in the major leagues. Thirty-eight percent of their staff consisted of blacks, women, Latinos or Asians.