VERO BEACH, Fla. -- The Dodgers' search for a new club president will continue.
Mike Dee, the Boston Red Sox's executive vice president for business affairs, on Sunday turned down an offer from Dodgers owners Frank and Jamie McCourt to become the club's president and chief operating officer. The McCourts are looking for someone to replace Bob Graziano, who turned in his resignation weeks ago but remains in the position until a successor can be found.
Dee was offered the job last week. He decided not to accept after the Red Sox expanded Dee's responsibilities and gave him the new title of chief operating officer. Dee also will become president of the newly formed New England Sports Enterprises.
"It was a very flattering offer," Dee said. "The McCourts were terrific throughout this process. I can't say enough about them. I think they're going to be great owners and great additions to Major League Baseball. My decision was driven by the people here with the Red Sox, beginning with (owner) John Henry and (chairman) Tom Werner, the people I work for and the people I work with."
Where the Dodgers go from here is not entirely clear. Dee is believed to be the first person offered the position since Graziano resigned. Graziano's departure didn't become public until last week, but it had been widely anticipated since the club was sold to the McCourts by NewsCorp, which had owned the Dodgers since 1998.
Although they are in the process of moving to Los Angeles, the McCourts reside in Boston and appear to be at least trying to add a distinctly Northeastern flavor to the Dodgers. Their only other notable personnel move since purchasing the club last month was to fire general manager Dan Evans and replace him with former Oakland assistant GM Paul DePodesta, a Harvard graduate.
"They have already forged a unique blend of preserving the tradition and history of the Dodgers while also wanting to do new things and break new ground," Dee said. "I think you'll see that they will be very successful there."
While the Dodgers are one of the game's marquee franchises, so are the Red Sox, a key in the McCourts' inability to pry Dee away.
"Certainly, the Dodgers are a storied franchise, and the opportunity to step up to that level was very appealing and difficult to turn down," Dee said. "If I was working for any other ownership group, it probably was a move I would have made. But I have something special going on here."
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Mike Dee, the Boston Red Sox's executive vice president for business affairs, on Sunday turned down an offer from Dodgers owners Frank and Jamie McCourt to become the club's president and chief operating officer. The McCourts are looking for someone to replace Bob Graziano, who turned in his resignation weeks ago but remains in the position until a successor can be found.
Dee was offered the job last week. He decided not to accept after the Red Sox expanded Dee's responsibilities and gave him the new title of chief operating officer. Dee also will become president of the newly formed New England Sports Enterprises.
"It was a very flattering offer," Dee said. "The McCourts were terrific throughout this process. I can't say enough about them. I think they're going to be great owners and great additions to Major League Baseball. My decision was driven by the people here with the Red Sox, beginning with (owner) John Henry and (chairman) Tom Werner, the people I work for and the people I work with."
Where the Dodgers go from here is not entirely clear. Dee is believed to be the first person offered the position since Graziano resigned. Graziano's departure didn't become public until last week, but it had been widely anticipated since the club was sold to the McCourts by NewsCorp, which had owned the Dodgers since 1998.
Although they are in the process of moving to Los Angeles, the McCourts reside in Boston and appear to be at least trying to add a distinctly Northeastern flavor to the Dodgers. Their only other notable personnel move since purchasing the club last month was to fire general manager Dan Evans and replace him with former Oakland assistant GM Paul DePodesta, a Harvard graduate.
"They have already forged a unique blend of preserving the tradition and history of the Dodgers while also wanting to do new things and break new ground," Dee said. "I think you'll see that they will be very successful there."
While the Dodgers are one of the game's marquee franchises, so are the Red Sox, a key in the McCourts' inability to pry Dee away.
"Certainly, the Dodgers are a storied franchise, and the opportunity to step up to that level was very appealing and difficult to turn down," Dee said. "If I was working for any other ownership group, it probably was a move I would have made. But I have something special going on here."
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