VERO BEACH, Fla., Feb. 21 (UPI) -- It looks like former Los Angeles Dodgers pitching great Sandy Koufax will not be involved with the franchise any longer.
MLB.com, the official Web site of Major League Baseball, reported Friday that Koufax has severed ties with the team's current ownership because of a report in the New York Post, a newspaper owned by News Corp., which owns the Dodgers.
Koufax, a resident of Vero Beach, Fla., frequently visited the team's spring training site at Vero Beach, and worked with several of Los Angeles pitchers. He also is a longtime friend of Vice President Dave Wallace.
According to reports, Koufax became infuriated at a Dec. 19 gossip item in the Post that said an unnamed Hall of Famer gave access to a biographer with a promise the book not question his sexuality.
Koufax was the subject of last year's best-selling biography Sandy Koufax: A Lefty's Legacy by Jane Leavy.
"It was irresponsible and inappropriate on the publication's part," said Derrick Hall, the team's Senior Vice President. "We understand Sandy's feelings. He is a tremendous part of the history of this organization."
The intensely private Koufax retired from the Dodgers after the 1966 season, and was a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He has told the team he would have no comment, and through a friend said he would not participate in any Dodgers spring training or regular season activities.
