Park Dodges Military With Gold

Chan Ho Park ensured he will be wearing Dodger blue next season instead of military green with South Korea’s 13-1 gold-medal victory Wednesday against Japan in the Asian Games at Bangkok, Thailand.

The South Korean government had struck a deal with the team to waive their mandatory three years of military service if the team brought back the gold.

“It’s big for me and everybody, especially my teammates. I’m really happy about [the gold medal],” said Park, the Dodger right-hander who stood to lose millions of dollars in salary if he had been forced into military service.

Park gave up a solo home run in the top of the first, then settled down to pitch six scoreless innings, yielding four hits.

The game was called after 6 1/2 innings under the Games’ mercy rule.

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Sparky Anderson will not be returning for a fourth season as Angel commentator for Fox Sports West, and Jerry Reuss, Channel 9’s Angel commentator, also is being replaced.

Disney Sports announced that former Angel utility player Rex Hudler, who retired from baseball last summer, will serve as the Angels’ TV commentator for both Fox Sports West and Channel 9, working with play-by-play announcer Steve Physioc.

“I totally understand the thinking,” Anderson said. “They want the continuity of having the same commentator on both Fox Sports West and Channel 9, and that’s not possible with me because I won’t travel. That’s why I retired from baseball.”

The change was announced by Bob Wagner, Disney vice president in charge of broadcasting, who said of Hudler: “We’re excited about adding someone with Rex’s enthusiasm and passion for the game.”

Kitty Cohen, general manager of Fox Sports West, said, “We were honored to have a legend like Sparky Anderson the past three seasons, and in a perfect world we would have kept him. But we also understand Disney’s desire to have one commentator for both outlets.”

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Florida Marlin President Don Smiley, 44, who ordered the 1997 World Series champions dismantled amid a failed bid to buy the club, will leave the team at the end of the year. The club is in the process of being sold by H. Wayne Huizenga to John Henry, a commodities trader from Boca Raton, Fla. . . . Jerry Spradlin, acquired in a trade with Philadelphia last month to strengthen the Cleveland Indians’ bullpen, agreed to a $1.7-million, two-year contract. . . . The Oakland A’s agreed to a one-year contract with catcher Mike Macfarlane. . . . Catcher Kirt Manwaring returned to the Colorado Rockies, agreeing to a one-year contract worth $700,000.

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Staff Writer Larry Stewart contributed to this story.