Dodgers excited about new ownership PHOENIX - Outfielder Tony Gwynn Jr. sounded noticeably excited about the news that a group led by Magic Johnson had agreed to purchase the Dodgers. "I'm pumped," Gwynn said. I'm only pumped because I'm the biggest Lakers fan. I grew up a huge Magic Johnson fan. He speculated that he wasn't the only one feeling that way Tuesday night. Matt Kemp told Gwynn that he wanted Johnson's group to buy the team. So did James Loney and Dee Gordon. "The big basketball guys were all pulling for Magic," Gwynn said. Gwynn's father, Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, has met Johnson on a few occasions and has a basketball signed by Johnson in his house. Gwynn Jr. has never met Johnson and is looking forward to doing so. "I'll probably have a basketball in hand," he said. Tom Lasorda also sounded excited, but for a different reason. While saying he was pleased that a popular Los Angeles sports figure such as Johnson was part of the group, the Hall of Famer former manager he was optimistic about the Dodgers' future because of the man who will be in charge of the day-to-day operation of the team if the deal closes as expected: former Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals president Stan Kasten. "He's a very, very astute baseball mind," Lasorda said. I think he'll do one hell of a job because of his experience. He's done it before. Kasten made in name in sports with the NBA's Atlanta Hawks. In 1979, Kasten became the youngest general manager in the history of the league at 27. He became the Hawks' president in 1986. That same year, he became the president of the Atlanta Braves. Under Kasten, the Braves became a dynasty. A 66-96 team in 1985, they were National League East champions six years later. The division title was the first of 14 consecutive they would win. In 1995, they won the World Series. Kasten simultaneously became the president of three professional sports teams in 1999 when he also took over the NHL's Atlanta Thrashers. Kasten stepped down from all three positions in 2003. He became president of the Nationals in 2006, a position he held until the end of the 2010 season. Kasten has overseen the construction of the Braves' Turner Field, the Hawks' Phillips Arena and the Nationals' Nationals Park. "When you look at what he's been able to accomplish, you wonder how one person could do it all," Dodgers General Manager Ned Colletti said.