Flannery Quits as Padre Player Representative

During Saturday’s game, Phillie third-base coach Jim Davenport asked Tim Flannery how he was doing.

Flannery, who usually needs some sunshine and a few waves to make him happy, said: “Uhhhhhhhh, I’m all right.”

But how was he really doing? Terrible. All the feuding with the front office this week was affecting his play, so he decided Saturday to quit as team player representative. Dave Dravecky took over, effective immediately.

“I got too much of an Irish temper for the job,” Flannery said. “It’s not for me. Yesterday (Friday), I had so much on my mind, I think if I had to have played it would’ve affected me.

“This last week, I got upset and frustrated and maybe said some things I shouldn’t have. I’m just to the point to where I don’t want the job. I just found out that I’d fight authority and authority always wins.”

Speaking of authority--mainly team president Ballard Smith--Tony Gwynn elaborated a little bit on Friday’s 70-minute team meeting. He said nobody shouted or cursed. The only exchange came when Kevin McReynolds told Smith why he didn’t like being criticized in the newspapers.

Basically, the biggest complaint the players have is Smith’s new policy of granting only one-year contracts until there is a drug agreement with the players’ association. Smith told the players Friday that the union is holding up an agreement by not negotiating, but the union has been telling the players that it is the owners who are holding it up.

“Who do we believe?” Gwynn asked.

Gwynn and the rest of the players are convinced that the Padres have no chance of signing free agents if they stick to the one-year contract policy.

“A free agent won’t sign a one-year contract,” Gwynn said. “If I were a free agent, I wouldn’t. But I think he (Smith) is using where we play to his advantage. A lot of people want to play here. Who wouldn’t?”

Gwynn, asked what he would do if the Padres offered him a one-year deal when his contract runs out in 1990, said: “I’m outta here. . . . I tell you, the first thing I’ll be looking for is security. That’s the only thing there is in my mind. Not where I play or who I play with or wherever it is in the country. I want security. I make no bones about it.”