Marshall Changes His Mind, No Longer Wants to Be Traded

Mike Marshall picked an unusual setting here Friday--a dusty storage room adjacent to the visitors’ clubhouse at Wrigley Field--to try to clear the air about his apparent trade request and public feud with Dodger teammate Pedro Guerrero.

Marshall confirmed that Jerry Kapstein, his agent, had requested a trade as “one of the solutions” to his lingering disenchantment with Guerrero and other Dodger players who complained about Marshall’s susceptibility to injuries.

But Marshall also said he has since told Fred Claire, the Dodgers’ vice president, that he wants to continue playing for Los Angeles and no longer wants to be traded. But Marshall, who asked the Dodgers to call a press conference, also said he has no control over the team’s actions.

Claire reportedly has contacted several teams about a trade involving Marshall, including the Chicago Cubs and White Sox. Marshall grew up in suburban Chicago.

“I’m very, very happy in L.A.,” Marshall said. “I don’t want to play anywhere else. . . . I kind of want to put all this behind me. There has been a lot of talk and, me, sitting back and not saying anything didn’t help.

“I told Fred (about his change of feelings). Fred was happy. He thought it was positive for the club. He didn’t say anything like he was or wasn’t going to trade me.”

Claire, who had returned to Los Angeles Friday for personal reasons, would not comment when asked whether there still is a possibility Marshall will be traded.

“The most important thing about this is that Mike wants to put this unfortunate distraction behind us,” Claire said. “He wants to devote full effort to helping the Dodgers win.”

Charges of malingering have been hurled at Marshall by several unnamed Dodger players since last season, when he missed most of the second half with a back strain.

The situation was revived in early June when Guerrero physically threatened Marshall in the trainer’s room at Dodger Stadium after a Dodger loss in which Marshall did not play because of a strained thigh muscle.

It was revived two weeks later when umpire Bob Engel was quoted in a Sports Illustrated article as saying Guerrero criticized Marshall while standing at the plate. Marshall missed the game with what was believed to be food poisoning.

Since the clubhouse incident with Guerrero in June, Kapstein and Marshall have met with Claire on several occasions to discuss the situation. Marshall said “a hundred scenarios” were discussed. But the only one he told reporters about on Friday was the much-speculated trade request.

Marshall said there are three reasons why he has decided to back off on a trade demand and try to put his differences with teammates to rest.

“First, I liked the way Fred handled (the situation),” Marshall said. “He handled it with a positive attitude. He said he’d do whatever was needed. Fred showed confidence and support in me.

“Number two is the situation in the clubhouse. Everybody can’t be best friends. We’re in a situation where 30 people are working together closely. But when we go on the field, we’re trying to win. . . . Pedro and I, especially on the field, are looking to each other to score some runs and try to win.

“The last thing is that the (public relations) and fan reaction, I can’t deny, has been negative. But in L.A., the majority of people have been positive and want (Guerrero and Marshall) to stay together.”

Marshall said he never demanded a trade but indicated that he and Kapstein brought up the subject first.

“It wasn’t like I said, ‘I’m never going to play here again, so trade me,” Marshall said. “We just wanted to smooth things over. All we did was talk about a hundred different scenarios.

“I don’t have any control over (whether a trade will happen). I’m just saying, the problem I’ve had with my teammates . . . now, I don’t have one. I’m not going to abandon a sinking ship. I think we can turn it around.”

The relationship between Marshall and Guerrero can be characterized as bitter, in bad times, and mutually tolerant, in good times.

Marshall admitted that he and Guerrero were not on speaking terms in the days after the June incident in the trainer’s room. But Marshall said Friday that he and Guerrero are talking and their differences have been resolved.

However, Marshall said that there was no major summit meeting, although Manager Tom Lasorda has brought them together on several occasions.

Asked to describe his recent relationship with Guerrero, Marshall said: “It’s been a very professional type of thing. When we talk, it’s usually about how things are going with the team.

“For a couple of days there, it was pretty tense. But it’s blown over and it’s a good situation now. I don’t know whether I should give this quote, but Tommy called us choirboys compared to some of the other players he had (with earlier Dodger teams).”

A caustic Guerrero swore profusely at a reporter who approached him after Marshall’s press conference. Guerrero, at first, refused to comment about his relationship with Marshall.

But when other reporters approached, Guerrero said he, too, wants to put the bad feelings with Marshall behind him.

“It was over with me a long time ago,” he said. “I’ve been trying to get closer to (Marshall). We used to say hello to each other (even in bad times). Sometimes, you don’t know how people are going to take things. We used to talk about a few things. We talk now.”

Concerning the clubhouse incident in which he had to be restrained from attacking Marshall, Guerrero said:

“When a team is losing so many games the way we’re losing them . . . sometimes I feel like anyone can go crazy--not only the manager. I think I was a little too hot. I don’t have anything against him. I never have. Whatever happened, happened.”

Marshall and Guerrero were both angered by Engel’s comments in Sports Illustrated. Engel was quoted as saying Guerrero and other players complained about Marshall’s apparent low pain tolerance.

Engel, who is working the Dodger-Cub series, met with Claire before Thursday’s game. Engel also has requested a meeting with Marshall and Guerrero to try to smooth over the situation.

Said Marshall: “I have no problem with the umpires. Those things happen. Fred met with him and, really, it was more of a situation of Engel against the Dodgers rather than Engel against Marshall and Guerrero. It’s just been a coincidence that I’ve argued with the umpires the last three or four games.”

In the seventh inning of Friday’s resumption of Thursday’s suspended game, Marshall grounded into an inning-ending double play. On a close play at first base, he was called out by Engel.

Marshall had to be restrained from going after Engel by first base coach Manny Mota. While Lasorda argued with Engel, a few Dodger players helped keep the distance between Marshall and Engel.

Guerrero was one of the peace-keepers.