Dodger Trade Reports Too Hard on Guerrero and Too Easy on Tudor

All Pedro Guerrero ever did was tote his glove over to whatever position management pointed him toward--”Right field? Left field? Third base? First? I dunno; let’s draw straws.”

Then he would go about the business of devastating National League pitching.

But that was never enough for L.A. sportswriters, who portray this one-man reign of terror as a shabby fielder with a good bat. That’s a bit like dismissing Sandy Koufax as a poor bunter.

As for the charge that Guerrero is a malingerer, it would be easy to field an all-star team with players who have been tarred with that brush. Just last year, Mike Marshall was vilified for his inability to shake off a series of injuries. This year, his at-bats total has earned him the nickname of “Iron Mike.”

And although Guerrero had his share of bizarre injuries, he never inflicted wounds on himself in a clubhouse tantrum, something that cannot be said of John Tudor, the player for whom he was traded.

The truth is that each of the principals in this trade is frequently on the disabled list, that neither is well-loved by teammates or media and that both are at the point in their careers where rapid decline is a frightening possibility.

With that in mind, the question is why L.A. sportswriters restricted their negative comments to the guy on the outbound plane.

BART MICHELA

Westminster