BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : Fan’s Racial Taunts Infuriate DeShields

Dodger second baseman Delino DeShields, infuriated by a fan’s insults that had racial overtones, threw a cup of water at him Friday night after the Dodgers-Expo game at Olympic Stadium.

“He got me pretty upset,” DeShields said. “This guy was on me all game, and it was real personal stuff. It was like, “You black this, you black that.’ I just got tired of it.

“What really got me was here they are celebrating Jackie Robinson before the game, and I’m still hearing stuff like that. That’s what really teed me off.”

The fan did not file a complaint with the Expos. The Dodgers also do not plan any disciplinary action.

“Why should there be?” DeShields said. “It wasn’t like I threw a ball or bat at him. I just wanted to cool him off. They shouldn’t do anything to me.

“It’s the first time in my career I’ve ever done anything like that, but that guy just got to me. I don’t mind fans getting on me or yelling things, but there’s no need to get personal. And that was personal. That was borderline racist stuff.

“I don’t need that. Nobody does.”

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Brett Butler, who underwent surgery Tuesday to remove cancerous lymph nodes, was released Saturday from an Atlanta hospital and was in good spirits.

“Brett is doing very, very well,” his wife, Eveline, said on the family’s telephone answering machine. “He’s up and walking around. He’s even regained his sense of humor.”

Butler is scheduled to undergo radiation treatments on June 3 five days a week for six weeks.

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Shortstop Greg Gagne said Saturday that he has been told he could be sidelined for another three weeks. He was given the diagnosis by Dr. Phillip Kwong, who examined Gagne on Thursday. Gagne rejoined the team late Friday.

Gagne suffered a severely sprained left ankle May 17 against the Philadelphia Phillies. He was hoping to be back in a couple of days, but was placed on the disabled list Thursday and still has difficulty walking.

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It turns out that Mike Busch, who was chastised by Butler and the rest of the Dodgers for being a replacement player last year, was the first one to honor Butler by wearing Butler’s number on his shoes. Milt Thompson and Todd Hollandsworth have followed suit, while Raul Mondesi wears Butler’s number on his cap.