An Arbitrator’s Logic, Innocence Hit Home

An independent arbitrator listened to hours of testimony Wednesday before arriving at the only conclusion he could have under Major League Baseball’s policy. The Angels cannot suspend Tony Phillips even though police allegedly found him in possession of cocaine and a pipe to smoke it.

Considerably less time was needed by the arbitrators I appointed, a father and son playing catch on the grass outside Anaheim Stadium.

Two hours before the first game of a doubleheader, Tyler Krobetzky, 7, wearing a Yankee cap, was showing off the fastball he honed at the Mark Cresse School of Baseball to his dad, John, when I interrupted.

One thing I learned is that the Phillips issue isn’t very important, despite the time and space we in the media have devoted to it.

At the Krobetzkys’ home in Mission Viejo, they’ve been dealing with the death two weeks ago of Tyler’s mother and John’s wife from an illness closely related to Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Attending a doubleheader together was a small step in the healing process.

They were, however, aware of Phillips’ arrest.

“I know he got caught,” Tyler said.

Asked what baseball should do about it, he said: “He shouldn’t be able to play for a while, five games, a week or something, and then he could come back. He deserves a second chance.”

I could accept that. It’s certainly better than the official policy that allows Phillips to play as soon as the handcuffs are off if he agrees to counseling and random testing.

One problem I’ve had with the policy is that I believed it suggested to children who follow baseball that the consequences of drug use are minimal.

Tyler assured me that’s not true.

Just because an athlete uses drugs, “I’m not going to,” he said.

John said he and his late wife made sure long ago that Tyler understood the danger associated with drugs.

There’s been much discussion in recent days about the message Disney, Major League Baseball and the Major League Players Assn. are sending.

Fortunately, they don’t control the message. Parents do.

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Is it too cynical to suggest Disney is less than heartbroken with the arbitrator’s decision, getting credit for its hard line against drugs and Phillips back in the dugout?. . . .

Maybe, but I don’t think so. . . .

If Disney really feels as strongly about its anti-drug stance as CEO Michael Eisner suggested during a spring training interview, Phillips will be either released or benched for the rest of the season. . . .

The move probably would have to be explained to Angel players, who apparently don’t comprehend much about their commitment to society, the organization, the fans or even one another. . . .

Reacting to management’s attempt to place Phillips on the 15-day disabled list while he underwent inpatient therapy, Jim Edmonds said, “In the real world, if you get arrested, you don’t take two weeks off work because of principles.”. . . .

No, Jim, in the real world, you probably get fired if you’re arrested after signing a contract containing a morals clause. . . .

Doc Gooden pitched impressively in winning the first game against the Angels on Wednesday. . . .

Or should we call him Doc Hollywood?. . . .

He spent Monday at Warner Bros., meeting with executives about the movie they’re making of his life. . . .

What took the Angels so long to get Shigetoshi Hasegawa into the second game?. . . .

They could have made history by starting him against Hideki Irabu. . . .

The Ducks will make news in Japan if they open the season there against Vancouver without Paul Kariya. . . .

Still unsigned, he’s believed to be unhappy about the decision not to rehire Ron Wilson. . . .

About $7 million a year could make him happier. The Ducks reportedly opened negotiations with an offer of $25 million for five years. . . .

USC sophomore Danny Walker is transferring to New Mexico State, no doubt realizing he’s not the point guard of the future with Kevin Augustine of Santa Ana Mater Dei arriving. . . .

Running back Justin Fargas of Notre Dame High in Sherman Oaks, rated the No. 3 senior in the country by USA Today, visited a USC practice Tuesday and has decided he will enroll either there or at Michigan. . . .

Good fight songs. . . .

I assume Peyton Manning will show only his good side to UCLA.

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While wondering if the Dallas Cowboys need cheerleaders or baby-sitters, I was thinking: Michael Westbrook looks like a natural for the Raiders, I’ll take Oklahoma over Northwestern, old habits die hard.