O’Malley Saw Need for Change

It is a murky business, this question of who has the final say on pivotal issues with the Dodgers, who influences whom?

In the aftermath of the Father’s Day Massacre, this much seemed clear at least:

Former owner Peter O’Malley was consulted by President Bob Graziano and concurred.

The team was listless, the time was right, O’Malley said Monday.

“I’ve been asked the hypothetical question that if my family still owned the Dodgers would I have made the same decision, and my answer is yes,” O’Malley insisted.

He referred to the stunning ouster of executive vice president Fred Claire and manager Bill Russell, and the appointments of Tom Lasorda as interim general manager and Glenn Hoffman as manager.

Call it the biggest tremor yet in a series of events that have rocked an organization accustomed to stability during the 48-year ownership of O’Malley and his late father, Walter.

From the $311-million sale of the club to Rupert Murdoch’s Fox Group, to the contract dispute with Mike Piazza to the seven-player trade in which Piazza went to the Florida Marlins to the unceremonious dismissal of Hideo Nomo to the New York Mets to the firing of Claire and Russell, the Dodgers have experienced an unprecedented upheaval.

Clearly, acknowledged O’Malley, this is a “stormy period,” putting it in terms any El Nino battered Southern Californian can understand.

“We’ve been a very stable organization for a long period of time, and there are a lot of advantages to that stability,” O’Malley said, sitting in his spacious office. “It is not anyone’s intent to change that, but in my view and Bob’s view, the changes we made were right and appropriate and will prove to be successful, as unpleasant as it was to tell Fred and Bill they were being replaced.”

There is this image of O’Malley lacking his father’s fortitude, unwilling to go to war with the city over his desire to build a football stadium in Chavez Ravine or assemble opposition to acting Commissioner Bud Selig, as much as he disproved of Selig’s leadership.

Yet, the chairman of the board apparently showed no compunction in agreeing with Graziano’s decision to fire Claire, who had been with O’Malley for 30 years, or Russell, who had been his shortstop for 18.

Graziano leaned on O’Malley for advice, both acknowledged, and Fox executive Peter Chernin said O’Malley definitely played a major role in the process.

“The team was flat, the intensity was missing,” O’Malley said. “I told Fred that the team appeared to be flat as far back as spring training. He said there were injuries, that some players weren’t ready yet for the season, but we were a .500 team in April and May and now it’s the latter part of June. It’s disappointing.

“We’re spending an incredible amount of money on scouting, player development and major league payroll. There aren’t too many organizations, if any, that exceed what we’re paying in those areas, and, quite simply, it wasn’t working, the team wasn’t responding.

“Would it have been better to wait until the end of the season to make these moves? I don’t think so. Based on the team’s performance, there was a doubt in my mind and Bob’s mind that Fred and Bill would be back next year, and therefore this gives us more time to prepare and plan. It gives Bob and Tommy time to search out the best general manager they can find without having to wait until the fall.”

Perhaps, but that carries the implication that the Dodgers are looking too far ahead, giving up on 1998 with 3 1/2 months to play.

O’Malley denied that, saying the change was an attempt to invigorate the team, bringing in a confident communicator in Hoffman, the right person at the right time, said O’Malley.

“You can’t blame Bill or Fred for the injuries, but I’d like to see the team come together and demonstrate a greater intensity,” O’Malley said. “According to my mail and the fans I talk to, that’s the comment I hear most often. Kirk Gibson was here recently and I told him that we needed someone with his intensity, focus and commitment. I think Hoffman has some of that. We have two teams [the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants] ahead of us, and we have to beat those teams when we play them. It’s a big hill to climb, but we’ve climbed bigger.”

Hoffman, however, did not receive a contract extension. He is signed only through the end of the year, which does not create a sense of security or authority. In addition, there is this: How often will Lasorda be in the clubhouse, having already challenged the Dodgers to play to their capability in his first day on the job? How often will he micro-manage the new manager’s moves? An extended contract would have helped diminish the perception that Hoffman is a sacrificial lamb.

“Bob and I discussed [a longer contract],” O’Malley said, “but we decided that the new general manager should have the opportunity to evaluate how Glenn does. However, I think there’s a good chance he’ll be here a long time.”

As for Lasorda, that may have been what this was all about. He has deep ties to the Fox hierarchy and had been out of the Dodger loop despite his vice presidency because of a tenuous relationship with Claire.

In an organization suddenly beset with Machiavellian intrigue, sources say Lasorda has been playing the political game in his frequent travels, seeking a greater role and position. Fox may not have told Graziano to address that now, but Graziano knew Fox wanted the Dodger blue salesman in a more visible situation at some point.

“Tommy has an extraordinary wealth of knowledge, and we have to take advantage of that,” said O’Malley, who refused to explain why the Dodgers hadn’t been doing that or to comment on the Lasorda-Claire relationship.

Is it possible, he was asked, that Lasorda might determine that he is the best man for the permanent position?

“I can’t imagine what he might say or do, but that’s not the intent or plan,” O’Malley said. “The most important thing in all of this is that Tommy will play a more important role no matter who the general manager is. In the meantime, he’s not a caretaker or lame duck. We’ve told him not to be reluctant to make a bold move, if he feels it’s necessary and if he talks to Bob about it first.”

The frequency and magnitude of the Dodger moves has reverberated throughout baseball. A high baseball official cited the previous stability and said there may have been too much of a good thing, the Dodgers may have lost some competitiveness amid the comfort.

“One thing for sure,” he said. “Fox brings a volatility and aggressiveness that will shake up a lot of people, and already has.”

Said O’Malley: “The transition hasn’t been as smooth as we had hoped, and I understand that there’s a frustration level among the fans. There have been changes, and that can be difficult, but I think the fans will understand and embrace the changes in time. I’ve said before that there’s going to be differences in style between family ownership and corporate ownership, but that isn’t to say one is more successful than the other.”

Fox, however, brings financial resources that the O’Malley family couldn’t match at a time, the former owner said, when there is no indication that the escalation of salaries and expenses will soon end.

“Fox has a major investment in the industry and understands the complexities,” O’Malley said. “There’s no doubt in my mind but that they’re going to be a strong and successful owner.”

The former owner, in the meantime, has yet to take his $311 million and run. He’s still in his office on a regular basis, although he has only a handshake agreement to stay through the end of the year.

In that regard, his commitment expires about the same time as that of his new manager.