Another Day, Another Move

Dodger players awoke Monday to learn that executive vice president Fred Claire and manager Bill Russell had been fired Sunday night.

A season ago, such news would have stirred concern.

But in the first year of the Fox Group’s rule, the Dodgers approach every morning cautiously.

“These days, you don’t know what to expect when you wake up,” second baseman Eric Young said Monday before the Dodgers’ 6-5 loss to the Angels.

“It’s been one thing after another all season. You don’t expect these things from the Dodgers, because it’s not an organization known for change, but everyone knows that’s changed.”

The sweeping change late Sunday night by Dodger President Bob Graziano was the latest stunning move in a season of shockers from the once-staid franchise. Graziano appointed former manager Tom Lasorda as the interim general manager, and Glenn Hoffman was promoted from triple-A Albuquerque to succeed Russell.

After the previous commotion caused by the Mike Piazza and Hideo Nomo trades--as well as the proposed Randy Johnson deal that collapsed--the Dodgers wonder if things will settle down.

“It’s an unfortunate situation with all that’s been going on, especially off the field,” first baseman Eric Karros said. “And the bottom line is that you can’t argue the fact that this has impacted us on the field.”

The Dodgers have hovered around .500, which cost Claire and Russell their jobs. Graziano, with the blessing of Fox Group executives, dismissed them because he believed the Dodgers weren’t getting their money’s worth for a $57-million payroll.

But Dodger players point to the team’s numerous injuries to help explain their difficult season. Starting left fielder Todd Hollandsworth underwent season-ending shoulder surgery earlier this month, and all-star right-hander Ramon Martinez is expected to undergo an operation in July.

Also, several players haven’t performed as expected. And Claire and Russell shouldn’t be blamed for injuries and poor performances, players said.

“There are things that happen out of your control,” Hollandsworth said. “Billy couldn’t control [the injuries and problems], he couldn’t go out on the field with us. That’s on the players.”

The Dodgers have relied on unproven players more than they would prefer.

The situation is especially difficult because those players have been caught in the team’s chaotic season when they shouldn’t even be in the major leagues.

The dismissal of Claire and Russell further disrupts the Dodgers’ sense of stability, which has been difficult to establish in the circus-like atmosphere. Just when things seem to be getting back to normal, someone else is sent packing.

“We’re just trying to establish some chemistry, but that’s not easy to do when there’s so much stuff going on all the time,” Young said. “We were just hoping we could play some games for a while with nothing else happening, but it hasn’t worked out that way.”

Right fielder Gary Sheffield said the key is to concentrate on the game. But he acknowledges that’s easier said than done.

“We’ve got a lot of stuff that’s been going on, but you can’t get involved in the stuff that happens with management,” he said. “You can’t do anything about that, so you shouldn’t even think about it. You have to do your job.”

Karros said the Dodgers still have time to improve.

“No one ever won the division in June,” he said. “There are still a lot of things that can happen.”

The Dodgers know from experience.