Johnson, Malone Among 21 Dodgers Subpoenaed

A total of 21 Dodgers, including Manager Davey Johnson and General Manager Kevin Malone, have been subpoenaed in connection with the May 16 melee in the stands at Wrigley Field.

The subpoenas, seeking testimony in two separate criminal proceedings, were served Friday night to a Chicago-based law firm retained to represent the club in expected civil suits.

Attorneys representing Ronald Camacho of Chicago and Charles Carlin of Des Plaines, Ill., two of three men charged with disorderly conduct, want the Dodgers present when their clients next appear in court soon.

Carlin’s attorney subpoenaed pitchers Terry Adams, Darren Dreifort, Mike Fetters, Eric Gagne, Onan Masaoka, Alan Mills (now with the Baltimore Orioles), Antonio Osuna, Chan Ho Park and Carlos Perez; outfielders Geronimo Berroa, Shawn Green, F.P. Santangelo and Gary Sheffield; catchers Todd Hundley and Chad Kreuter; first baseman Eric Karros; and coaches Rick Dempsey, Glenn Hoffman and John Shelby.

In addition to Dempsey, Green, Hoffman, Kreuter and Sheffield, Camacho’s attorney also subpoenaed Johnson and Malone.

Camacho, who has filed a lawsuit against the Dodgers and Cubs and several players, has a criminal hearing scheduled Tuesday. Carlin’s next court date is Sept. 18.

Mike Abernathy, representing the Dodgers, plans to file motions to prevent the cases from affecting the Dodgers’ season.

“I’m going to file a motion to strike [this week],” Abernathy said. “I’m going to ask for a judge to limit the number of witnesses. And to the extent anyone does testify, to have the testimony occur after the season.

“We want to cooperate, but do it reasonably. These are misdemeanor cases akin to a traffic [violation]. This is not O.J. Simpson, and this is clearly nothing but a leverage point [for lawsuits against the Dodgers].”

There was confusion about when the subpoenas would be served, how many Dodgers would be involved and how the process would occur.

Dodger officials said Thursday they expected Abernathy to receive paperwork Saturday, but two sets of subpoenas arrived at his office late Friday.

Messengers did not approach the Dodgers at Wrigley Field, and Abernathy said he’s determined to insulate the club.

“This is really much ado about nothing,” Abernathy said. “This occurs day in and day out, and it’s done by FAX and e-mail. It’s a sheer formality that we expected all along.”

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As expected, the Dodgers recalled outfielder Bruce Aven from triple-A Albuquerque and optioned pitcher Mike Judd to Albuquerque.

Aven started in left field Saturday in the Chicago Cubs’ 6-4 victory. He was hitless in three at-bats and walked with the bases loaded.

Johnson wanted Aven, acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates in an Aug. 6 trade, on the 25-man roster because Devon White suffered a strained left quadriceps in the second game in Friday’s doubleheader, and Sheffield is not on the trip.

White is expected to be sidelined for at least three to four days.

“Initially they thought it was going to be at least a week, but they cut it back to half of that after [reevaluating White],” Johnson said. “I need a third outfielder. I’d like to have four, but [Jim] Leyritz will have to pass as my fourth for a while.”

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Sheffield, who remained in Los Angeles because of flu, might not rejoin the Dodgers until after the trip.

Contacted at home Saturday, Sheffield’s wife said he remains bedridden.

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Pitcher Kevin Brown also is bedridden because of a viral infection, Johnson said.

Brown, scheduled to start Monday against the Milwaukee Brewers, has been sick since the team arrived in Chicago early Friday morning.

“I’m worried about him, and I don’t know [about Monday’s start] right now,” Johnson said. “His wife is here taking care of him, and I think he was feeling a little better [Saturday]. We’re just going to have to wait and see.”

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Chicago Cub outfielder Rondell White suffered a dislocated left shoulder while trying to steal second base in the sixth inning.

TODAY

DODGERS’

ISMAEL VALDES

(2-6, 5.70 ERA)

vs.

CUBS’

KERRY WOOD

(6-6, 5.32 ERA)

Wrigley Field, 11:15 a.m. PDT.

TV--Channel 5.

Radio--KXTA (1150), KWKW (1330).

* Update--Valdes will be seeking his first victory in his second stint with the Dodgers. The right-hander had two losses and three no-decisions in his first five starts after being reacquired July 26 from the Cubs. Wood--the 1998 National League rookie of the year--has struggled after being sidelined last season because of reconstructive right elbow surgery. He is 1-1 against the Dodgers.