It’s Show and Tell for Dodger Players

The Dodgers stated their case Wednesday in the final meeting to appeal unprecedented suspensions and fines issued after the club’s May 16 brawl with fans at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

Paul Beeston, baseball’s chief operating officer, questioned 16 players facing disciplinary action for their roles in the melee that erupted in the bottom of the ninth inning of the Dodgers’ 6-5 victory over the Cubs. The Dodgers explained their actions while watching videotape of the incident before their 7-6 victory over the Astros at Enron Field.

Twenty Dodgers, including three coaches and a nonroster bullpen catcher, were suspended for a total of 89 games and fined $77,000--the largest mass suspension and harshest penalties stemming from one altercation in baseball history.

A fan seated behind the uncovered visitors’ bullpen at Wrigley Field allegedly struck backup catcher Chad Kreuter on the head and took his cap. Kreuter went into the stands and his teammates and coaches followed, triggering fights that delayed play for nine minutes.

Three fans were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct. One fan, Ronald Camacho of Chicago, filed a lawsuit against both teams and several players, Kreuter among them, claiming Kreuter choked him while other Dodgers pummeled him.

“The reason that Chad was in the stands, and it’s now in evidence, is he was assaulted, not that somebody took his cap,” said Kreuter’s agent, Scott Boras. “Chad had his cap taken, as many major leaguers have, many times, but he was trying to prevent a perpetrator from leaving the scene of a crime, and there was no security around. I think the evidence, the video and the stills, portray a very proper line of what went on, and I think they [the commissioner’s office] have a very sound foundation and new evidence they didn’t have before.

“The evidence of the spitting [once the Dodgers were in the stands], they couldn’t see that from the video. We took the videos and made stills of the whole sequence of events and, certainly in a lot of the players’ cases, it shows that provocation existed.

Attorneys for the Major League Players Assn., with assistance from some of the players’ agents, argued on the players’ behalf during the six-hour session. In addition to videotape and still photographs, they presented court records pertaining to some of the fans’ criminal backgrounds.

Frank Robinson, baseball’s vice president of on-field operations, also attended the meeting. Robinson, who handed down the penalties May 24, is among the officials Beeston will consult before ruling.

Beeston and Robinson met with coaches Rick Dempsey, Glenn Hoffman and John Shelby, and bullpen catcher Travis Barbary Tuesday. The commissioner’s office is expected to announce Beeston’s decision within a week.

Players commented Wednesday for the first time since the suspensions were handed down and were pleased to finally get their day in court.

“I felt everybody should have their day, and everybody did [now],” left fielder Gary Sheffield said. “If you’re going to make decisions on anybody, we all deserve our right to have our say before these suspensions came down.

“I think they’ve got to be fair about it. You can’t penalize people for something they didn’t do. I was just over there supporting my teammates to make sure they didn’t get hurt. I think by him [Beeston] hearing [the Dodgers’ side], it could change the results.”