Dodger Players, Coaches Suspended for Roles in Fight With Fans at Wrigley Field

Make no mistake: When Chad Kreuter flipped his lid over the loss of the one he was wearing, it probably cost the Dodgers considerably more than the $12 that major league clubs pay when buying caps in large quantities.

A division title?

A wild card?

Well, if the sweeping and stunning penalties issued by discipline czar Frank Robinson Wednesday as a result of the May 16 incident in which Kreuter and teammates went into the stands at Wrigley Field cost the Dodgers even one game, hasn’t that, at times, been the difference in a pennant race of the type the Dodgers are now engaged?

Isn’t it conceivable that the absence of a Gary Sheffield or Shawn Green, a missed start by Darren Dreifort or Chan Ho Park, could lead to the loss of that one game, maybe more?

A solemn Davey Johnson stood behind the batting cage at Dodger Stadium and said, “Anyone who has ever managed knows the disadvantage of being even one man short, and Frank has managed. This is totally unfair and way out of line. Over the next 120 games, I’m going to have to play half of them short-handed, and we’re talking about key people. I mean, he’s dictating to me what players I can play and when. This is going to hurt my ballclub. It has to be reviewed.”

Breaking the disciplinary record he established in the aftermath of a recent brawl between the Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers, Robinson fined 16 Dodger players and three coaches a total of $72,000 and suspended them for 84 games--the players being suspended for 60. The Dodgers have appealed to Paul Beeston, baseball’s chief operating officer, but know this: The appeal process occasionally results in a shortened suspension but seldom are sanctions completely overturned.

Four of Johnson’s starting pitchers face suspension, as do four starting position players, three backups and five relief pitchers, including Onan Masaoka, currently with Albuquerque.

The suspensions were staggered so that usually only two--and on occasion three--Dodgers would be sidelined at once, but the use of the word “only” is misleading.

“You’re talking about tying Davey’s hands,” General Manager Kevin Malone said. “You’re talking about a 22- or 23-man roster at a time when you might also be going day to day with injured players who are not on the disabled list. It’s harsh, excessive and cruel. We’re being made an example of, and I don’t think it’s right for our team and fans. We have to play short-handed in a significant number of games, and that could affect the integrity of the pennant race. We’re also concerned about the integrity of a situation in which we’re told which guys can play against which teams.”

An argument can be made that the Dodgers should have thought about all this before going into the stands at Wrigley.

The fact that some may have been serving as peace makers was probably hard to determine on the tapes Robinson watched. Reached at his Bel Air home Wednesday, the former Hall of Fame player, a tough competitor who gave no quarter, conceded that the tapes may not reflect the whole story and that baseball is willing to listen to the Dodgers’ case. He added, however, that the industry cannot condone uniformed personnel going into the stands, regardless of the circumstance.

Certainly, the Dodgers will receive no sympathy from their rivals in the National League West. In a long season, teams frequently play short-handed. The Arizona Diamondbacks managed to gain and hold the West lead while playing without third baseman Matt Williams, their leading run producer, and closer Matt Mantei.

Nevertheless, the Dodgers may face a difficult task. The appeal--assuming it will be denied--could delay the suspensions and force Johnson to operate short-handed during a span in which they play 21 straight days against the Angels, Pittsburgh Pirates, Colorado Rockies, San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies after the All-Star break.

Of course, there is no good time to play without a Sheffield or Green, or to have the rotation and bullpen depleted. The Dodgers begin inter- league play against the Angels, Texas Rangers and Oakland A’s next weekend, followed by seven straight games against the Diamondbacks and homer-happy St. Louis Cardinals.

“We’re not doing this to delay,” Dodger chairman Bob Daly said. “We’re doing it because we think it’s wrong and unfair, and because it could affect the whole season. I don’t think there’s a risk [in possibly delaying the suspensions until the second half] because the risk couldn’t be much worse than it already is.”

White Sox General Manager Ron Schueler can speak to that, and did. His young and coming team, waging a surprising battle with the Cleveland Indians in the American League Central, had seven players suspended after the brawl with the Tigers.

“We had a difficult time getting through it,” Schueler said. “We have a young team that’s still improving, but we’re not good enough to have two key players out each day. What we recommended to our players was that they go ahead and serve the suspensions, get them out of the way.

“I don’t know the Dodger personnel well enough to know how they’ll adjust, but that’s a large number of players to lose. You can juggle a little with your starting pitchers so that they lose only a start or two, but we had both of our closers out for three days. That was the toughest part. I think we went 2-7 or 3-7 (while the seven were on suspension). It was definitely hard.”

The Dodgers may have to find out. In the meantime, Daly said he recommended in a team meeting before Wednesday’s game that the players have their day in court and take out any frustration and anger on their opponents.

“We don’t condone players going into the stands, but circumstances come up that affect how a person reacts,” he said.

Even to the point of losing your head over losing a cap.

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SUSPENSIONS

Suspensions issued Wednesday to Dodgers by Frank Robinson, baseball’s vice president of on-field operations, for the May 16 fight with fans at Wrigley Field. All 19 individuals also were fined. Robinson said no more than three players at a time would serve suspensions (For fines, see Page 5):

EIGHT GAMES

Chad Kreuter c

Rick Dempsey coach

Glenn Hoffman coach

John Shelby coach

*

FIVE GAMES

Carlos Perez lhp

F.P. Santangelo of

Gary Sheffield of

*

FOUR GAMES

Mike Fetters rhp

*

THREE GAMES

Terry Adams rhp

Geronimo Berroa of

Darren Dreifort rhp

Eric Gagne rhp

Shawn Green of

Todd Hundley c

Eric Karros 1b

Onan Masaoka lhp

Alan Mills rhp

Antonio Osuna rhp

Chan Ho Park rhp

SUSPENSIONS FOR PLAYERS ENTERING STANDS

5 GAMES

REGGIE SMITH, DODGERS

Sept. 24, 1981

Smith also was fined $5,000 for fighting a fan

in San Francisco

*

5 GAMES

TERRY O’REILLY, BOSTON

Dec. 23, 1979

O’Reilly also was fined $500 for wrestling fan to ground

in New York

*

10 GAMES

VERNON MAXWELL, HOUSTON

Feb. 6, 1995

Maxwell also was fined $20,000 for punching

“a heckler” in Portland

*

NONE

OAKLAND RAIDERS

Nov. 22, 1999

NFL accepts Lincoln Kennedy, Charles Woodson retaliation for being hit with objects in Denver

MORE COVERAGE

* HARDBALL: Nineteen Dodger players, coaches are suspended for roles in fight during game against Cubs at Wrigley Field. A1

* WRIGLEY SECURITY: Aware of how close the bullpen benches are to the stands, Cub officials are conducting an investigation. Page 4

* HOW IT HAPPENED: The buildup to the skirmish between the Dodgers and the Wrigley fans. Page 5

* CINCINNATI 10, DODGERS 3: Dante Bichette had four RBIs as Chan Ho Park let a 3-0 lead get away. Page 5