Commissioner’s Office Grants a Delay

Needing more time to prepare in support of the Dodgers, the Major League Players Assn. on Friday persuaded the commissioner’s office to delay the appeals process stemming from the unprecedented penalties levied against the team.

Paul Beeston, baseball’s chief operating officer, had planned to travel to Los Angeles early next week to hear arguments from the three coaches, 16 players and one on-field assistant suspended a total of 89 games and fined $77,000 for their roles in last week’s brawl with fans at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

Union officials, handling the players’ arguments, expressed concern about the process moving too quickly because of the number of appeals that must be heard. Dodger executives, handling the appeals of the coaches and on-field assistant, agreed with the players’ association.

Moreover, players said that conducting many hearings daily posed scheduling problems for them.

Under the collective bargaining agreement, Beeston had a 10-day window to rule on the suspensions and fines, and the clock started Wednesday when the Dodgers informed the commissioner’s office they would appeal. After consulting Gene Orza, general counsel of the players’ association, the commissioner’s office agreed to change the timetable.

Beeston now plans to arrive at Dodger Stadium during the second week of June. The hearings are expected to begin after the club returns from a three-game interleague series against the Texas Rangers at Arlington on June 7.

However, several baseball officials said the schedule could be further affected by ongoing discussions between the players’ union and commissioner’s office about how the matter has been handled.

“We know it’s not going to happen next week,” baseball spokesman Rich Levin said of the hearings. “We don’t have a schedule yet, but I know [Beeston] won’t be [in L.A.] next week.”

The process being delayed means the situation will take longer to resolve, but the Dodgers don’t mind. They were unhappy about the severity of the ruling handed down by Frank Robinson, baseball’s vice president of on-field operations, and said the weeklong investigation should have been more thorough.

They viewed Friday’s news as a good sign.

“Time is not necessarily the issue, the issue is a fair and appropriate process at this point,” said Dodger senior vice president Derrick Hall, among the officials coordinating scheduling with the commissioner’s office.

“The [players’ association] has taken a strong lead in the overall timing of the process. We’re in agreement with their desire to take more time to gather details.”

The Dodgers are now confident the process won’t be as difficult on players as they initially feared. Many have scheduling commitments, such as charity appearances, they would have been forced to break if the commissioner’s office had insisted on a whirlwind appeals process.

“It would have been very difficult to group all of the players together in a two- or three-day period,” Hall said. “That has been expressed by the players, and we echo their sentiments.”

Because of litigation, Dodger players have declined comment on the May 16 altercation ignited when a fan seated behind the uncovered visitors’ bullpen allegedly struck backup catcher Chad Kreuter on the head and took his cap. Kreuter entered the stands along the right-field line and his teammates and coaches followed, triggering fights that delayed play for nine minutes.

General Manager Kevin Malone was pleased that the commissioner’s office was at least flexible in the appeals phase of the process.

“For them to do this, that means we’re going to have an in-depth investigation, and that is a good sign,” Malone said. “We just want to get to the truth of the matter, and we’re glad we’re going to take the time to get it right. We know there are certain guys who will be suspended, but we also know there were guys who shouldn’t have been.

“There were guys who were just trying to serve as peacemakers, so let’s just take the time to make sure everything that needs to explained can be explained. I’ve said that I have a lot of confidence in Paul Beeston and I feel strongly about that. I believe that everything will turn out the right way because Paul Beeston is in charge, or at least as right as it can be.”

TONIGHT

DODGERS’

DARREN DREIFORT

(3-1, 3.33 ERA)

vs.

PHILLIES’

ROBERT PERSON

(4-2, 3.24 ERA)

Dodger Stadium, 7

TV--Channel 5. Radio--KXTA (1150), KWKW (1330).

Update--Dreifort had a no-decision in his start Monday--a 4-3, 14-inning victory over the Cincinnati Reds. The right-hander is 4-1 with a 2.70 ERA in 11 appearances against the Phillies. He was 2-0 with a 2.84 ERA in two starts last season. Person held the Dodgers hitless for six innings on Aug. 20 last season, but didn’t get a decision in the Dodgers’ 8-5, 10-inning victory at Veterans Stadium. Person is among the National League leaders with 58 strikeouts.