Evans Demeaned by Reds’ Official

In one of his first sessions at the controls of the Dodgers in baseball’s winter meetings, Dan Evans was belittled by another general manager, sources said Wednesday.

Jim Bowden of the Cincinnati Reds shocked Evans and members of the Dodger baseball-operations staff Monday night, refusing to begin discussions on trade proposals until Tom Lasorda, Dodger senior vice president, was present in the Reds’ hotel suite.

Cincinnati’s top baseball executive told a group of about 20 officials that the meeting could not proceed without Lasorda because, “When you meet with the Dodgers you think of Tommy Lasorda,” several in attendance said.

Evans informed Bowden that Lasorda was in the hotel lobby and requested their talks begin, but Bowden again insisted that his longtime friend and mentor had to be present before business was discussed.

A Dodger official contacted Lasorda on his cell phone and asked him to join them, then Evans again attempted to get the meeting started--only to be rebuffed by his Cincinnati counterpart. Officials from both clubs sat uncomfortably in the tension-filled room until Lasorda arrived.

Evans dismissed his staff after talks concluded and initiated a one-on-one meeting with Bowden, seeking an explanation about his behavior, sources said. Evans essentially told Bowden he did not appreciate being showed up in front of his staff, stressing that Lasorda’s presence should not have been a prerequisite to start the meeting.

Evans declined comment on the incident, saying only, “The Los Angeles Dodgers baseball-operation [staff] will operate in a first-class manner all the time.”

Bowden spoke freely in an interview late Wednesday, basically confirming the events of the meeting but disputing he intended to embarrass Evans.

“We were just having fun,” he said. “All the Dodger people came in; it was a big contingent of people. I knew Tommy was at the meetings and I said, ‘Where’s Tommy?’ They said he was downstairs. I said, ‘Well, we can’t start the meeting with the Dodgers unless Tommy Lasorda is here because he is the Dodgers.’ He’s the one who brought [two] World [Series championships] to the Dodgers. He’s the history.

“Tommy Lasorda has won a gold medal for the United States of America and been a very key reason why the Dodgers had success over the years. He’s the one link to the history of the Dodgers. When you meet with the Dodgers, you think of Tommy Lasorda. I’ve been doing this for 10 years and Tommy Lasorda is always in the meetings. It was just in fun--that’s all it was.

“It was in no way meant to be negative or trying to show anybody up. I have no problem with Danny. He’s a good baseball man, and I think he’s going to do a great job for the Dodgers. It was just out of respect to one of the greatest baseball success stories of all time. If there was a misunderstanding then I’m sorry there was a misunderstanding. I think the people in the room knew that we were having fun and we were respecting Tommy Lasorda.”

Not exactly. The Dodgers were upset because they believed Bowden demeaned Evans in front of his newly formed staff, stirring more problems for the rookie general manager.

Evans has come under fire in his first few months on the job, being criticized by other general managers and agents for not returning phone calls promptly. The agent for pitcher James Baldwin also strongly intimated that Evans misled him about his interest in re-signing the free agent.

Moreover, General Manager Billy Beane of the Oakland Athletics surprised Evans in acquiring closer Billy Koch from the Toronto Blue Jays, delaying a proposed trade that would send Dodger all-star outfielder Gary Sheffield to the Bay Area. Evans thought he could get Koch without Beane’s help, sources said.

Beane traded two triple-A prospects for Koch, completing his first deal with new Toronto General Manager J.P. Ricciardi, a former Oakland executive and Beane’s closest friend. After getting Koch from a member of his wedding party and improving his trade leverage, Beane resumed talks with Evans.

As word spread about the incident between Evans and Bowden, many executives from other clubs said they would have quickly ended the meeting and crossed the Reds off their list if put in a similar situation.

“It’s a closed issue,” Bowden said. “Danny and I talked behind closed doors right after the meeting was over and he made it clear on how he felt. As far as I’m concerned it’s behind us. If we’re not [past it] he knows how to pick up the phone.”