Grissom Appeals 6-Game Suspension

Marquis Grissom was hit with a six-game suspension and $3,000 fine Thursday for his home plate meltdown on July 4. And though an appeal has been filed and he was in the Dodger lineup Thursday night as the designated hitter, the sanctions pale in comparison to the icy reception he received from his family in the aftermath of the episode.

Grissom also acknowledged that not being an everyday outfielder has gnawed at him while accepting blame for the umpire-bumping episode.

“My mom and my wife, the two dearest, closest people to me, they came down on me pretty hard,” Grissom said. “Trying to be a good Christian family, my mom didn’t take that too well, and my wife just chewed my [rear] out real bad, real bad.

“She reminded me of how blessed I’ve been in this sport and game and the opportunities I’ve had to be successful and that [incident] should never get me aroused that much. It’s been a big lesson learned for myself and I think it’s going to make me a better person and a better player overall.”

Grissom was angered after being called out on strikes by plate umpire Marvin Hudson at Dodger Stadium against the San Francisco Giants and was quickly tossed. In the ensuing melee, Grissom bumped Hudson, prompting the sanctions handed down by Frank Robinson, major league baseball’s vice president of on-field operations.

Robinson said the suspension and fine were for, “arguing balls and strikes, using foul language and making contact with the umpire, just like it says in the release.

“But I don’t want to comment too much right now because it’s under appeal,” Robinson said.

The appeal allows Grissom to remain active until his appeal is heard, which gives the Dodgers a DH in interleague games against the Oakland Athletics.

Interim General Manager Dave Wallace said he was surprised by Grissom’s display.

“Marquis’ character is unmatched as far as players are concerned, but everybody has a [breaking] point,” Wallace said. “As he’s said before, it’s one of those things that just happened to him so the consequence is what it is.”

Said Manager Jim Tracy: “To me, we’re talking about a man that’s been quite a good foot soldier over the course of 12 years.”

Grissom, 34, and a four-time Gold Glove winner, joined the Dodgers in a spring training trade with the Milwaukee Brewers for disgruntled outfielder Devon White.

Grissom has been a calming influence in what was a combustible Dodger clubhouse, helping young players such as rookie Hiram Bocachica.

But not being an everyday outfielder for the first time in his career has bothered him, Grissom acknowledged Thursday.

He shrugged when asked if he thought the penalties were too harsh.

“Probably, but I don’t think of it like that,” he said. “I think of it as I never should have erupted that bad. I’ve been working hard the last three or four years and trying to come back and play, probably a lot of little things were boiling up together, with the fourth outfielder stuff, and not playing every day and wanting to play everyday. I’m not giving no excuses, but I was just fed up with a lot of stuff and you can’t argue balls and strikes, I know that. Overall, I made a mistake.

“I really can’t pinpoint one specific thing. It was more than just balls and strikes for me, from my standpoint. There’s no excuse for that kind of behavior. I look back on it now and I overreacted, especially being in the first inning.”

A major point of contention has been when Grissom cursed Hudson.

“I’m not going to be 100% sure, but I’m almost positive that before he threw me out of the game, I did not swear at him,” Grissom said. “I told him, ‘The ball wasn’t a strike.’ I said, ‘As a matter of fact, I don’t think none of those balls was a strike,’ and then, there I go. And then I swore at him after that.”

When told that he was ejected for swearing, Grissom was adamant.

“Nah, he’s lying. You can write that.”

*

Calling himself a “history maker,” Chan Ho Park scoffed at the notion that he purposely grooved a fastball to Cal Ripken in Tuesday’s All-Star game, which Ripken hit for a home run.

“He asked me for $1,000 for right down the middle, fastball,” joked Park, who has also given up two grand slams in an inning.

“Just kidding. It was my best pitch, a fastball, and he hit a home run and made history.

“I feel better than when I gave up the two grand slams.”

*

The Dodgers may put Bocachica on the disabled list today because of a sprained right ankle suffered in Wednesday’s workout at Dodger Stadium. The move could precede a recall of right-hander Eric Gagne from triple-A Las Vegas as he’s scheduled to start Monday at Pittsburgh.

Gagne retired nine of 10 batters he faced in a start Thursday at Las Vegas, striking out seven and walking one in three scoreless innings against Sacramento.

TONIGHT

DODGERS’ CHAN HO PARK

(8-5, 2.80 ERA)

vs.

ATHLETICS’ TIM HUDSON

(9-5, 3.02 ERA)

Network Associates Coliseum, 7

TV--Fox Sports Net 2.

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

Update--Park has faced the Athletics once in his career, beating them, 5-1, on June 9, 1998 at Dodger Stadium, giving up one run on six hits while striking out six in eight innings. Hudson is 1-0 with a 1.35 earned-run average in two career starts against the Dodgers.