Sale Effort Causes Uncertainty

It was business as usual Monday at the Dodger Stadium opener, but things could be changing soon as News Corp. moves closer to selling the franchise.

Although the partnership of General Manager Dan Evans and Manager Jim Tracy has produced better-than-expected results, the Dodgers acknowledge there could be changes in the front office and dugout even if the club wins a championship.

The Dodgers are off to a 3-5 start after a 6-4, 12-inning loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks, and there’s a cloud of uncertainty over the team.

“Since the first day this surfaced, [Chairman Bob] Daly and [President Bob] Graziano have told us to continue to do our jobs, and that’s what we’ve done,” Evans said. “We’re doing what we have to do to continue to improve the organization. Our focus is entirely on the field. There’s [nothing] going on in the background, no infighting, we’re all on the same page.

“Maybe that’s partially why people are feeling better about this place, because they’re not worried about things going on in the background. The focus is always what’s going on in the dugout and clubhouse, and that was something we had to do in order to get to the point where we could contend. We were never going to win until we were ready to win internally first. We’ve done that.”

The Dodgers are still recovering from the upheaval that occurred after News Corp. purchased the club from the O’Malley family in 1998, and they want potential owners to know they’re finally getting back on track.

“No disrespect to anyone, but we really have a great organization now,” catcher Paul Lo Duca said. “You’d hope that new owners would recognize that, but I guess if someone buys the team, they have the right to do what they want.”

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The Dodgers said in a lawsuit that Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. owes them $4 million in unreimbursed insurance payments for pitcher Kevin Brown.

Brown had back surgery last June and didn’t play much the rest of the season. He had already been on the disabled list five times since the start of the 2001 season, including a period with a sprained elbow.

Hartford told the club that only Brown’s elbow injury, and not his back problem, is covered by the team’s disability policy, according to the suit, which was filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.

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Pitching coach Jim Colborn was not concerned about Kazuhisa Ishii’s 3 2/3-inning, five-run effort Thursday in a 6-1 loss to the San Diego Padres, so the Dodgers didn’t alter his program.

“I thought he threw very well,” Colborn said. “They got all those runs off him, but the quality of his pitches was more consistent. It was the kind of consistency we were looking for the first three innings.”

Ishii, who will face the Diamondbacks today, will attempt to take it further this time, getting back to basics and focusing on maintaining his concentration.

“On the physical side, he just stayed in touch with his delivery, and it looks pretty sound right now,” Colborn said. “On the mental side, all we did was just suggest that he keep the same concentration all the way through the game. He really wasn’t that far from being good.”

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The Dodgers are increasing their efforts to play host to another All-Star game at Dodger Stadium, having Tom Lasorda lobby on their behalf.

The Hall of Fame manager plans to speak with Commissioner Bud Selig about the Dodgers’ playing host to the game as soon as possible. The first opening for a National League city is 2006, and Daly and Graziano have actively campaigned for the club to play host to the All-Star game at Dodger Stadium for the first time since 1980.

The Dodgers hope to be notified of the commissioner’s decision within a few weeks.

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Players are pleased with two new out-of-town scoreboards on the walls in the outfield. “I like it a lot,” third baseman Adrian Beltre said. “It’s good to know what’s going on with other teams later in the season.”