Davey Johnson Fired as Manager of Dodgers
L O S A N G E L E S, Oct. 6, 2000 -- Davey Johnson was fired as manager of theDodgers after failing to make the playoffs in his two years despitehaving one of baseball’s highest payrolls, a team source told The Associated Press.
The team scheduled a news conference later today todiscuss the manager.
The move was completed Thursday night when Johnson spoke during a conference call with Dodgers executives Bob Daly and Bob Graziano, according to the source, who spoke on condition he not be identified.
Johnson left for a fishing trip in Mexico after the Dodgersended their season in San Diego last Sunday, missing the playoffsfor the fourth straight year.
The 57-year-old Johnson guided the Dodgers to an 86-76 recordand a second-place finish in the NL West this season. He is undercontract for next year at a salary of $1.5 million.
Dreams of Lasorda
The Dodgers were 77-85 in 1999 in Johnson’s first season with the team.
The move had been speculated for days, and The Los Angeles Timesreported Wednesday that Johnson had already been told he would notbe retained.
Johnson himself had said he expected to be fired.
“There’s a good future here, and I think things will be goodhere,” he said after the season-finale. “I enjoyed being aDodger.”
Johnson’s teams have finished first or second in 11 of his 12full seasons as a big-league manager.
The Dodgers, whose $94.2 million payroll this season was thethird-highest in baseball, haven’t made the playoffs since 1996,and haven’t won a postseason game since the 1988 World Series, whenthey beat the Oakland A’s in five games.
Johnson in Good Company
Johnson becomes the fifth manager fired since last Sunday, whenPhiladelphia’s Terry Francona was dismissed on the season’s finalday.
Cincinnati’s Jack McKeon, Pittsburgh’s Gene Lamont and Arizona’sBuck Showalter were fired the following day.
The firing also means the Dodgers will have their fourth managersince Hall of Famer Tom Lasorda left midway through the 1996 seasonafter a heart attack.
Bill Russell succeeded Lasorda, and was fired in June 1998 —three months after the News Corp.’s Fox Group bought the Dodgersfrom the O’Malley family.
Glenn Hoffman, the Dodgers’ third base coach this season, lasteduntil the end of the 1998 season, when he was told he would notreturn as manager.
Johnson, who guided the New York Mets to the 1986 World Seriestitle, was hired three weeks later, after Montreal manager FelipeAlou chose to stay with the Expos.
Before Lasorda, who became Dodgers manager in 1977, WalterAlston, another Hall of Famer, held the job for the previous 23years.
Johnson, who played second base for Baltimore, Atlanta,Philadelphia and the Chicago Cubs from 1965-78 and hit 43 homersfor the Braves in 1973, previously managed the Mets, CincinnatiReds and Baltimore Orioles. His teams have a 1,148-888 record.
At season’s end, Johnson ranked fourth among active big-leaguemanagers in wins, behind St. Louis’ Tony LaRussa, Atlanta’s BobbyCox and the New York Yankees’ Joe Torre.
The Dodgers, who finished 11 games behind the NL West championSan Francisco Giants, weren’t eliminated from contention for thewild card spot until the season’s final week, but it was clear longbeforehand they weren’t going to make the playoffs.
They won 11 of their final 15 games to reach 86 wins.
“I’ve been around long enough to know the difference betweenwinning and losing is very small,” Johnson said nearly two weeksbefore the season ended. “The Giants have six good starters. Wefell short of that.
“That’s the biggest thing, lack of consistency in the fourthand fifth starters.”
Kevin Brown, Chan Ho Park and Darren Dreifort were a combined43-25. Others who started were 11-26 with a 6.28 ERA, but eventhat’s misleading since they were 7-25 with a 6.44 ERA beforewinning four of their final five decisions.
No Help From the Field
In addition, the Dodgers were one of baseball’s poorest fieldingteams.
“I’m paid to come in here and make this club win, and Ididn’t,” Johnson said. “I feel bad we weren’t able to take thisthing down to the wire. Nobody feels worse than me. I understand,somebody’s got to take the blame. I’ve got big shoulders.”
The Dodgers had five players hit 20 or more homers, but subparoffensive seasons from outfielder Shawn Green, first baseman EricKarros and second baseman Mark Grudzielanek didn’t help.
Green, acquired from Toronto last November in the Raul Mondesideal, had an especially disappointing season.
“I never felt locked in all year,” said Green, who hit .269with 24 homers and 99 RBIs, down from .309, 42 and 123 for the BlueJays in 1999.