They Love to Be Team Everyone Will Hate

VERO BEACH, Fla. —  Once among the most envied franchises in baseball, the Dodgers had been recently almost reduced to an afterthought because of their repeated lack of postseason success.

But after an active off-season under new management, the Dodgers have regained their standing among the game’s most despised organizations. They are seemingly making enemies daily, offending with their words and actions.

Of course, such news might not be welcomed by some newcomers, but the aggressive decision-makers at Chavez Ravine are unfazed. The once-staid Dodgers have undergone a metamorphosis, and there is no turning back now.

The team today begins its 51st--and probably last--spring training at Dodgertown, marking its first full season under the Fox Group umbrella. Pitchers, catchers and players rehabilitating from injuries reported Thursday, and the first workout is scheduled today.

The remaining players report Tuesday, and full-squad workouts begin the next day. Because of financial and logistical concerns, the franchise is expected to move its spring training operations to the Scottsdale, Ariz., area after this season, selling the Vero Beach property.

Much has changed since the Dodgers were last here, including the owner, general manager, manager and most of the roster.

A season after finishing third in the National League West at 83-79, the Dodgers are the consensus choice to finish first in the weakened division and challenge the Atlanta Braves for the NL pennant. All it took to reach this point was the winter’s most controversial free-agent signing and other significant moves that increased the payroll from $48 million to potentially $84 million in one year.

That came on the heels of the most tumultuous season in the franchise’s combined Brooklyn-Los Angeles history, featuring blockbuster trades and surprising firings that stunned longtime Dodger observers. The dizzying turnover has produced a roster with seemingly the division’s best starting pitching and, potentially, a more balanced offense. There aren’t many openings on the 25-man roster. But the defense appears shaky even by the Dodgers’ standards.

Expectations are high, maybe too high, and the Dodgers figure the rest of baseball would love to see them fail. In some ways, it’s just like old times.

“They’re all coming out of the closet again,” said Kevin Malone, the brash young general manager hired in September to rebuild the baseball operation. “All those people who disliked the Dodgers and were jealous of the Dodgers in the past aren’t suppressing their feelings any more because they know we’re getting after it again.

“They didn’t care about us for a long time because we kind of lost our way, we became followers instead of leaders, and we weren’t being aggressive and doing the things we needed to do. When you’re not winning, people forget about you. But they can’t forget about us now because they know the Dodgers are back. They see the moves we’re making to become a championship-caliber club again, and it makes them real nervous.”

None more than the move the Dodgers made in December.

They pushed player salaries to a new level by making pitcher Kevin Brown baseball’s first $100-million player. The Dodgers signed the all-star right-hander to a seven-year, $105-million contract, stirring anger throughout an industry already at odds over rising player salaries.

The Dodgers say the move was necessary to make them legitimate World Series contenders, something they have not been since their improbable 1988 Series championship, marking their last playoff victory. The club has failed to qualify for postseason play the past two seasons and was swept in the division series in 1995 and ’96.

The Dodgers believe Brown is the right man for the moment. He feels similarly.

“I wanted to be on the ground floor of helping this team reestablish itself as one of the premier teams in this game,” said Brown, who finished third in the NL Cy Young Award balloting last season after going 18-7 with a 2.38 earned-run average and leading the San Diego Padres to the NL title.

“The Dodgers have a lot of history and have been one of the game’s really great teams for a long time, and I want to help us reach that point again. I think we have the guys here to do that.”

Catcher Todd Hundley is also an important newcomer, and he might be the key to the Dodgers’ hopes.

Malone acquired the power-hitting Hundley from the New York Mets in December for catcher Charles Johnson and outfielder Roger Cedeno. Hundley hit 41 home runs in 1996, setting a major league record for a catcher and an NL record for a switch-hitter.

The Dodger player-personnel boss is counting on Hundley to provide left-handed power, something the club has lacked. But trading the light-hitting Johnson--a four-time Gold Glove winner and the NL’s best defensive catcher--was risky because Hundley underwent reconstructive surgery on his right elbow in September 1997.

Whether Hundley’s elbow can hold up for an entire season remains to be seen.

The Dodgers say they will be pleased if Hundley catches about 120 games and hits 20 home runs with 70 runs batted in, although those numbers seem modest based on how team officials have trumpeted his arrival. But the truth is, no one knows what to expect from Hundley.

Hundley included.

“Right now, I feel great,” Hundley said. “It’s something I’ve been dealing with for a long time, and I’m just ready to get back behind the plate and show what I can do. Hopefully, knock on wood, it will hold up.”

Unlike past seasons, many players said, the Dodgers believe they have closed the talent gap between themselves and the Braves, the standard by which NL teams are measured.

But one member of the group has issued a warning that he hopes his teammates heed.

“This is the most complete team I’ve ever been on heading to spring training, and we all know it’s a team that should accomplish a lot,” said second baseman Eric Young, who has recovered after suffering a broken right foot at the end of last season. “Management went out and got what we needed, and we’ve got the talent to get there [to the World Series] for the first time in a long time.

“Now, we have to go out and take care of business. We just can’t look around and think we’ve already won anything. We’re going to have problems if we don’t work hard, and there are a lot of people out there who would love to see the Dodgers fail.”

Dodger Facts

First Workout

(Pitchers, Catchers): Today

Full Squad Reports: Tuesday

Spring Opener: March 5 vs. St. Louis

Season Opener: April 5 vs. Arizona

Dodger Stadium, 1 p.m.