Chilling In The Hot Seat

Davey Johnson has been here before. To remain in the manager’s office he must make the playoffs.

The pressure from an owner with high expectations and the buzz surrounding a possible successor might be too much for some, but Johnson knows the rules. He overcame obstacles in previous stops and is determined to rally again.

Chairman Bob Daly believes the Dodgers are talented enough to win championships and wants Johnson to continue leading them, but only if he finishes strong in a tight National League West race.

If Johnson doesn’t produce expected results, the Dodgers will pursue San Francisco Giant Manager Dusty Baker, pleasing fans eager for the former player to work at Chavez Ravine again.

The Dodgers are 2 1/2 games behind the division-leading Giants and Johnson isn’t ready to hand the keys to his longtime fishing buddy Baker.

Johnson signed for three years, planning to do his part to restore the Dodgers’ tarnished image, and has another season remaining in his contract to try to make things right.

Johnson won a World Series championship under New York’s hot spotlight, and division championships with the Baltimore Orioles and Cincinnati Reds despite overbearing owners.

Speculation about his job status?

Johnson negotiated similar rocky roads before, and he said a little Southland heat won’t overwhelm him.

“I came here to help build a division winner, a championship team and a championship organization, and I want to make it work,” Johnson said. “Bob Daly is a very successful man, and he invested a lot of money in this club.

“He wants to make the Dodgers successful again, and I have no doubt he’s going to do that. We’re moving in that direction. I hope we can move faster.”

Johnson is under fire because Daly and General Manager Kevin Malone believe the team underachieved in the first half, going 44-42 despite high-priced talent. They raised concerns about Johnson’s game management and communication with players.

Then Malone reacquired pitcher Ismael Valdes and center fielder Tom Goodwin for the stretch run, strengthening his position and increasing the pressure on Johnson.

“With 50-plus games to go the last two months, everyone has to elevate their performance and do what it takes to win,” Malone said. “We did the things we needed to do with our moves in the off-season, and we added talent [before the trading deadline].

“We all have to perform at this time of year because that’s what we’re paid to do. We’re paid to win.”

Johnson wins when management does its part, Cincinnati General Manager Jim Bowden said.

“Davey has proven that if you give him the horses, if he has the horses in place, he’s going to win,” said Bowden, who acquired players to help Johnson lead the Reds to consecutive Central titles in 1994-95.

“He’s absolutely the same manager he was with us, the same manager he was with the Mets and the same manager he was with the Orioles. He’s the same manager who won all those division titles and the World Series in New York [in 1986]. He’s the same manager who has one of the best track records and winning percentages in the game.”

That isn’t lost on Daly.

He said Johnson has an impressive record, having led the Orioles, Reds and Mets to five division titles. And Daly said he’s still on Johnson’s side, acknowledging his recent strong comments about the team’s performance stirred speculation Johnson is the odd man out in his management team.

“This talk all started at the All-Star break when we were two games above .500,” Daly said. “What I said to Davey and to Kevin and Bob [Graziano, team president] is that I really felt we had the players we needed to kick more butt, and I wanted to see that happen. I also said I was not only evaluating Kevin on what happened on the field, I also was evaluating him on his work with the farm system and other things.

“The team is playing better now, and we’re doing a lot of the things that I wanted to see us do. We’re going after it every game, we’re playing with a sense of urgency, and we’re improving. That’s what fans want to see from the Dodgers, and I’m pleased about that. I like Davey Johnson as a manager. I like him a lot.”

So Johnson will return next season?

“Well, I hope Davey will be our manager for a long time, but I want to play out the balance of this season,” Daly said. “Davey is a good baseball man, I just want to make sure that the team keeps moving forward and going in the right direction. But I have no reason to believe Davey won’t be here next season. There’s no reason at all.”

But Daly still has doubts, and Baker will remain on the club’s radar screen until the Dodgers clinch a playoff berth or Baker signs a contract extension with the Giants.

Many players complained to Malone last season about Johnson’s supposed lack of communication and questionable strategy.

Johnson demoted pitcher Carlos Perez from the rotation to the bullpen Sunday without informing him, leaving reporters to tell the inconsistent left-hander. But Johnson also consults team leaders Kevin Brown, Eric Karros and Gary Sheffield, as does Malone, about roster moves and other matters.

“You do what you think is in the best interest of the ballclub for today as well as tomorrow,” Johnson said. “I try to treat players like I like to be treated, I treat them with respect, but that works both ways.

“People want to talk about communication, but I’ll never say to a player, ‘You are this or that.’ I don’t do that because circumstances and performances can change things. I’m honest with them and I let their play dictate their roles. They’re the ones who decide for me. You understand what I’m saying?”

Sheffield does.

The all-star left fielder said Johnson is the best manager he has played for in his 12-year career because he treats players as adults. The rest is up to them.

“Too much emphasis is put on the manager a lot of times. Players have to be accountable for the team’s performance,” Sheffield said. “When Davey was first hired, I said he was the perfect manager for a winning situation because he looks at you as a grown man and lets you do your job.

“All Davey wants is for players to lay it on the line every game, but it’s not Davey’s fault if guys have to learn what it takes to win. Yeah, the manager has something to do with how a team plays, but he’s not totally to blame for what’s going on. He has to work with what he has.”

The team is Johnson’s top priority, players said.

“The one thing about Davey is that Davey is a constant,” first baseman Karros said. “Davey knows we’re here for the long haul. He doesn’t get too worked up over one pitch, one play, one inning or one game.

“That’s the same way Tommy [Lasorda] was. Tommy didn’t let anything affect him and take his mind off of what we were trying to accomplish. If anything is affecting Davey, he hasn’t shown that to the team.”

Johnson, 57, was hospitalized for three days in July because of an irregular heart rhythm. For the first time, he acknowledged his situation might have contributed to the problem.

“Sometimes you take it home too much,” Johnson said. “I deal with things kind of inwardly. I’m still trying to figure out what is the best way to deal with it outwardly.

“But for what I’ve been through, I think I’m in pretty good health. Our doctors told me in spring training that I must take [the pressure of baseball] a lot easier than my coaches because they’re in a lot worse health than I am. You learn to deal with it.”

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The Skipper

Davey Johnson’s career managerial record:

*--*

Year Club W-L Pct. Finish 1979 Miami (A) 51-21 .708 1st/1st 1981 Jackson (AA) 68-66 .507 1st/3rd 1983 Tidewater (AAA) 71-68 .511 4th 1984 New York (NL) 90-72 .556 2nd 1985 New York (NL) 98-64 .605 2nd 1986 New York (NL) 108-54 .667 1st 1987 New York (NL) 92-70 .568 2nd 1988 New York (NL) 100-60 .625 1st 1989 New York (NL) 87-75 .537 2nd 1990 New York (NL) 20-22 .476 4th 1993 Cincinnati 53-65 .449 5th 1994 Cincinnati 66-48 .579 *1st 1995 Cincinnati 85-59 .590 1st 1996 Baltimore 88-74 .543 **2nd 1997 Baltimore 98-64 .605 1st 1999 Los Angeles 77-85 .475 3rd 2000 Los Angeles 58-50 .537

*--*

MLB totals--13 1/2 years 1,120-862 .565

Minor league totals--3 years 190-155 .551

*--Season cut short by strike; **--Wild-card