Padres Defeat Expos on Eve of a Clubhouse Meeting With Smith

SAN DIEGO — The Padres play the Philadelphia Phillies at 7:05 tonight at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium, but the real action may come at 3:30.

That’s when Padre President Ballard Smith will have a meeting with a team of frustrated players.

Forget about the last-place Padres’ 6-0 victory over Montreal Thursday that gave them a series sweep and a modest three-game winning streak.

The Padre players had a lot less trouble with the Expos than they’ve had with their management this week.

Smith, who was on vacation Tuesday and Wednesday, made some controversial statements Tuesday. Thursday, he notified the players about today’s meeting by having notes distributed to their lockers.

Padre player representative Tim Flannery said Smith should expect a “hostile atmosphere.”

“There are some frustrated people in here (the Padre clubhouse),” Flannery said. “I’m sure there are a lot of guys with a lot of questions.”

The questions will likely be about Smith’s comments to the media earlier this week.

--Smith on the Padre players: “There are a bunch of players more concerned about themselves than the team.”

--Smith on Kevin McReynolds: “He has more ability than anyone on the club, but he has bad work habits. I don’t like that. Kevin McReynolds ought to be making a million dollars a year, and we’d love to pay it to him . . . if he produces on the field.”

--Smith on Montreal Expo outfielder Tim Raines, who is eligible to become a free agent at the end of the season: “I think Montreal did the right thing in getting him into (drug) treatment (in 1982) and giving him a second chance. . . . But the Padres will never take a player that had a substance-abuse problem. Never. Tim Raines is not going to play here.”

Added Padre owner Joan Kroc: “They’ll (players with substance-abuse problems) never have a second chance with the Padres.”

--Smith on the Padres’ decision to no longer give multiyear contracts: He said that because drug-testing clauses in the contracts of major league players were deemed unenforceable in a July 30 decision by federal arbitrator Tom Roberts, from now on all Padre contracts will be one-year deals.

Smith reasons that with no multiyear contracts, the Padres will not be stuck paying a guaranteed sum to a player who develops a drug problem.

It was a very vocal week for Smith.

“In spring training, Smith told us he didn’t want us to air our dirty laundry in public,” Flannery said. “We would meet face to face and tell all about it. We made an agreement at the time.”

That was the first meeting between Smith and the players.

In early June, Goose Gossage, through the media, strongly criticized Padre management for instituting a beer ban in the clubhouse.

At that time, Smith called his second team meeting.

“He asked us not to do that (go public with grievances),” Flannery said. “Agreements were made between us and him at that meeting. Now, the agreements were broken.”

Said Tony Gwynn: “This is not the right time for him (Smith) to be saying those things. It’s kind of hard to play baseball when you have all these things going on. It’s been a strange year for us. Sort of like a giant soap opera.”

While the Padre players are disturbed with the way Smith has handled the situation, they are equally upset with his statements.

His criticism of McReynolds made the players angry and wary.

“There’s no sense for that,” Flannery said of the criticism of the outfielder.

Said McReynolds: “We’ll see what prompted those remarks. Maybe something can be resolved tomorrow (Friday). . . . I can just give my best effort. If that’s not good enough for him (Smith), that’s too bad.”

Players also believe that the policy of not giving multiyear contracts will be counterproductive to the success of the team.

“Not signing anyone to multiyear contracts might not just hurt the franchise,” Flannery said. “It might destroy it completely. We’ll never sign a free agent. You wouldn’t have Goose or Garvey here. . . .

“And everyone will leave when their contract is up. If you want to have a winning ballclub out there, you’ll have to pay some guys’ contracts.”

“If that’s the way it’s going to be here,” Gwynn said, “it’s going to be almost impossible to field a top team. . . . I want to play here the rest of my life, but when it comes to contract time you have to be looking for security. Hopefully, I’ll still be in my prime when my contract runs out. And I’m going to be looking for security.”

Gwynn has four years remaining on his contract, which includes an option year in 1990.

Padre pitcher Ed Whitson, who in 1985 was signed by the Yankees to one of the last long-term contracts awarded to a free agent, thinks long-term deals may “be on their way out.”

“I was fortunate to get someone who gave me the years I was looking for,” Whitson said. “I think owners are really buckling down now. Everyone thought it was tough to be a free agent last year. It will be tougher this year.”

One potential free agent the Padres have said they won’t consider signing is Raines. That decision upset a number of Padres who believe that Raines is just the type of speedy leadoff hitter the team needs.

“We’re looking for guys to help improve the ballclub,” Gwynn said. “Tim Raines is probably the most dominant leadoff hitter or one of the two best in the game. His (Raines) problem was five years ago. Talk to everyone in the game. They think Tim Raines is an outstanding person.”

“I’d hate to see Tim Raines end up in Los Angeles, and there’s a good chance of that,” Flannery said.

Said Garry Templeton: “I would have liked to have thought the organization wanted a guy like Raines. It’s beyond me why we wouldn’t want someone like that.”

Maybe the players will get some answers at today’s meeting.

“You don’t know what’s going to happen,” Flannery said. “We have to call meetings to discuss meetings.”

A game was actually played Thursday at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium. A crowd of 14,694 saw Steve Garvey hit a three-run homer, Terry Kennedy hit a bases-empty homer and McReynolds and Flannery add RBI singles in the Padres’ 6-0 victory.

Dave Dravecky pitched five shutout innings to pick up the win and improve his record to 9-10. Dravecky left the game because of stiffness in his back. Gene Walter pitched the final four innings to preserve the Padres’ first shutout since a 3-0 victory over the Giants on June 24.