BEIMEL INCIDENT UPSETS TEAMMATES RELIEVER ADMITS HE CUT HIS HAND IN BAR.

Byline: JILL PAINTER Staff Writer

Dodgers reliever Joe Beimel cut his hand when he dropped a glass early Wednesday morning, but the incident happened in a New York bar, not his hotel room as he originally told the team. Not only that, he was out after curfew.

The lie -- all about location, location, location -- caught up to him when his teammates learned of his indiscretion Friday. Beimel, a left- hander, was left off the National League Division Series playoff roster because of the mishap.

That put the Dodgers at a disadvantage before the series even started, since the New York Mets -- who lead the series 2-0 and can advance to the NLCS with a win today at Dodger Stadium -- have so many left-handed hitters in their lineup.

``I'm not happy about it, and I'm sure a lot of people aren't happy about it,'' Tomko said. ``It comes down to respect for your teammates and realizing what's on the line. We worked hard to get here. ... There's plenty of time to go have fun. In my opinion, it was an inappropriate time to go out. It's just about being an adult and being responsible.''

Beimel, 29, must deal with his teammates and the fallout from his actions next season, according to Tomko.

Beimel, who was 2-1 with a 2.96 ERA in 62 appearances with the Dodgers, is arbitration eligible.

But if the Dodgers rally and win the series, this incident does not affect his chances to make the playoff roster, at least as far as general manager Ned Colletti is concerned.

``Not for me, but we do these things in concert,'' Colletti said.

Beimel left Colletti a message Thursday night, and the two talked Friday.

``He was very contrite,'' Colletti said. ``He admitted that he made a mistake. He said he knows he let his teammates down and the organization down. I told him I thought he let himself down. -- We can't turn back the hands of time. If anything else goes on, we will do it internally.''

Beimel was crucial to the Dodgers' bullpen. Brad Penny surely wouldn't have pitched in relief and subsequently been tagged with the loss in Game 1. Left-hander Mark Hendrickson, who struggled as a starter and was moved to the bullpen, has taken over Beimel's role. As for Dodgers manager Grady Little, Beimel isn't even on his radar.

``Mostly, we're disappointed,'' Little said. ``We're disappointed in what's happened here. But we can't -- it's like a 10-game win streak -- we can't look back on it. We have no time to waste on that right now. Our disappointment is unlimited.

``But we've got to continue going. We've got to go forward and we've got to go forward quickly. We have no time to waste on thinking about that right now.''

Most of Beimel's other teammates declined to comment on the new revelations. Nomar Garciaparra, who won't start today because of a tear in his left quadriceps muscle, echoed Little's sentiments.

``That is definitely disappointing to all of us,'' Garciaparra said. ``That is something he is going to have to deal with and live with more than the rest of us. We're all responsible for ourselves.

``We're all responsible for what we have to do to get ourselves prepared to play. He has been an integral part of our team throughout the whole year. But it's not one guy who is going to accomplish our goal. It has to be everybody.''

Beimel has pitched well as of late and had allowed just one earned run in his last 10 1/3 innings. His career hasn't gone as well, as he is 12-20 with a 4.71 ERA.

The way he handled this off-field incident might sting more than any bad outing.

``You can't be worried about going out and doing what you want to do instead of focusing on baseball,'' Tomko said. ``When all is said and done, it's about character.''

Tony Jackson contributed

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(color) Joe Beimel now admits he cut his hand in a bar, not in his hotel room.

Rich Pilling/Getty Images