DISTRACTION DISMISSED OFF-THE-FIELD CONTROVERSIES COST MALONE.

Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer

SAN FRANCISCO - Kevin Malone's penchant for becoming involved in off-field controversy led to his resignation as general manager, team officials said during a noontime conference call Thursday.

Dodgers chairman Bob Daly said Malone was a ``lightning rod'' for controversy and acknowledged an attempt to repair Malone's public reputation was a fruitless endeavor because ``he would take three steps forward and then five back.''

Daly added that first-year manager Jim Tracy, hired by Malone to replace Davey Johnson on Nov. 1, has unwavering support from the organization.

Malone is replaced in the interim by Dave Wallace, the longtime pitching guru whose most recent title was special assistant to the general manager. Wallace flew from his Massachusetts home to Los Angeles and will be at Dodger Stadium today. A search for a permanent replacement is under way; Cleveland's John Hart and Oakland's Billy Beane are the top candidates.

``I think there were just times that (Malone) would say something, or did something, that would cause a distraction,'' Daly said. ``It had nothing to do with the players on the field or anything else. It just had to do with, sometimes, he would walk into a mine field. I've been criticized since I've been here for being so supportive of Kevin.

``I believe you look at people, you look at what their strengths are and you look at what they need help in. And if you believe that they have good strengths, you try to work on other areas that need help. And I tried to do that, but as I said, he would take three steps forward and then five back.''

Malone's ouster and Wallace's appointment as interim general manager were reported Wednesday.

``I found myself always in the middle of trying to explain certain things that I shouldn't have had to explain,'' Daly said. ``And that had to do mostly with off-the-field situations.''

Numerous messages left at Malone's house were not returned. Instead, Malone read a statement at Dodger Stadium and also recorded it on his office voice mail.

``Throughout my career I've played with passion, both on the field and in the front office,'' Malone said in the statement. ``That passion has, I'm sure, annoyed some, been misunderstood by others, but respected by those who know me best. It is precisely because of that lifelong commitment and passion that I now wish to withdraw from the Dodgers organization.

``I do not intend to, nor will I, allow my critics or my personal standing to overshadow or obscure my belief and investment in the Dodgers players or the organization's promise to its fans. I absolutely refuse to allow myself to become a distraction from the goals that I and these coaches and players have established.''

Daly said Malone agreed to resign, but sources said it was forced and came only after the organization told Malone he would be fired if he didn't resign. Hired Sept. 11, 1998, Malone was in the third year of a four-year contract that paid him $500,000 annually. He'll receive the remaining portion of the deal, valued slightly under $1 million.

During his two-plus seasons, the Dodgers were 170-168. They failed to make the playoffs in both of his full seasons and began the 2001 campaign with a National League-record $109 million payroll.

``I talked to him briefly and he was down,'' Tracy said. ``I think that he felt bad about the situation. He admitted to me there were some mistakes that he made, and if the situation came up again there were some things he may have done differently.''

While Malone's run-in with a fan in San Diego pushed Daly over the brink when it came to public embarrassments, Daly made it clear it was Malone's history of public-relations gaffes that made the move necessary.

The fiasco started for the Dodgers less than a month after he was hired:

--Malone went on the radio and proclaimed, ``There's a new sheriff in town,'' giving himself a nickname that would stick for more than two years.

--During spring training in 1999, Malone quasi-joked the Yankees needed Roger Clemens to face the Dodgers in the World Series and also compared Kevin Brown's $105 million record contract to that of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier.

--During the 2000 All-Star break, Malone ripped then-manager Davey Johnson for his style of managing and not being forceful enough in establishing fundamentals. The two barely spoke thereafter.

--This past November, Malone left an unflattering message on the answering machine of Santa Ana Mater Dei High basketball player Jamal Sampson, a UCLA recruit who ultimately signed with Cal. It touched off a Pac-10 investigation. A close friend of UCLA basketball coach Steve Lavin, Malone claimed the call had been meant as a joke for a travel-ball coach but that Lavin had misdialed his cell phone.

--Shedding his nickname as the Sheriff, Malone said he should be called ``Dodger Boy'' during a radio interview in March.

--The string of embarrassments ended when Malone argued with Padres fan Jim Esterbrooks, who was heckling Dodgers left fielder Gary Sheffield. Esterbrooks called Malone ``Dodger Boy,'' and Malone responded by challenging him to a fight, Esterbrooks said.

``The resignation came out of a conversation (president) Bob (Graziano) and I had with Kevin about the team and all of the distractions,'' Daly said. ``I think in a very short period of time Kevin came around to the fact that he did not want to stand in the way in what he considered to be a very good season on our part, and he really believed that he was a distraction and we agreed with that. We were in total agreement with that.

``We're looking for a franchise and we're looking for an organization that concentrates on baseball, winning baseball, and no person, even though they don't mean to be, can be bigger than the organization as far as being a lighting rod.''

Malone also had his share of on-field fiascoes, particularly high-profile trades and free-agent contracts and extensions that failed.

He traded defensive-minded catcher Charles Johnson in a three-team deal for Todd Hundley, who was coming off reconstructive elbow surgery. He signed Brown to an industry-angering $105 million contract and signed Devon White and Carlos Perez to lucrative contracts totaling $28.5 million. White and Perez turned out to be busts.

``It's just something else you have to deal with,'' Dodgers left fielder Gary Sheffield said. ``We said that would be it (with the distractions) when they got a new manager. It's just one more thing you have to go through.''

While Malone had many critics throughout the industry, one thing that couldn't be questioned was Malone's work ethic and desire to build a winning organization.

``We've had a very open communication and discussions with each other,'' Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. ``Now that he's not the general manager of the Dodgers, I'll keep in touch. He's a friend, a good man. I know he gave 110 percent. It didn't work out. I don't think anybody could question his desire and what he put into it. I'll give him some time and then reach out to him at the opportune time.''

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(color) Kevin Malone leaves Dodger Stadium after resigning as the Dodgers' general manager.

Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer