GM EVANS TUNING UP FOR RHAPSODY IN BLUE AS `CONDUCTOR,' HE'S GIVEN DODGERS NEW LOOK THIS SEASON.

Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer

VERO BEACH, Fla. - Dan Evans refuses to make any boastful predictions for the Dodgers this season. When facing a brewing controversy, he always takes the high road.

Evans, who shunned law school for baseball, is an administrative expert who finds loopholes in rules and manipulates a roster well but often is knocked for a perceived lack of talent for evaluating players' skills.

And he's exactly what the Dodgers wanted, and likely needed, in a general manager.

The Dodgers, who open the season today against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium, have a much different and cheaper roster than the one with which they won 86 games last season. Evans trimmed nearly $15 million from the payroll, traded its most productive player, overhauled the starting rotation and replaced three starting position players.

In the process, Evans, with assistance from confidant and senior vice president of baseball operations Dave Wallace, has changed the Dodgers' laughingstock image. Gone is the chaos surrounding the Fox regime. The organization is now calculating, patient, communicative and thorough. Evans considers long-range ramifications in every decision, including whether to order Diet Coke or water.

It is not the glitz and glamour one associates with Hollywood. Instead, it is quiet, intricate and unassuming. It is also a Dan Evans Production.

``I think (general manager) Dean Taylor of the Brewers said it best,'' Evans said. ``You're almost like a conductor of the orchestra. You're not really playing any of the instruments, but you know how you want the orchestra to sound. I can't play the cello, but I certainly know when I hear a good cellist, or a great orchestra. The conductor doesn't necessarily know how to play the bass, or the violin, but he certainly does know when the violin doesn't sound right.''

At this point, Evans is no Leopold Stokowski. Perhaps because he inherited a Dodgers organization that is no New York Philharmonic.

Another overhaul

Even with another organizational overhaul - eight players on the 25-man roster were acquired in the offseason - the Dodgers are far from a finely tuned instrument.

Burdensome contracts and a bare minor-league system presented little roster flexibility and challenged Evans to be creative in building a competitive team for this season without damaging future ones.

The Dodgers ended last season with a $115 million payroll. Evans chopped free agents Jeff Shaw, Chan Ho Park, Terry Adams and James Baldwin by not pursuing them in the offseason, then traded malcontent Gary Sheffield for clubhouse chemistry in Brian Jordan.

There is no established closer, something Evans thought they would have, and leadoff hitter Dave Roberts and shortstop Cesar Izturis, the No. 2 hitter, are inexperienced.

Although Evans trimmed 11.5 percent from the Dodgers' payroll, there is hope with a starting rotation of Kevin Brown, Hideo Nomo, Odalis Perez, Andy Ashby and Kazuhisa Ishii.

``There's no question we can be competitive this season,'' Evans said. ``Payroll isn't what determines how competitive you are. It's who you are paying.''

But Evans, 42, also is saddled with exorbitant contracts that many in the industry believe make those players untradable, including Mark Grudzielanek, Eric Karros, Darren Dreifort, Ashby and Brown, who are owed a combined $149 million.

Administrator vs. talent scout

Evans, who began his baseball career as an intern with the Chicago White Sox, interviewed for six general-manager jobs before joining the Dodgers as a senior advisor last May 31. He severed his 19-year relationship with the White Sox organization after being bypassed for the general manager's job in favor of Ken Williams after the 2000 season. Evans previously lost out to the likes of Seattle's Pat Gillick, Taylor and the Angels' Bill Stoneman, and each time for the same reason.

Evans wasn't considered a talent evaluator, though he had limited scouting experience. Understanding the impact this could have later on, one of Evans' former bosses with the Chicago White Sox, Ron Schueler, said he dispatched Evans to travel to their minor-league affiliates and scout them. It remains a little-known aspect of Evans' resume.

Wallace, who hired Evans last season and recommended him as general manager to Dodgers chairman Bob Daly and president Bob Graziano, found the contrary was true about Evans' talent-evaluation prowess.

``Sitting and watching a baseball game with him, he understands the game,'' Wallace said. ``A lot of guys on the administrative end of the game are so good at that end, but he's very well-rounded. Personality, organizational skills, understanding the game - that's a nice package.''

Yet, Evans wanted to be surrounded with plenty of baseball minds. So with the blessing and the money from Daly and Graziano, Evans established an elaborate support staff.

One of the first calls Evans made in regards to filling out the front office was to New York Yankees general manager and close friend Brian Cashman, who stressed the importance of having trusted and competent assistants and a strong support staff. That echoed what former White Sox general manager Roland Hemond, Evans' first boss in baseball, said about trusting scouts and others.

Cashman relies heavily on Gene Michael, vice president of major-league scouting, and Mark Newman, senior vice president of baseball operations, and Evans wanted something similar.

``I was surprised it took Dan so long to become (a general manager),'' Cashman said. ``I'm an administrator. I've never scouted. It's my job to pool all the different information and put it together and make a decision. That's what I do.''

Evans is following a similar path. He brought in former big-league managers John Boles and Terry Collins, former Dodgers coach Joe Amalfitano and ex-Angels general manager Bill Bavasi, who will try to overhaul the deficient minor-league system.

``He is very thorough,'' Schueler said. ``He will think things through and I think he'll do a good job there. The one thing I think he needs to do is maybe add another major-league scout to really help in that area, but he'll do what needs to be done.''

Evans instituted policy changes, such as each scout was required to scout the Dodgers. But before that could happen, Evans revamped the scouting department.

Using a format similar to the Yankees but one Evans said he developed three years ago when he interviewed for Seattle's general manager's job, he broke the scouting department into three branches - international, professional and amateur - and hired or promoted accordingly.

``I saw the cabinet (President George W.) Bush had,'' Evans said. ``I'm very impressed with politics and I follow politics very closely, and when Bush was putting his cabinet together, I remembered that he said, 'I didn't want people that were my friends, I wanted the best possible people.'

``So he brings in Colin Powell. He brings in Condoleezza Rice. He brings in Dick Chaney. He brings in all these people that are just brilliant people. And I looked at that and said, 'You know what? I know it's a different forum, but it works in any business. If you have the best people, you're going to have the best answers.''

Evans also hired former White Sox colleague Kim Ng, who spent the past four seasons with the Yankees in the offseason as assistant general manager. Former general manager Kevin Malone had none.

Communication

When the Dodgers traded reliever Matt Herges to Montreal for minor-leaguers Guillermo Mota and Wilkin Ruan this spring, Evans called each scout that worked on the deal and thanked them.

Left fielder Brian Jordan experienced the same comfort in talking with Evans. Jordan, who lives near Atlanta, felt shunned and was upset about being traded from Atlanta in the Gary Sheffield trade Jan. 15.

Already feeling the heat from harsh public criticism from the disgruntled Sheffield, the last thing Evans needed was Jordan professing his displeasure about joining the Dodgers. The night of the trade Evans and Jordan had a lengthy phone conversation.

``He immediately eased my mind,'' Jordan said. ``I felt comfortable right away in talking with him. He was telling me what direction they wanted to go in, and that was great. For him to share that with me, talk about the direction of the club. That's pretty good.''

Evans won't embarrass the organization with flamboyant statements. His long-range plan is to initiate financial stability to an o runaway payroll, and won't compromise the integrity of the organization for a couple of laughs.

Also, his peers, themselves creatures to the 16-hour work day, marvel at his work ethic and stamina, which is something he will need. Although Evans reworked the roster this offseason, his work toward re-establishing the glory of the organization and trust of the fans might only be beginning.

``We've got to get it to the point where we're the envy of baseball,'' Evans said. ``I want to get it to the point where people want to work for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and that's got to be one of our goals as an organization.''

SEASON OPENER

Dodgers vs. San Francisco

Today, 1:05 p.m.

--TV: Ch. 13

DODGERS vs. SAN FRANCISCO

Time: 1:05 p.m., Dodger Stadium.

TV/Radio: Ch. 13; 1150-AM, 1330-AM (Spanish).

Dodgers update: The Dodgers begin the 2002 season with RH Kevin Brown (10-4, 2.65 ERA) facing Giants RH Livan Hernandez (13-15, 5.24). It will be Brown's first start in a home opener since 1999 but his third season-opening start in four years with the Dodgers. Brown is 8-1 with a 1.86 ERA in 12 career games against the Giants. Hernandez went 1-4 with a 6.10 ERA in six starts against the Dodgers last season. He allowed eight homers and 46 hits in 38 1/3 innings. The game also marks the Dodgers debuts of CF Dave Roberts, SS Cesar Izturis and LF Brian Jordan. Wednesday - Dodgers RH Hideo Nomo (13-10, 4.50) vs. Giants RH Russ Ortiz (17-9, 3.29); Thursday - Dodgers LH Odalis Perez (7-8, 4.91) vs. Giants RH Ryan Jensen (1-2, 4.25).

- Brian Dohn

CAPTION(S):

photo, 2 boxes

Photo:

(color) New general manager Dan Evans has fashioned a much different and cheaper Dodgers lineup from last season's team.

Box:

(1) SEASON OPENER (see text)

(2) DODGERS vs. SAN FRANCISCO (see text)