THESE ARE NOT DAD'S DODGERS.

Byline: STEVE DILBECK

There they go again, making another change in the name of ``Dodger tradition.'' Axing off another head to create ``stability within the organization.''

Team Chaos was still trying to ``build a foundation'' on Friday by finally, officially, ending their ``working relationship'' with manager Davey Johnson.

Maybe never have so many ridiculous catch phrases been uttered in a single news conference.

Johnson is this season's fall guy, and we don't mean he'll be appearing on the latest silly Fox sitcom. Bill Russell, Glenn Hoffman and Fred Claire have all gone before him. No doubt, others will soon follow.

The Dodgers remain a structural quagmire, which is the wrong ground from which to build a solid foundation.

It's been this way ever since Peter O'Malley announced he was selling to Rupert Murdoch prior to the `98 season. The Dodgers haven't been your father's team since, or anyone else's that can be determined.

From a family-run organization to corporate overload. From a team and organization you felt you knew and were familiar with to a constant shuffle in the clubhouse and front office.

It's hard to even be sure who even owns the Dodgers these days. The News Corporation, the Fox Group, Fox Entertainment, Murdoch? Who really makes the final call - Kevin Malone, Bob Graziano, Robert Daly, Chase Carey, Peter Chernin, Murdoch, Nancy Bea Hefley?

For all we know, Murdoch thinks a sacrifice fly is some virginal insect offered to the baseball gods. The team has been a disappointing mess since Murdoch decided they might make good programming.

Recognizing the suits had turned the team into a laughing-stock, the Fox types tried to step into the shadows a year ago by naming Daly the managing partner and CEO. Now you can't find Murdoch, News Corp. or any of the Fox types even mentioned in the media guide.

Admittedly, a year isn't much time to judge anyone new on the job. And, boy, is this new for Daly. Yet there was something unnervingly familiar about Friday's news conference, as rhetoric flowed from Daly, Graziano and Malone.

Said Graziano: ``Although at times it may appear that there is continual change and constant change, at least from my perspective, the changes we're making today are to take us to the next level.''

Graziano has been saying this for three years now.

To his credit, Malone showed up at the news conference. He took his seat at the table with Daly and Graziano. Sort of Dead Man Sitting.

Malone's bravado was long gone. He could not possibly have looked more sheepish. A young boy caught doing something wrong, and now sucking it up and facing the wrath.

Malone admitted he had contributed to the organizational problems this season, apologized even. He blamed his critical comments toward Johnson on his passion to win.

``Everyone in this room who knows me, knows I'm not a very good loser,'' Malone said. ``I think I've learned that I have to keep that to myself, be professional with losing, and not be critical of anyone. It's just not helpful, and I want to be more positive.''

You waited for Daly to send him to his room.

Daly several times called himself ``naive'' for the way he handled Johnson's firing. Several other times he mentioned how this season has been a ``learning experience'' for him.

The high-profile Dodgers, of course, are the wrong organization with which to go through on-the-job training. Los Angeles is the wrong city.

Daly's experience is in running a movie studio. Graziano was an accountant at Ernst & Young. Carey started at Price Waterhouse. Chernin started in cable TV. Murdoch, heaven help us, started as a newspaper man.

No one exactly familiar with that ``Dodger tradition.''

This multilayered front office was supposedly streamlined when Daly was put in charge and sold a small piece of the team, but one year later and it's still an organization in disarray.

``This has been a tremendous learning experience for me . . . actually not having a lot of experience in baseball, other than being a passionate fan,'' Daly said. ``Yes, I would have done things different. My speaking out on the subject, maybe caused some more tension than needed to happen.''

For the moment, there's little reason to believe things are about to undergo some miraculous change of order and calm. Daly basically said Malone was spared because of the fine job he's done rebuilding the farm system - you know, the decimated one that produced a record five consecutive NL Rookies of the Year before Fox showed up.

What proven manager would want to come into this unstable situation, particularly since one more poor season could likely mean the end of Malone?

The Dodgers as an organization still appear unfocused. Daly said Malone would be primarily in charge of the new manager search. Then, incredulously, Malone said he he had no list of qualities or characteristics on which to base his search because there was no list of candidates.

You just hope he didn't use this backward logic in searching for his wife.

Apparently fearing what Malone might say in private, for the first time in memory, the Dodgers would not allow anyone to be interviewed one-on-one after the news conference.

Such a stable foundation. For now, they remain the anti-Dodgers, a dysfunctional organization in search of itself.

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo:

Dodgers CEO Bob Daly, left, and president Bob Graziano made it official Friday - Davey Johnson is done.

Nick Ut/Associated Press