BASEBALL DAILY REPORT

Kevin Kennedy, the former Dodger manager at triple-A Albuquerque, would not comment on the report that his recent resignation was hastened because of a feud with Dodger farm director Charlie Blaney.

“All the people around the system had a pretty good idea of how I felt. Let’s just leave it at that,” Kennedy said recently from his Phoenix home.

Kennedy said he had received permission from the Dodgers to seek a major league job before this season. With the two expansion teams scheduled to begin hiring, he wanted to make himself available.

“The main thing is, I want a major league job, and it was obvious that with everything going so well in Los Angeles, there wasn’t going to be any turnover for a couple of years,” Kennedy said. “So I felt it was time to go.”

Blaney, who some say stresses winning to the point where it hinders development, has conflicted with others on this matter.

Minor league officials are still talking about a move made by Blaney when the season ended for Class-A Bakersfield. Blaney sent top catching prospect Mike Piazza to assist Class-A Vero Beach (Fla.) in the Florida State League playoffs.

Florida State League officials learned of the move shortly before Piazza took the field, and ruled against it. Piazza spent the three-game series with West Palm Beach on the bench.

“We had just sent two pitchers from Bakersfield to Vero to replace injured players, so we also sent Piazza to replace a rookie,” Blaney said. “Other teams had done the same thing.”

Kennedy’s replacement could come from candidates that include Dodger major league scout Phil Regan, instructor Reggie Smith and major league coach Joe Ferguson.