Only One Thing Distracted From a Great Opening Day

Maybe it was the festivities surrounding opening day. Maybe it was the murals of former Dodger greats on the outfield wall. Maybe it was the chance finally to see their new boss, Rupert Murdoch, even if he came no closer to them than the owner’s box three levels above the field.

Whatever, something Tuesday distracted the Dodgers from their distraction.

No one seemed bothered about Mike Piazza’s stalled contract negotiations except for the thousands, or maybe tens of thousands, of fans who booed him before and after each time he batted.

The Dodgers gave them little else to boo.

Starting pitcher Chan Ho Park yielded one run, unearned. Three relievers yielded none. Eight of nine Dodger starters, including Park, contributed at least one hit. They beat the Arizona Diamondbacks, 9-1.

Even the weather surpassed expectations. The forecasters said a morning rain would be followed by a cold and damp afternoon, but, in retrospect, the worst they will be able to say about the game was that it was played under scattered clouds.

Only one appeared ominous.

That was the one hovering over Piazza.

Dodger executive vice president Fred Claire could see it coming before the game. As one of the front office officials involved in negotiations with Piazza’s agent, Dan Lozano, Claire admitted he’s frustrated.

“Sometimes I have to run a little farther than I usually do,” said Claire, who doesn’t like jogging in place.

But even if it appears the Dodgers are winning in the court of public opinion, Claire said he would be disappointed if the fans booed Piazza.

“Nothing is more important to us than our players,” Claire said. “My hope is that he’s cheered just the way he deserves to be cheered.”

He received cheers. If you listened closely, you could almost hear them among the boos.

Of course, Piazza didn’t help his cause with one hit in four at bats. Through five games, he’s hitting .200 with one extra-base hit and no RBIs.

After the game, he did to his drums what he hasn’t been able to do to opposing pitchers, hitting them hard, before returning to his locker to meet the press.

“You don’t like it,” he said when asked about the boos. “But I was just trying to concentrate on my job. I’ve got a lot of responsibilities out there. That’s all there is to it. Everything else has to stay in the background.

“If [fans] are upset a little bit, that’s fine. I’m sorry for that. But I’m not the first guy in baseball [to be booed] and probably not the last.”

Indeed, fans usually side with management, whether it’s Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio against the Yankees or Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale against the Dodgers.

Piazza recalled Tuesday going to games in Veterans Stadium while growing up near Philadelphia and hearing Phillie fans boo Mike Schmidt.

“I was one of the fans sticking up for him,” Piazza said.

But while Piazza understands baseball history, it’s likely Murdoch does not. Paul Beeston, major league baseball’s president, said before Tuesday’s game he wasn’t sure whether Murdoch had ever even attended one before.

He probably knows even less about the game than the Fox network’s star lawyer, Ally McBeal.

Congratulating a friend on Monday night’s episode for a promotion that would take him to Chicago, she said she knew he would like the cupboards she’s heard so much about.

“I think you mean the Cubs,” he said.

Murdoch, however, knows plenty about business. It’s likely that he at least inquired of his operatives in O’Malley’s box Tuesday about the reason the Dodgers’ No. 1 asset was booed by Dodger fans.

If they told him the same thing they’re telling the press, the key word was stalemate.

The Dodgers and Piazza agree that he should be baseball’s highest-paid player after his current two-year, $15-million contract expires at the end of this season. The dispute is over how much higher he should be paid than any other player.

The Dodgers are believed to have offered six years at more than $13 million per, a total package close to $79 million. Piazza is believed to want seven years and a total package of $100 million.

That’s enough of a difference that both sides have talked about postponing further negotiations until the end of the season.

Piazza issued a final statement Tuesday.

“The only thing I’ll say is that I wish it had been done before the season,” he said. “That’s it. I’m out of the loop now.”

For those keeping score, that’s the third final statement by Piazza within the last nine days.

One can only hope he means it this time, that his contract won’t continue being a distraction for him and won’t become one for his teammates.

But to make sure, Murdoch should intervene now. Let Piazza have the distinction as the first $100-million player. If Murdoch doesn’t, an owner like George Steinbrenner in New York, Peter Angelos in Baltimore or Jerry McMorris in Colorado will.

After Tuesday’s experience with baseball, Murdoch should be in a generous mood.

The Dodgers scored five runs in the fourth inning and came back in the fifth with back-to-back home runs, including one by Thomas Howard that looked like a lazy fly until it got caught in the wind and drifted over the right-field fence. It was just like watching a game in Wrigley Field.

Go cupboards.