Bob Schaefer

Bob Schaefer sits in a quiet dugout on one of those glorious baseball afternoons in Chavez Ravine, staring out at a gleaming stadium slowly filling with the clatter of dirt-caked groundskeepers, smiling peanut hawkers and grim security toughs. "I've done that," he says. Which part? He smiles and shrugs. "All of it," he says. The Dodgers bench coach has been more than just the guy with the fungo bat and stopwatch and sweaty sleeve from throwing a basket of balls.

Clayton Kershaw , Manager Joe Torre and bench coach Bob Schaefer drew suspensions for the parts they played in the brushback war between the Dodgers and San Francisco Giants on Tuesday night. Kershaw was suspended for five games and fined an undisclosed amount, as the officiating crew and commissioner's office believed he deliberately threw at Aaron Rowand in the seventh inning. Kershaw is appealing the punishment and his suspension will be put on hold until the appeals process is complete.

The Kansas City Royals, who lavished more than $33 million on free agents the past two years without rising higher than next to last in the American League West, on Wednesday fired Manager John Wathan. Coach Bob Schaefer was named interim manager on his 47th birthday. General Manager Herk Robinson said a permanent replacement will be named as early as Friday.

The benching of Matt Kemp this week resulted in part from an argument he had with bench coach Bob Schaefer on Saturday, according to team sources. In the first inning of the 9-4 victory over the New York Yankees that day, Derek Jeter drew a leadoff walk and stole second base. Because Kemp wasn't backing up the bag, Jeter was able to advance to third base when catcher Russell Martin made an errant throw. When Schaefer later reminded Kemp of what he should have done on the play, Kemp responded by saying that he was playing too deep to get there in time.

Clayton Kershaw , Manager Joe Torre and bench coach Bob Schaefer drew suspensions for the parts they played in the brushback war between the Dodgers and San Francisco Giants on Tuesday night. Kershaw was suspended for five games and fined an undisclosed amount, as the officiating crew and commissioner's office believed he deliberately threw at Aaron Rowand in the seventh inning. Kershaw is appealing the punishment and his suspension will be put on hold until the appeals process is complete.

The benching of Matt Kemp this week resulted in part from an argument he had with bench coach Bob Schaefer on Saturday, according to team sources. In the first inning of the 9-4 victory over the New York Yankees that day, Derek Jeter drew a leadoff walk and stole second base. Because Kemp wasn't backing up the bag, Jeter was able to advance to third base when catcher Russell Martin made an errant throw. When Schaefer later reminded Kemp of what he should have done on the play, Kemp responded by saying that he was playing too deep to get there in time.

Tim Wallach, the Dodgers' highly regarded triple-A manager, has signed a contract to be on the major league coaching staff next year. Wallach's role under Manager Don Mattingly has not been determined, according to a baseball source who spoke under the condition of anonymity because the Dodgers haven't made an announcement. With Mattingly taking over the managerial post vacated by Joe Torre, the Dodgers coaching staff is expected to undergo some changes. Bench coach Bob Schaefer said he told Mattingly he would not be back.

Four coaches, including Hal McRae, who passed up an offer to become Kansas City's manager late last season, will not return in 1988, the Royals announced Thursday. Leaving with McRae are pitching coach Gary Blaylock, third base coach Jose Martinez and first base coach Joe Jones. Only bullpen coach Jim Schaffer and Ed Napoleon will return to Manager John Wathan's staff.

Dodger Stadium will be turned into a circus of sorts today for the Dodgers' home opener, decorated with flags and roamed by stilt walkers and face painters. What is likely to be an over-the-top ceremony will precede the first pitch Chad Billingsley throws against the San Francisco Giants. But the truly absurd already took place Sunday in Arizona, where Manager Joe Torre manufactured a run with his voice when the Dodgers had trouble doing so with their bats.

Jake Peavy was a unanimous winner of the NL Cy Young Award on Thursday after leading the league in wins, earned-run average and strikeouts -- pitching's version of a Triple Crown. The San Diego Padres ace received all 32 first-place votes and finished with 160 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Assn. of America. Arizona sinkerballer Brandon Webb, last year's winner, was a distant runner-up with 94 points. He was listed second on 31 ballots and third on one.

Bob Schaefer sits in a quiet dugout on one of those glorious baseball afternoons in Chavez Ravine, staring out at a gleaming stadium slowly filling with the clatter of dirt-caked groundskeepers, smiling peanut hawkers and grim security toughs. "I've done that," he says. Which part? He smiles and shrugs. "All of it," he says. The Dodgers bench coach has been more than just the guy with the fungo bat and stopwatch and sweaty sleeve from throwing a basket of balls.

The Kansas City Royals, who lavished more than $33 million on free agents the past two years without rising higher than next to last in the American League West, on Wednesday fired Manager John Wathan. Coach Bob Schaefer was named interim manager on his 47th birthday. General Manager Herk Robinson said a permanent replacement will be named as early as Friday.

Joe Mays has had some success, but this was the big breakout he and the Minnesota Twins were waiting for after his recovery from elbow surgery that kept him off the mound for 18 months. Mays gave up seven hits in his first complete game in nearly three years, pitching Minnesota past the Toronto Blue Jays, 4-0, on Thursday at Minneapolis. Mays sat through a long rally by his teammates in the sixth inning, and the Twins were concerned about how he would emerge.

Angel Berroa reported to the Dodgers on Saturday intent on making up for lost time. The 2003 rookie of the year, Berroa spent most of the last two years with the Kansas City Royals' triple-A affiliate in Omaha. The addition of the 30-year old middle infielder, who was acquired Friday for class-A infielder Juan Rivera, forced the Dodgers to designate reserve third baseman Terry Tiffee for assignment to make room on their active and 40-man roster.