Dodgers' Bradley plays in wake of confrontation with reporter

ST. LOUIS -- Milton Bradley was back in the Los Angeles Dodgers' lineup Thursday, a day following a clubhouse confrontation between the outfielder and a reporter he called an "Uncle Tom."

Rich Levin, a spokesman for the commissioner's office, said major league baseball officials had made several telephone calls on the matter. Levin said there will not be an investigation.

"We're satisfied the two sides are working together to resolve the situation," Levin said in New York.

Several fans booed Bradley in each of his four plate appearances on Tuesday, when the Cardinals beat the Dodgers 8-3 in the opener of their best-of-five NL playoff series. That was Bradley's first game following a five-game suspension assessed for a bottle-throwing tantrum during a win over Colorado in Los Angeles.

Jason Reid of the Los Angeles Times asked Bradley on Wednesday about his treatment by St. Louis fans.

Bill Dwyre, the Times' sports editor, said several reporters in the Dodgers' clubhouse Wednesday said Bradley didn't like Reid's question. According to eyewitnesses and Reid's tape, Bradley said, "You're an Uncle Tom. You're a sellout."

Reid, who is black, took offense and began yelling at Bradley, who also is black, Dwyre said.

"We're terribly unhappy on how and why this happened," Dwyre said in a statement. "We back our reporter from every angle of this. We also agree with the Dodgers in the sense that this is something that can and will be worked out between these two people."

Bradley was not available for comment before Thursday's Game 2, and Reid declined to answer questions.

Bradley, speaking to Los Angeles' KCBS-TV on Wednesday, claimed Reid kept pushing the issue.

"He was just one of those guys who wants to keep harping on it," Bradley said. "I told him what I felt about the situation and I told him how I felt about how he was choosing to handle it."

Bradley said Reid "took offense to that and ... started getting physical with me" before being restrained as he was walking away "to leave the situation alone."

Lon Rosen, the Dodgers' executive vice president and chief marketing officer, said that "ultimately this is an issue that needs to be settled between the two individuals, and we will work with them toward that end."

"I think our focus here should be exactly what we're here for, that we're playing a very important baseball game today," Dodgers manager Jim Tracy said. "That's where the focus needs to stay. The situation where it wound up yesterday is something where the two individuals need to get worked out."

A Fox Sports Net Midwest television crew recorded the confrontation but erased it at the insistence of Dodgers spokesman John Olguin, FSN reporter Brent Stover said.

"What he said is, 'That tape is not going to leave the locker room. I'm going to watch you rewind it and I'm going to watch you record over it,"' Stover said.

Stover described the situation as threatening and intense, with several Dodgers players milling around. Complying with the request, he said, "felt like it was the best thing to do." Stover said he was concerned his media credentials might be revoked.

In a one-paragraph statement issued Thursday, Jack Donovan -- FSN Midwest's general manager and vice president -- said that footage of the incident was erased "in the heat of the moment."

"This was an intense locker-room situation, and it was a serious mistake to erase the video," Donovan said without elaborating.

When asked whether he expected to be disciplined by his employer, Stover said, "I've not heard that I would and don't plan to be."

Olguin said Thursday that he asked the tape be erased because the camera was panning the clubhouse as naked players were emerging from the shower. He said the request had nothing to do with the confrontation between Bradley and Reid.

Olguin said his comments to Stover were not threatening, that he simply asked for the tape, and Stover complied.

Bradley last week apologized for throwing the bottle and pledged to seek help for his anger problems. He was suspended for four games after tossing a bag of balls onto the field following an ejection on June 1.

Bradley hit .267 with 19 homers and 67 RBIs during the regular season.

"That has nothing to do with the team, so we're just focusing on winning ballgames," Dodgers closer Eric Gagne said. "That's not the first time it's happened and it won't be the last time, so we're just going to go on and take care of business and take care of baseball, get on the field and focus on baseball."