Watson Takes Over as Dean of Discipline

Bob Watson was hired Thursday as baseball’s new dean of discipline and said he intends to further crack down when players and managers and coaches act out of line.

Watson replaces Frank Robinson, who increased fines and suspensions during his two years in charge of discipline for on-field conduct. Robinson became manager of the Montreal Expos last week.

“Baseball was way behind the times,” Watson said. “We were still in the 1960s and this was the year 2000. Things were dealt with in ‘60s numbers, all the way from fines to days of suspension.”

Watson, a former player, coach and general manager, sounded as if he would increase penalties for beanballs and on-field fights.

“It’s not going backward,” he said. “Baseball is still the most lax of all the major sports in the amount of dollars and maybe the days suspended.”

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