Genovese, perhaps baseball's most notable living amateur scout, was sitting in the aging easy chair in his tiny North Hollywood home recently when he received a solemn phone call from one of his Dodgers bosses.

He was thereby informed that his annual part-time salary was being slashed.

From $18,000 to $8,000 -- a 56% pay cut.

Genovese nearly fell over his new cane.

"I knew with the divorce there might be trouble over there, but I never thought it would be like this," he said.

Genovese was told his salary was being whacked because of "budget cuts," and, sure, why not?