Slurring Sutcliffe has mic turned off during visit to Padres booth

Vasgersian tried to steer the conversation to baseball, but Sutcliffe persisted.

"No, no, no, Matty -- everybody on Earth has been trying to steal you -- the Dodgers, the Cubs, ESPN. What are you still doing here?"

Sutcliffe's microphone apparently was cut off then, because a voice in the background can be heard saying: "They turned it off."

Sutcliffe couldn't be reached for comment on Thursday. ESPN executives declined comment, spokeswoman Diane Lamb said.

Nichols said Sutcliffe "used remarkably poor judgment. I'm embarrassed. I'm embarrassed for the Channel 4 team, and I'm embarrassed for the viewers. They're trying to watch the latest win. This is all I'm talking about today. The focus should have been on that win."

Nichols said the station received dozens of e-mails and phone calls about the interview.

Based on Sutcliffe's background, "under any other circumstance, I think any other broadcast booth in the world would have invited him in," Nichols said. "He started talking about things that weren't of interest. It wasn't what we wanted on the air."

After Wednesday night's game, Sutcliffe and Murray visited the Padres' clubhouse.

When Sutcliffe introduced Murray to infielder Mark Bellhorn, who was seated, the actor hugged the infielder tightly and the two tumbled onto the ground.

"You were a Cub!" Murray said.

Sutcliffe won the NL Rookie of the Year in 1979 with the Dodgers and the Cy Young in 1984, the year his Cubs lost to the Padres in the NL Championship Series.