BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : Lasorda Has Some Advice for Russell

OK, Bill Russell conceded Tuesday, this isn’t going to be easy.

You don’t just step in and easily replace a guy who has managed the Dodgers the last 20 years, who is the the biggest sports celebrity in Los Angeles, and is considered baseball’s goodwill ambassador.

Tom Lasorda, realizing Russell’s difficult task in replacing him, provided just one piece of advice:

Be yourself.

“I told him that you can’t be me,� Lasorda said. “You can’t be [Walter] Alston. You can’t be [Leo] Durocher.

“You have to be Billy. I think he’ll do just fine.�

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The Dodgers continued to show interest Tuesday in center fielder Brian McRae of the Chicago Cubs, and dispatched one of their top scouts to Minnesota to explore the feasibility of acquiring one of Baltimore Oriole outfielders: Bobby Bonilla, Mike Devereaux or Luis Polonia.

“There isn’t anything I would term hot right now,� said Claire. “We have talked to a number of clubs but they continue to ask for a lot of our top prospects. I’m not sure what we’ll be able to produce.�

The trading deadline is at 9 p.m. tonight. Teams can still make trades through Aug. 31 before playoff rosters must be submitted, but players would have to first clear waivers, which frequently prevents trades.

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Dodger pitcher Chan Ho Park, who often referred to Lasorda as his American father, still had trouble believing that Lasorda had retired as Dodger Manager.

“I feel so sad,� Park said. “When I first came to this country, I would eat pasta in Tommy’s room. He treated me like a son. He taught me so much, how to throw my curveball, everything. I wouldn’t be in the major leagues without him.

“I know he’ll be around, and still be watching me.�

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The 30 games that Russell managed in Lasorda’s absence now will count on Russell’s record and not Lasorda’s, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. This leaves Lasorda with 1,599 career victories. “They should be under my jurisdiction, I was still the manager at the time,� Lasorda said. “Oh well, no big deal.�. . . . Dodger third baseman Mike Blowers, who is scheduled to undergo season-ending knee surgery Friday, met with his teammates for the first time since suffering the injury July 17 against the San Diego Padres.