National League : Lasorda Has Enough Stories to Fill a Book . . . and That’s a Fact

Story-tellers: David Fisher, the New York writer who collaborated with Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda on his new book, “The Artful Dodger,” also teamed with ex-umpire Ron Luciano on two books (“The Umpire Strikes Back” and “Strike Two.”)

Asked if all of the anecdotes in Lasorda’s book were true, Fisher smiled and said:

“There are facts and there are baseball facts. Baseball facts are as you remember them.

“After dealing with Luciano and Lasorda, the line between reality and fiction tends to waver.”

Lasorda, Fisher said, needed some coaxing at first. “It was hard to get his attention,” Fisher said. “He keeps some distance between himself and writers.

“But I once wrote another book, ‘Joey,’ about a hitman. After working with him, Tommy was easy.”

Kiddie Corps: Here are the rookies to watch in ‘85--they may not all start the season in the majors, but they’ll get there:.

--SHAWON DUNSTON, shortstop, Cubs. A graduate of Thomas Jefferson High in Brooklyn, Dunston was the first player chosen in the 1982 draft, ahead of Dwight Gooden. Dunston, only 22, beat out Larry Bowa for the Cubs’ starting job at short, despite the fact that he made 58 errors last season in Class AA Midland and Triple-A Iowa. He also slipped to .233 at Des Moines after batting .329 at Midland, but the Cubs have seen enough to believe he’s ready.

--CHRIS BROWN, third baseman, Giants. The Giants have been disappointed with him this spring, but nonetheless, Brown--an L.A. native who played with Darryl Strawberry at Crenshaw High--has been given the starting job at third by new Manager Jim Davenport. Brown, 23, hit .286 in 23 games for the Giants last September after driving in 64 runs in just 84 games with Triple-A Phoenix.

--HERM WINNINGHAM, outfielder, Expos. Winningham, who came to the Expos from the Mets in the trade for Gary Carter, stole 23 bases in the minors last season but predicts he’ll keep up with Montreal teammate Tim Raines (75 steals in ‘84) on the basepaths. Winningham, 23, will play center field for the Expos. He hit .407 in 14 games last September for the Mets.

--SID BREAM, first baseman, Dodgers. For the last four seasons, the Dodgers have been content to wind Bream up, send him to the minors, and watch him bat over .300, hit home runs, and drive in runs. Last season, they passed over Bream to recall Franklin Stubbs, even though Bream was hitting over .400 at the time. Bream no longer is content to wait, and after an outstanding spring, he has forced the Dodgers to give him a shot at beating out Greg Brock.

--VINCE COLEMAN, outfielder, Cardinals. Two years ago, Coleman, a switch-hitter, broke all professional records by stealing 145 bases in the Class A South Atlantic League, despite missing 31 games with injuries. His batting average dropped 95 points last season when he was promoted to Triple-A Louisville, but he still stole 101 bases, breaking Raines’ American Assn. record by 24. The biggest problem for Coleman, 23, is that the Cardinals already have Willie McGee in center field.

--MIKE BIELECKI, pitcher, Pirates. A 6-3, 200-pound right-hander, Bielecki has a 39-11 minor league record since coming up with a forkball during the ’82 season. Last season, he was named Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America magazine after going 19-3 with a 2.97 ERA and 162 strikeouts in 188 innings for Hawaii.

--JOE HESKETH, pitcher, Expos. A 26-year-old left-hander, Hesketh missed the 1981 season and most of ’82 after undergoing elbow surgery. He has since recovered and last season went 12-3 and was named pitcher of the year in the American Assn. Called up by the Expos in August, Hesketh had a 1.80 ERA and struck out 32 in 45 innings.

--GLENN DAVIS, first baseman, Astros. In his four seasons of professional ball, Davis has hit 73 home runs with 317 RBIs and may be the power hitter Houston has long sought. Davis, the stepbrother of Baltimore’s Storm Davis, is 6-3, 210 pounds, and can drive the ball to all fields. He had two home runs and five doubles in 18 games for the Astros last season.

--STEVE JELTZ, shortstop, Phillies. With Ivan DeJesus having been traded to St. Louis Saturday, the Phillies are ready to make the switch to Jeltz, 25, who hit only .220 last season at Portland but made only one error in 28 games. One reporter calls Jeltz, 25, the winner in the Michael Jackson look-alike contest.