BASEBALL : DAILY REPORT : AROUND THE MAJOR LEAGUES : Canseco Has Words With Heckler

Jose Canseco engaged in a heated verbal exchange with a fan taunting him about Madonna in the first inning of Monday night’s game at New York.

After Canseco lined out to left field with one out in the first, the Oakland right fielder walked to the box seats to the right of the A’s dugout, pointed at the fan and asked him to be quiet. The fan pointed back at Canseco as they argued.

According to a fan sitting near the scene, the fan said to Canseco: “Hey Jose, how’s Madonna? Where’s Esther?”

Canseco, whose wife’s name is Esther, had to be restrained. The fan was ejected for disorderly conduct.

On Saturday, the New York Post published photos of Canseco leaving the singer’s West Side apartment early Thursday morning.

After the game, Canseco, who had seven Madonna tapes on the shelf of his locker, talked only to Oakland beat writers, saying: “Don’t talk about (a player’s) family and mother.”

Canseco also said fans in right field threw bottles and apples at him.

Darren Daulton worked out at Veterans Stadium for the first time since an accident a week ago destroyed Philadelphia Phillie teammate Lenny Dykstra’s car and put both players in the hospital. “When you take a look at the car, we could have checked out very easily,” Daulton said quietly as he tried his hand at catching, hitting and running in hopes he can rejoin the team in a week or two. “I say my prayers now at night.”

Daulton said he felt pretty good and expects to be ready to play May 21.

Dykstra, a plaster cast protecting his collarbone and bandages wrapped around his chest, spoke privately with the Philadelphia Daily News and admitted he “screwed up big-time” in recalling the crash that occurred on a curve in Philadelphia’s western suburbs just five minutes from Dalton’s home.

“What happened was because of poor judgment on my part,” he said. “I not only hurt myself. I hurt the team. I hurt Darren Daulton. I hurt my family. I hurt the fans. I hurt everyone. They all took a fall because of me.”