BASEBALL / SPRING TRAINING REPORT : Blyleven Cut; Valenzuela Not

Bert Blyleven is out, and Fernando Valenzuela is in.

Blyleven, 13 victories short of 300, was cut by the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday, while Valenzuela secured a spot on the Baltimore Orioles’ opening-day roster.

After getting the bad news from Twin Manager Tom Kelly, Blyleven said: “I still, deep down, think that I can pitch at the major league level. But if I can’t pitch for the Minnesota Twins, then I don’t want to pitch for anybody.

“I’ve heard people say the Florida Marlins are interested. Well, there are kids there that have the dream of pitching in the majors and why should some 42-year-old guy who hasn’t been in camp with them come in and take their spot?”

Blyleven, who turns 42 Tuesday, is 287-250 with a 3.31 earned-run average. He ranks third with 3,701 strikeouts, eighth with 685 starts, ninth with 60 shutouts and 13th with 4,970 1/3 innings.

He was trying to make the team as a nonroster player after being released by the Angels. He tore his rotator cuff in 1990 and sat out all of 1991 before coming back in 1992, when he was 8-12.

As for Valenzuela, it became apparent he had made the Orioles after pitcher Anthony Telford was put on waivers and reliever Brad Pennington was sent to the minors, leaving a 10-man staff.

Valenzuela signed a minor league contract with Baltimore in February, then pitched 14 scoreless innings to solidify his bid to return to the majors after a one-year absence.

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Jesse Jackson announced that a protest at the Orioles’ opening-day game at Camden Yards will launch a nationwide campaign to change major league baseball’s hiring practices. He urged local ministers to organize bus caravans to transport at least 1,000 people to the demonstration.

Jackson said whites hold 93% of the Orioles’ front office “power positions.”

Jackson also said that baseball’s plan to increase minority involvement is too vague and sets forth no overall plan or timetable.

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The families of Steve Olin and Tim Crews will receive more than $1 million each in death benefits under the terms of a plan agreed to by the Major League Baseball Players Assn.

Also, the jerseys of the two Cleveland pitchers killed in a boating accident will be presented to their widows and parents at the Indians’ opening-day game against the Yankees on Monday.

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The San Diego Padres bid farewell to Yuma, Ariz., their spring training home for 25 years.

San Diego has trained at Yuma since its expansion season of 1969. Beginning next spring, the Padres will share a complex with the Seattle Mariners at the Phoenix suburb of Peoria.

Bret Boone, expected to be the Seattle Mariners’ starting second baseman, was optioned to triple-A Calgary. Boone hit .206 in 22 spring games. . . . The St. Louis Cardinals traded right-hander Mark Clark and shortstop Juan Andujar to the Indians for outfielder Mark Whiten, who figures to battle Brian Jordan and Ozzie Canseco for playing time in right field.