DODGERS : No Retribution if Minor Leaguers Won’t Play

The Dodgers promised their minor league players Tuesday that no one would be fined or suspended for refusing to play in exhibition games.

“We wanted to ease their fears and anxieties,” said Charlie Blaney, director of minor league operations. “This isn’t their fault. You can blame us or the union, but you certainly can’t blame them.”

Said catcher Ryan Luzinski, son of former major league All-Star Greg Luzinski, “The meeting cleared up a lot of things for us. Before, we were wondering, ‘If the Dodgers want us playing in games, how can you say no?’ Now, they’ve made it easy for us to say no.”

The club had wanted to wait until the last week of March before signing players to replacement contracts. Now, though, their deadline has been moved to March 2, the opening of the exhibition season, because of the union’s decree that anyone playing in an exhibition game will be considered a replacement player.

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Manager Tom Lasorda doesn’t know everyone in camp. When he spotted a flaw in pitcher Rich Linares’ delivery, he started instructing him in Spanish. Linares looked confused.

Finally, minor league pitching coach Luis Tiant realized what was happening, laughed and said, “Tommy, he don’t speak Spanish.”

Linares, 22, a Los Angeles native, speaks English.

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Puerto Rican pitcher Rafael Montalvo, who last played in the United States three years ago while in the Angel organization, said he will become a strikebreaker.

Montalvo spent the last three seasons making $8,000 a month in Mexico, supporting a wife and four children. He can earn $30,000 in bonuses and severance pay by becoming a replacement player.