DODGERS : Lasorda to Worrell: ‘You’ll Be Our Closer’

Todd Worrell walked into the Dodger clubhouse Friday morning and barely had time to pour himself a cup of coffee before he was summoned by Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda.

Lasorda had news for him.

“I told Todd that he’s going to be the closer on our team,” Lasorda said. “It’s that simple.

“This guy can be the real key to the success of our ballclub. This guy saved a lot of ballgames in his career, and he’ll do it again.”

The problem, of course, is that Worrell never has done it since signing a three-year, $9.3-million contract in December 1992. He was injured for most of 1993 and saved only five games. Last year, he was physically sound but saved only 11 games and blew a league-leading eight games.

He was Dodger fans’ favorite villain, being blamed for the bullpen’s failure and ridiculed for his arguments with Lasorda. He stopped talking briefly to reporters, and now he’s seeking tranquillity.

“It seems like the negative things have pulled me down ever since I’ve been in L.A.,” said Worrell, the team’s highest-paid player at $4.5 million. “It wears you down. After a while, you start believing what people are saying.

“You toe the rubber, have all these doubts going on in your head, and before you know it, they come true.”

Worrell, 35, spent the winter in St. Louis, trying to analyze what has gone wrong. He realized that he was allowing the criticism to ruin him.

“I’ve decided I’m going to change my attitude and mental approach,” Worrell said. “You have to be egotistical out there, and that’s what I’m going to be. You’ve got to feel like you’re the best, even if you don’t have your best stuff.

“I really want to perform well, not to prove anybody wrong, or use what people say as motivation, but for myself.

“I want to continue pitching for a few more years, and I’d like to do it in L.A.”

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Upon hearing that former Dodger second baseman Steve Sax was running for a seat in the state Assembly and that former outfielder Pedro Guerrero was hired as a player/coach by the Angels, Lasorda said:

“Wow, I’ve seen it all now. Guerrero coaching and Saxy running for state legislature. What’s happening to this country? Wow!”

Sax’s candidacy reminded Lasorda of the time the Dodgers were playing in San Francisco and Sax was talking to a fan behind the dugout. Lasorda asked Sax who he was talking to.

Sax: “I was my talking to my brother-in-law.”

Lasorda: “I didn’t know that was your brother-in-law.”

Sax: “Yeah, he married my cousin.”

“That’s the honest-to-God’s truth,” Lasorda said.

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The Dodgers signed third baseman Dave Hansen to a one-year, $325,000 contract with the promise that he’ll receive more playing opportunities than his 44 at-bats last season. . . . Starter Ramon Martinez was officially offered arbitration, and catcher Carlos Hernandez was given the option of accepting a one-year contract or receiving arbitration rights. . . . Roger Cedeno and Rick Gorecki also were signed to one-year, $109,000 contracts if they reach the big leagues. . . . The Dodgers no longer have an interest in left-handed pitchers Tom Browning or Derek Lilliquist, each of whom were brought in for workouts. . . . How much has Chan Ho Park’s language skills improved in a year? He greeted Raul Mondesi by saying, “ Que pasa , dude.” . . . Dodger catcher Mike Piazza on catching Japanese pitcher Hideo Nomo for the first time: “I’ll be honest, I was impressed. He’s got a good split-finger. I think he’ll pitch up in the strike zone with good velocity, but the hitters will decide if he can continue to do that.” . . . Executive Vice President Fred Claire said all contracts that are not signed by April 12 will automatically be renewed.