New Sheriff Might Not Be Able to Get His Man

Dodger General Manager Kevin Malone told Jim Rome to warn Padre GM Kevin Towers “there’s a new sheriff in town.”

Personally, I’d feel better if there were a new manager in town, preferably Felipe Alou.

But don’t count on him. Although he remains No. 1 on Malone’s list, the thinking in Montreal is that Alou is leaning toward remaining with the Expos.

The man making him feel uncomfortable, team president and managing partner Claude Brochu, reportedly is about to be bought out and replaced in the front office by former Canadien GM Serge Savard.

Although Savard is not a baseball man, he might have enough credibility to finesse a stadium deal through the provincial government and prevent the Expos from leaving Montreal.

“If the club is here in 2000 and I’m asked to stay, I’ll stay,” Alou, who has one year remaining on his contract, said last month.

But in case Alou needed more enticement, he was offered a multiyear contract extension Wednesday in a meeting at his off-season home in Miami with Expo GM Jim Beattie and guaranteed the team’s payroll next season will be $20 million. That’s not a lot by Dodger standards but is a significant increase for Montreal.

Alou, who probably would be granted permission to speak to the Dodgers if he insisted, told the Journal de Montreal in today’s editions that he now feels more secure about his future in Montreal.

Alou, however, was speaking from the Dominican Republic, where he is helping his family recover from Hurricane Georges, and indicated he probably won’t make any career decisions until he returns to Miami next week.

“It’s something I’m going to need to take time to think about,” he said. “But the only thing on my mind right now is what happened here. All the trees are down, there’s no food, and there’s no water. That’s what I must focus on right now.”

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So what about Jim Leyland for the Dodgers? People close to him contend he’s not interested in relocating to the West Coast as long as his family refuses to budge from Pittsburgh. Colorado, they say, probably is as far west as he would consider. . . .

Rupert Murdoch should try to acquire Nomar Garciaparra when he’s available--for either the Dodgers or Manchester United. . . .

Garciaparra had scholarship offers to play soccer out of St. John Bosco High in Bellflower. . . .

He did, however, lose a recent shootout to Mia Hamm when the U.S. women’s team was in Boston for a game. . . .

According to the Sports Business Daily, Hamm is the most marketable female athlete in the United States. Michelle Kwan is second. . . .

The L.A. Sports Council and Culver City’s All Year Figure Skating Club are optimistic their bid for the 2002 national championships will prevail over Portland in a vote Saturday by the U.S. Figure Skating Assn. . . .

The championships, also serving as the trials for the Salt Lake City Winter Games, would be the first major sporting event attracted to Los Angeles by the Staples Center. . . .

The Nov. 11-15 Shark Shootout probably will be the last at Thousand Oaks’ Sherwood Country Club. Greg Norman would prefer it in Florida. . . .

If Mike Tyson settles with the two Maryland motorists who allege he assaulted them, isn’t that an admission of guilt?. . . .

Wouldn’t that make the Nevada State Athletic Commission even more reluctant to grant his request for a license?. . . .

Before the commissioners make a decision, they should read Tyson’s interview in the November “Playboy.” . . .

He said he’s a “very hateful individual” who is “just really angry these days.” . . .

Bored with Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis and Tyson? Want to see a great young heavyweight? . . .

On its new weekly boxing series starting Friday night, ESPN2 will show rare footage of Muhammad Ali’s fights before he won the heavyweight championship from Sonny Liston. . . .

I like Jim Brewer too much to say he should be the Clippers’ next coach, but if that’s want he wants. . . .

UCLA’s basketball teams--men and women--are ranked No. 4 in the Sporting News’ preview. . . .

The Bruin women play at home against No. 3 Connecticut and No. 5 Duke and on the road at No. 1 Tennessee. How did they miss No. 2 Louisiana Tech?

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While wondering if it would be possible to arrange an All-Star game between the U.S. and Dominican Republic--Mark McGwire vs. Sammy Sosa--for hurricane relief, I was thinking: USC junior linebacker Chris Claiborne will be a Heisman candidate if he returns next season, Darryl Strawberry should go to the same doctor as Eric Davis, Harry Caray couldn’t ask for a better seat for this season.