Alou Happy With His Decision

The Dodgers worked hard in an attempt to persuade Felipe Alou to come west in October, offering the respected Montreal manager a lucrative deal.

General Manager Kevin Malone was confident his friend would join him at Chavez Ravine, and Alou said the idea was appealing. Then the Expos decided they couldn’t afford to lose Alou.

Alou faced the Dodgers on Thursday for the first time since he spurned their offer to lead the ballclub. Alou chatted with Dodger Manager Davey Johnson, the guy Malone hired after he couldn’t get Alou out of Canada, before the Expos’ 4-3 Grapefruit League victory at Jupiter, Fla.

The cost-cutting Expos face uncertainty about their future in Montreal. Still, Alou likes his situation.

“We could see the storm coming. . . . it’s been brewing for some time,” Alou said, alluding to the Expos’ tumultuous ownership and stadium situation. “But I want to [stay] to see the end of this crisis. Some stuff you can’t believe until you finally see it.”

Alou said he remained with the Expos because his heart will always be in Montreal. To make sure his heart remains there, Montreal officials made Alou among the highest-paid field leaders in the game with a three-year contract extension worth about $1.8 million annually.

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Kevin Brown started and pitched four strong innings, giving up five hits and one run. Brown struck out two without a walk. . . . Closer Jeff Shaw, who left the team last Saturday to attend the birth of his third child in Washington Court House, Ohio, is expected to return to Dodgertown today. Shaw might pitch Sunday against the St. Louis Cardinals at Dodgertown, Johnson said. . . . Reliever Antonio Osuna, who underwent off-season surgery on his pitching elbow, is making steady progress, pitching coach Charlie Hough said. “He has the arm strength, he can throw his pitches, it’s just a matter of his endurance right now,” Hough said.