If Malone Goes, the Dodgers Can Take Hart

John Hart may be bowing out as the successful general manager of the Cleveland Indians, but it is clear he will be open to offers after the season.

Hart’s decision, in fact, should make him the immediate favorite to replace Kevin Malone if Chairman Bob Daly decides to dump Dodger Boy.

Inheriting a team that lost 105 games in 1991, Hart rebuilt the farm system, pioneered the art of wrapping up his core players with multiyear contracts, took advantage of the Jacobs Field revenue stream to work the trade and free-agent markets, and won five division titles and two American League pennants in 10 years.

In deciding to hand the reins to assistant Mark Shapiro, Hart said it had nothing to do with burnout at 52--”I have a passion for what I do . . . [and am] not the type of guy who takes sabbaticals”--but was more a matter of timing. He implied that he had probably been in one place long enough and done about as much as he can do.

The Indians’ string of 455 consecutive sellouts at Jacobs Field ended Wednesday night and new owner Larry Dolan is expected to trim the payroll from $93 million this year to about $85 million next year, despite the potential loss of six free agents, among them Kenny Lofton and Juan Gonzalez.

A media favorite because of his accessibility and quotability, Hart will become a Cleveland consultant but did not rule out accepting a GM job with another team. In a clear indication of his future availability, he said, “At the end of the day, I’m a baseball guy and I love doing what I’m doing.”

It is suspected that he would love doing it in L.A., and his April announcement has certainly provided the Dodgers with time to think about it.

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There is no questioning Barry Zito’s pluck. The 22-year-old former USC left-hander was 7-4 with a 2.72 earned-run average in his first 14 major league starts with the Oakland Athletics last season. Then he stepped onto the Yankee Stadium stage in October to keep his team alive in the division series with five shutout innings in an 11-1 victory in Game 4, sending the series back to Oakland.

For the last year, Zito has also been displaying pluck as a guitar student, which affected his impressive 2001 debut on Tuesday, when he went 5 2/3 shutout innings in a 5-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners. Zito said he drew inspiration from the national anthem, played by guitarist Michael Powers.

“I was in the bullpen going, ‘Check this guy out!’ ” Zito said. “He was whaling on that guitar.”

Then, when Zito issued consecutive walks in the fourth inning, A’s pitching coach Rick Peterson went to the mound, saying later, “All we talked about was the guitar--tempo and rhythm. I said, ‘You’re off key right now, you’re playing through the break.’

“That’s the beauty of having someone like Barry on the staff. He said, ‘You’re right,’ and slowed himself down.”

One thing is clear: The guitar fan is turning opponents into banjo hitters. In 15 starts, Zito has held hitters to a .191 average.

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In what is likely to become a pattern, the Yankees opened with a three-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals, starters Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte and Mike Mussina combining for a 3-0 record and a 1.57 ERA, and working 23 of the 27 innings. The Royals may not be Murderers’ Row, but they are a solid offensive team. However, as Yankee Manager Joe Torre said, “When we pitch like this, it really doesn’t matter [who we’re playing].”