McCourt Talks to Hart, Sets Meeting

Dodger owner Frank McCourt spoke by telephone Thursday with John Hart, a candidate to become general manager of the team, and they have scheduled a formal interview for the coming days.

Kim Ng, the assistant general manager under Paul DePodesta and his predecessor, Dan Evans, also will interview with McCourt, probably before the start of the GM meetings next week in Palm Springs.

It is believed that no woman has interviewed for a GM job.

Hart, the former general manager of the Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers, was not believed to be in Los Angeles on Thursday. McCourt requested and received permission from the Rangers to contact Hart, who resigned as the Rangers’ general manager in early October to become a consultant to owner Tom Hicks.

At the time, Hicks said that he had not asked Hart to step down and, indeed, the team suggested Hart had retired. The Rangers had just concluded their third losing season in four years, all in Hart’s tenure.

Less than a month later, Hart said he would be interested in becoming the Dodger general manager, and now will meet with McCourt to discuss it.

One baseball executive with knowledge of the situation said Hart was “a serious candidate” for the Dodger job.

*

Dodger right-hander Elmer Dessens filed for free agency Thursday after declining a $1.35-million option for next season. In 28 appearances, seven as a starter, Dessens was 1-2 with a 3.56 earned-run average.

-- Tim Brown

*

Roger Clemens could be pitching and Ichiro Suzuki could be batting when baseball returns to Angel Stadium. The World Baseball Classic will be played in Anaheim next March, with top billing reserved for what could be the first matchup between the United States and Japan.

The Angels will play host to the semifinals of the inaugural tournament, baseball sources said. The sources declined to be identified because the official announcement is expected next week.

In addition, major league officials are nearing announcement of the first few players who have agreed to represent the United States, with Clemens expected to be among them.

The games will mark the third major international sporting event in Anaheim in three years, following world championships in gymnastics and badminton. The bid for the World Baseball Classic was presented jointly by the Angels and the city of Anaheim, at a time when the two sides are embroiled in a multimillion-dollar lawsuit over the team’s name change.

“The name thing will get resolved one way or the other, and there’s a process for that,” Councilman Richard Chavez said. “I’m glad we can separate that and work on things that benefit everyone.”

The United States, Mexico, Canada and South Africa will compete in a preliminary pool in Arizona, with Japan, China, Taiwan and South Korea doing the same in Tokyo. Two teams from each pool will qualify for the semifinals in Anaheim, scheduled March 12-15, with two of those four teams advancing to the championship round in San Diego.

The Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Venezuela, Panama, Australia, Italy and the Netherlands will compete in preliminary and semifinal rounds in Puerto Rico and Florida.

-- Bill Shaikin

*

Four of the Angels’ top prospects -- pitcher Jered Weaver, catcher Jeff Mathis and infielders Brandon Wood and Howie Kendrick -- were among the 24 players named to represent the U.S. in an Olympic regional qualifying tournament in Phoenix Nov. 15-19.

Six countries (Canada, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama and the U.S.) will compete in Arizona, with the top four finishers advancing to the Americas Olympic Qualifier in Havana in August 2006.

The U.S. team, composed of professional players who are not on 25-man major league rosters, is managed by former Dodger, Met and Oriole manager Davey Johnson.

*

Angel ace Bartolo Colon, who went 21-8 with a 3.48 ERA before a shoulder injury knocked him out of the American League championship series, was chosen in a vote of major league players as the AL pitcher of the year.

The other Players Choice Award winners were Boston’s David Ortiz (AL outstanding player), Atlanta’s Andruw Jones (NL outstanding player), St. Louis’ Chris Carpenter (NL outstanding pitcher), Oakland’s Huston Street (AL outstanding rookie), Houston’s Willy Taveras (NL outstanding rookie), the New York Yankees’ Jason Giambi (AL comeback player) and Cincinnati’s Ken Griffey Jr. (NL comeback player).

-- Mike DiGiovanna