La Russa In Defense Of Minors Says Minor-Leaguers Won’t Be Ostracized For Playing Now

Oakland Atheltics manager Tony La Russa says he won’t allow players to be ostracized because they decide to play in exhibition games.

In fact, La Russa said Wednesday, he will make sure players who take the field this spring are not shunned.

“Don’t think for a second you can’t control that,” he said.

“Somebody here may make an impression that keeps their career alive,” La Russa said Wednesday.

The A’s on Wednesday held workouts at the Papago Park Baseball Complex and Phoenix Stadium, where the team plays home games during the Cactus League schedule.

Many players in the A’s camp have yet to formally decide whether they will participate in exhibition games. The team will wait until after players union officials meet with minor leaguers to poll those players about their decisions.

The A’s want to use their minor leaguers in exhibition games, as they have in the past. But the players union maintains that anyone who plays in spring games is a strikebreaker.

“Our goal is to use the minorleague players as we’ve traditionally used them,” said A’s general manager Sandy Alderson.

As a result of the wrangling between the union and management, Alderson did not have many compliments to throw at union head Donald Fehr.

“In his previous life, Don Fehr was a wet blanket,” Alderson said,

The A’s will likely poll the players in camp as to their decisions early today. Then the team must prepare for the Cactus League opener on Friday against the San Francisco Giants.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday offered cash and security inducements to players in their system if they agreed to be replacements during spring training and into the season if the strike is not settled.

Dodgers executive vice president Fred Claire declined to say just how many players accepted the proposal, but did say he will post a list today of 30 players who will make the trip to Fort Lauderdale for the scheduled Grapefruit League opener against the New York Yankees.

Claire stressed that no one had signed a replacement-player contract. Nor, he insisted, are spring games replacement games, a notion the union disputes.

Neither Claire nor farm director Charlie Blaney elaborated on the inducements. It was learned, however, players were promised significant increases in monthy pay, some as much as $7,000 per month, as well as assurances they would continue to receive the improved pay for at least the entire season.

Previously, players who agreed to play in exhibition games were promised a $5,000 signing bonus.

“This has never been done before in the history of minor league baseball,” Blaney said. “It’s a tremendous opportunity for these young players.”