Talks Are Progressing on Las Vegas Spring Complex

While a Las Vegas baseball official denied a recent report that the Dodgers will be offered a $5-million bonus to consider moving their spring training operations from Vero Beach, Fla., to southern Nevada, Don Logan, president and general manager of the Las Vegas Stars, did say that the Dodgers would probably receive a higher percentage of the profits as the marquee team in a proposed six-team complex.

“The issue, I think, right now is what the teams do among themselves,” Logan said from Las Vegas on Monday afternoon. “We’re waiting to hear from the teams. We’re waiting for the teams to get back to us.”

Logan said Las Vegas officials presented a preliminary plan for the complex to representatives of the Dodgers and Texas Rangers the week of May 22.

“We gave them a structure of a deal, a percentages deal,” Logan said. “Right now we can’t be specific with money, but we did spell out revenue streams.”

The Dodgers, the linchpin for the proposed complex, and Rangers are working as point teams for the other organizations involved--the Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, Houston Astros and Toronto Blue Jays.

Logan, who spearheaded a failed effort to bring spring training to suburban Henderson in 1997, is aware that Florida is trying to pool its resources to keep the Dodgers in Vero Beach, where they have trained since 1948.

“But that doesn’t change the fact that Vero Beach is 3,500 miles away from 10 million Dodger fans who can’t get there and Las Vegas is 250 miles away,” Logan said. “It should be a business decision based on reality.”

Logan said he expects to hear back from the Dodgers and Rangers and get their impressions on the skeletal plans by the end of the week.

“We have commitments from those who we need commitments from [in Las Vegas] to get this thing going,” he said.

*

Orel Hershiser met with Manager Davey Johnson and while both came away somewhat pleased, nothing official was decided regarding the right-hander’s future with the club.

“He’s in a pretty good frame of mind as far as starting or relief,” Johnson said of Hershiser. “It was a very constructive meeting on both ends. The main thing I wanted to get was a feeling of where he felt he was.

“I love the guy and he’s going to be a big part of our success.”

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Add Alex Cora to the list of Dodgers who don’t particularly care for the new synthetic track that surrounds the playing field.

The Dodger shortstop was chasing a pop fly down the left-field line in Sunday’s game against the Oakland Athletics and tried to slide feet first on the track.

The track didn’t give and he stuck to the rubberized material.

“I’m glad I slid that way and not head first,” said Cora, who had a pair of nasty strawberries on his left knee. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here today.”

Earlier in the year, first baseman Eric Karros and third baseman Adrian Beltre voiced their displeasure with the synthetic stuff.

TONIGHT

DODGERS’

CHAN HO PARK

(7-4, 4.33 ERA)

vs.

DIAMONDBACKS’

MIKE MORGAN

(1-0, 3.07 ERA)

Dodger Stadium, 7

TV--Fox Sports Net 2.

Radio--KXTA (1150), KWKW (1330)

* Update--Park lost to the Diamondbacks on May 8, giving up eight runs in 3 1/3 innings at Bank One Ballpark. One-time Dodger Morgan, 40, is 3-5 with a 4.33 ERA against the Dodgers.