BASEBALL : JOBS OF BELL, MONDESI ARE FAR FROM DANGER.

Byline: Tim Brown 

Baseball in the kingdom:

Detroit Tigers general manager Randy Smith, May 18 in Detroit, regarding manager Buddy Bell's employment: ``It would be safe even if he went 0-162 this season. Our future is with Buddy.''

Dodgers executive vice president Fred Claire, May 1 in Los Angeles, regarding right fielder Raul Mondesi's employment: ``If Raul goes 0 for 24, we're not going to get rid of him. If Raul goes 0 for 48 we're not going to get rid of him. If Raul goes 0 for the season, we're not going to get rid of him.''

Weird, but there it is, on page 48, paragraph 6 of the general managers' manual. . . .

Incidentally, Mondesi has fared better than Bell since their 0-for-the-season votes of confidence. In 19 games that followed, Mondesi is 22 for 80 (.275) with seven home runs and 15 RBI. Bell is 0 for 3, and his oh-fer Tigers are on a pace to allow 1,253 runs, more - a lot more - than any team in history. . . .

This week the Toronto Blue Jays sold the contract of Triple-A outfielder Wes Chamberlain to the Chiba Lotte Marines for $250,000. Chamberlain, 30, will make about $500,000 for 65 games. The last time the Blue Jays sold a chubby gaijin overseas, 25-year-old Cecil Fielder played one season for the Hanshin Tigers, then returned to hit 219 home runs in six seasons for Detroit's Tigers. That was nearly eight years ago. . . .

Bret Saberhagen, whose Gebhard-pushed-me-into-it, no-he-didn't caused quite a stir in Denver recently, finally will have the reconstructive shoulder surgery he thought he should have had in December. Some baseball people doubt that he will ever return. Saberhagen, 32, has a career record of 141-100 with a 3.26 ERA. He was a 20-game winner twice. . . .

Series to watch, without the kids: Boston at Oakland, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The Red Sox blame A's rookie George Williams for second baseman Wil Cordero's fractured right tibia, caused when Williams attempted to break up a double play late in a game the Red Sox won 16-4. . . .

Manager Kevin Kennedy, to Boston writers: ``I think we all know the game. I doubt very seriously a veteran player would have done it. We see these guys again.''

Manager Art Howe, to Bay Area writers: ``An experienced second baseman would have taken the out and gotten out of Dodge. If it's anybody's fault, it's Cordero's.''

Williams, caught in the middle: ``Unfortunately he got hurt. I hope he's all right. It's not like I go out of my way to hurt people. I don't go in trying to spike people. That's not right. I slid right in and he was planted right there.'' . . .

High salaries, big sissies. . . .

Giants closer Rod Beck has rediscovered the game-ending handshake, a year after he blew a major-league-high 10 save chances. He has nine saves in 10 tries and his ERA is 0.53. . . .

Tony La Russa has a record of 206-260 over the past three-plus seasons in Oakland and St. Louis. In the same period, Jim Leyland is 204-262 in Pittsburgh. With similar talent and a lighter payroll, Montreal's Felipe Alou is 263-204. . . .

Montreal, which thought the institution of an NFL salary cap applied to the Expos, has a payroll of $15,410,500. At any given time, the Yankees have that much on the disabled list. . . .

Mets general manager Joe McIlvaine has called right field ``our black hole,'' but is resisting the urge to rush Norfolk prospect Alex Ochoa, hitting .354 against the International League. Ochoa, who came to the Mets in the Bobby Bonilla deal with the Orioles, recently tweaked his hamstring, which makes McIlvaine's decision easier. . . .

Predictably, Bonilla has assumed the role of heel while O's manager Davey Johnson mulls moving Cal Ripken to third base and inserting Manny Alexander at shortstop. Bonilla, who hasn't driven in 90 runs in five years, is all bunched up because that would make him the designated hitter. Remember, Bonilla was the guy hanging all over Ripken during the streak celebration last year. . . .

Bonilla to USA Today: ``The most ridiculous thing I've heard is, `Just shut up and play and earn your money.' '' Just absurd, right Lee Smith? . . .

Ryne Sandberg is batting .214 and the Cubs are half a game out of first place. . . .

Expos shortstop Mark Grudzielanek (pronounced MARK) is being compared to a young Paul Molitor. Coincidentally, he grew up in Milwaukee and he wears No. 4. Grudzielanek went into the weekend batting .341, despite an 11-for-42 wobble during Montreal's West Coast swing. . . .

Dodgers discard Kevin Tapani has a 3.57 ERA for the Chicago White Sox. It wouldn't be worth mentioning, except that it ranks fifth in the American League. . . .

Remember Rookie-of-the-Year cinch Mike Grace, who began the season 6-0 for the Phillies? He lost to the Dodgers and Padres in consecutive starts, in which he allowed eight earned runs in 10-2/3 innings. Clear. . . .

If Andujar Cedeno isn't going to hit, the Padres better get themselves another shortstop. . . .

The White Sox are shopping Danny Tartabull and his $5.3 million sticker price. . . .

Larry Walker hit a 475-foot home run last Saturday at Coors Field, the longest ever there. It was 12 feet longer than the previous record shot, hit last May by Mondesi. Sorry, but 475 feet in that place doesn't seem that far. . . .

Henry Rodriguez was overheard this week referring to himself in the third person, always an unfortunate development. . . .

People are wearing out that Reese-Rizzuto angle in New York City, where Derek Jeter and Rey Ordonez are manning the shortstop positions. But they can play. Against the Dodgers this week, Ordonez made a play in the hole that would have had the New York media overstating for years, had Ismael Valdes not beaten the throw by half a step.

MEMO: Staff Writer Tim Brown's baseball column appears on Sundays in the Daily News.