DODGERS: HART IS LEADING GM CANDIDATE.

Byline: Tony Jackson Staff Writer

Ten days into the search for the Dodgers' next general manager, former Cleveland and Texas GM John Hart appears to be emerging as the leading candidate.

One reason is that every other candidate with anything close to Hart's credentials already has withdrawn, and another is Hart's close relationship with Rangers pitching coach Orel Hershiser.

Dodgers owner Frank McCourt was said to be highly impressed with Hershiser when McCourt interviewed the Dodgers pitching legend two weeks ago for the club's managerial vacancy. Hart's ties to Hershiser might eliminate the issue of what will happen if McCourt forces his new GM to hire a manager of McCourt's choosing.

Hart didn't return two phone messages left on his cell phone Monday by the Daily News. Hershiser said Monday he had heard nothing from the Dodgers lately except for an innocuous phone call from McCourt last week, ``just to say hi.''

Meanwhile, Tommy Lasorda, the Dodgers Hall of Fame manager and arguably McCourt's closest adviser during the GM search, backtracked on Monday from a comment widely attributed to him last Friday. Lasorda spoke with media from the Dallas-Fort Worth area that day following an induction dinner for the Italian Sports Hall of Fame in Denton, Texas, which Lasorda emceed.

At the time, Lasorda was quoted as saying of Hershiser, ``We're going to do something with him very shortly.'' But Lasorda now says that comment was taken out of context.

``I think they misconstrued that thing,'' Lasorda said. ``I just meant to say the interview went well, and Frank sure did like him. That was the extent of it.''

Hart stepped down as the Rangers' GM on Oct. 4 to become a consultant for the club, forfeiting the final year of his contract and what was believed to be about $2 million in salary. It is difficult to imagine McCourt paying anything close to that figure to a GM, especially given that he still is on the hook to Paul DePodesta for three years and about $2.2 million.

--Customers surveyed: The Dodgers are surveying randomly selected ticket buyers in which some of those telephoned are being asked if they can identify the owner of the team and, if so, what their perception of McCourt is.

While that would seem in keeping with the obsessive nature with which McCourt and his wife, team president Jamie McCourt, monitor public perceptions of them, a team spokesperson said Monday that it is part of a list of 60 questions, of which only a handful are chosen for each call.

``There is a difference between corporate ownership and family ownership,'' said Camille Johnston, the Dodgers vice president for communications. ``Our goal is to determine how many of our customers know that we're a family-owned organization.''

Tony Jackson,[phone]

tony.jackson(at)dailynews.com