DODGERS GREET INTERLEAGUE PLAY WITH A BIG YAWN.

Byline: Kevin Acee Daily News Staff Writer

The Dodgers play their first interleague game today against the Oakland A's. The excitement in the clubhouse the past few weeks has been nonexiststent.

No one is fidgeting in anticipation of the first time Mark McGwire steps to the plate tonight against the Dodgers at the Oakland Coliseum.

No one is too concerned one way or the other what Randy Johnson might do to them Saturday in Seattle.

The last time the Dodgers played an American League team in a game that counted was 1988, it was Game 5 of the World Series, and it was against these Oakland A's. The Dodgers won 5-2 to clinch the Series. It was, by the way, the last time they won a postseason game.

No one on this Dodgers team was on that Dodgers team. Bill Russell, Joe Amalfitano, Mark Cresse and Manny Mota were coaches then, and current bench coach Mike Scioscia was the Dodgers' catcher.

Mike Piazza faced Johnson in the 1995 All-Star game.

So this National League-American League thing is new to pretty much everyone on the team.

Yawn.

At this point, with a difficult summer ahead of them, the Dodgers are more concerned with victory than history.

``Wins,'' executive vice president Fred Claire said with a smile when asked what he was looking forward to in interleague play.

``They count in the standings, don't they?'' Piazza asked, already knowing the answer. ``That's reason enough to make them exciting.''

Here's one you hear a lot when interleague play is discussed:

``It's just another game.''

Dodgers left fielder Todd Hollandsworth, who grew up attending Mariners games, is looking forward to this weekend. Relief pitcher Mark Guthrie, who played seven years in the American League, talked of the fans at the Kingdome.

``Seattle is a fun place to play,'' he said. ``And I'm sure they'll get a lot of people there.''

The Dodgers play only teams from the AL West this season. It's not as if they are going to Camden Yards or Fenway Park. The Oakland Coliseum and Seattle's Kingdome are hardly historic and the Dodgers play Freeway Series games at Anaheim Stadium every spring.

``I hear the Ballpark at Arlington is cool,'' Eric Karros said of the Texas Rangers' stadium, where the Dodgers will play two games in August.

Of more interest will be seeing how sluggers from the American League do at Dodger Stadium, where offenses frequently vacation.

``Just seeing them play in this park,'' Karros said. ``I'm looking forward to guys coming to our place and seeing what they do.''

It seems that having endured the first two months of a screwy schedule necessitated by scheduling interleague games has soured some players. While they have grown tired of talking about their unproductive offense, the Dodgers have never been reticent to rip the schedule which has them playing 26 of the in-and-out two-game series players hate (as opposed to eight last season). After this four-day Oakland-Seattle trip, the Dodgers return home for two games against the Angels, then go to San Francisco for four against the Giants.

``It's crazy,'' Piazza said. ``It's like the strike year when they tried to squeeze in all those games.''

From anticipation to apathy. This was Piazza commenting on interleague play in spring training:

``I think it's great. I can't wait to see how the games pan out.''

The games are at least being anticipated in the broadcast booth. Hall of Fame announcer Vin Scully has called 12 World Series and six All-Star games. He's no interleague rookie.

``I'm looking forward to seeing Ken Griffey Jr. and Mark McGwire face some of our pitchers,'' Scully said. ``To see Randy Johnson start against any of our guys - ``Geez, that'd be great.''

Scully will not get his wish. Johnson's originally scheduled start Saturday was moved up to Friday.

Some Dodgers are down on interleague play for the same reasons some fans are.

`It will be fun to go back to the American League parks again,'' said Tom Candiotti, who pitched eight years with Milwaukee, Cleveland and Toronto. ``But the cut-and-dry National League/American League thing is no longer cut and dry. It's one of the things that stood out about baseball - the two leagues don't play each other until the end.

``It will be fun in a way, but the tradition aspect of it will be gone.''

One thing the Dodgers acknowledge is that the game needs something exciting to happen. If this is it, great.

``For the fans in Seattle, who never see Mike (Piazza) or (Barry) Bonds - if I lived in Seattle, I'd probably never miss a game,'' Guthrie said.

``That's what it's all about - the fan interest,'' manager Bill Russell said. ``If it's good for them, it's good for the game of baseball.''

Russell didn't have anything else to say on the matter. He and his team have other things on their minds.