DODGERS NOTEBOOK: TRACY CAN TAKE THE HEAT.

Byline: Tony Jackson  Staff Writer

ANAHEIM - Dodgers manager Jim Tracy refuses to allow the excitement of a new season to be dulled by the fear of losing his job. Such a possibility perhaps is made stronger because he is in the final year of his contract, the Dodgers are under new ownership and have a new general manager, and the team generally isn't believed to be markedly better than it was last year, when the Dodgers finished 15 games out in the National League West.

``I have been under the gun since the first day I managed here in 2001,'' Tracy said before Saturday night's exhibition with Anaheim at Angel Stadium. ``Why is this year any different? Because it's the last year of my contract? So what? If you have two years left, do you have any more job security? What the (heck) difference does it make?''

The Dodgers have finished well above .500 in each of Tracy's three previous seasons as manager, but they haven't made the playoffs in any of them. Last year, they didn't come close, despite their pitching staff posting the lowest team ERA in the majors by almost half a run.

``That's my job out there,'' Tracy said, pointing to his players taking batting practice and shagging flies. ``I do it the very best I can do it. I have managed three (years) here. None of those clubs accomplished what we set out to accomplish, but I believe each one of them was as good as it was capable of being.''

--Bradley update: The Dodgers continue to have interest in troubled Cleveland outfielder Milton Bradley, whom the Indians are hoping to unload by tonight after he angered club management for the last time last week. The Dodgers are believed to be one of four or five remaining clubs still in the hunt for Bradley.

Bradley, who will turn 26 next week, is from Long Beach and a graduate of Polytechnic High. He is coming off a solid season with the Indians in which he batted .321 and posted an on-base percentage of .421, both career highs.

Bradley has the reputation of being a discipline problem, and he earned a ticket out of Cleveland by failing to run out a pop fly in a spring-training game last week, prompting manager Eric Wedge to yank him from the game. Bradley was told not to return to camp, although a Cleveland source said that if necessary, Bradley will report willingly to Triple-A Buffalo (N.Y.) for a day or two before the trade is completed.

Citing tampering rules, Dodgers general manager Paul DePodesta declined comment.

Tony Jackson, [phone]

tony.jackson(at)dailynews.com