DODGERS NOTEBOOK : FORGET SALE, CLAIRE'S CONCERN IS MAKING OFFENSE SAIL.

Byline: Kevin Acee Daily News Staff Writer

The whispers started shortly after Jan. 6. Nervous jokes told by Dodgers employees about how all the good times and little perks of being an employee of Peter O'Malley would soon be memories.

With the sale of the Dodgers apparently imminent, many in the organization fear the worst. Executive vice president Fred Claire is not one of those.

Oh, he is as aware as anyone how nice the loyalty of a boss is and how precarious his job will be without O'Malley as that boss.

But Claire has other things with which to concern himself - such as finding the team's lost offense.

Told of reports Monday that O'Malley was reluctant to complete the sale without some stipulation about Claire's future with the club, Claire reacted as he has during the entire process.

With no reaction.

``I've been very fortunate with my 30 years with the Dodgers,'' Claire said. ``From my viewpoint, when Peter told me he was selling the team, I told him I understand that. I have not honestly thought about it since that time.

``My only focus is this year, this team, tomorrow night's game.''

Asked if it was hard to keep his focus as the apparent completion of the sale nears, Claire replied, ``Not really. When you love baseball, love what you're doing . . . my thought has always been we're all very fortunate.''

More Strange stuff: Long after Sunday's game, the Dodgers were marveling at Doug Strange's ninth-inning home run that tied the score 3-3. The Montreal Expos took only one extra inning to beat the Dodgers 6-3.

``He turned ball four into tying the game,'' manager Bill Russell said of the high-and-away pitch from Todd Worrell that Strange sent out of center field.

``That ball that guy hit out was a tough pitch to hit,'' Dodgers first baseman Eric Karros said. ``I don't know how he hit it.''

Said Worrell: ``I don't think it makes any difference if it was ball four. He hit it out.''

Watch out: An All-Star last season, Cubs pitcher Steve Trachsel is making news this year with desperate changes in his delivery.

An item in Monday's Chicago Sun-Times revealed Trachsel (1-4, 7.03 ERA) will try to center himself on the pitching rubber by moving a little to the first-base side in his start Wednesday against the Dodgers. It is an attempt by pitching coach Phil Regan to give Trachsel more command of his fastball.

Also: Ted Lilly of Single-A San Bernardino pitched a no-hitter Saturday against Lake Elsinore. . . . The Dodgers are 3-2 in extra-inning games after losing their last two. . . . Todd Zeile went 3 for 5 Sunday and is batting a season-high .224. He is 16 for 43 (.372) in his past 12 games. . . . Hideo Nomo became the fourth (of five) Dodgers starters to dip below a 3.00 ERA. His seven innings of one-earned-run ball gave him a 2.82 ERA. Pedro Astacio and Chan Ho Park are at 2.00, and Ismael Valdes' ERA is 2.25. . . . Second baseman Wilton Guerrero could sit out another game today, since left-hander Terry Mulholland is starting for the Cubs. The switch-hitting Guerrero continues to experience pain in his shoulder when he bats right-handed.