DODGERS NOTEBOOK : RUSSELL LAUDS FONVILLE FOR BEING SPARK.

Chad Fonville, consigned to the bench this season under Tom Lasorda, is making the most of an opportunity to play regularly for Bill Russell, the Dodgers' interim manager.

Russell moved Fonville into the leadoff spot just a few games after taking over following Lasorda's heart attack. In his first 10 games in that role, Fonville, playing center and left field, batted .318, scored 10 runs, drove in seven, walked four times and stole three bases.

``He got us going,'' Russell said Friday. ``We were being lax. We still weren't hitting together collectively or being consistent enough offensively. He puts a lot of energy on the field with his running, hustling. He did that for us last year.''

Fonville, who sparked the Dodgers down the stretch in '95 while playing shortstop for Jose Offerman, got a chance to play regularly this season when Brett Butler underwent surgery for throat cancer in early May. But Fonville batted just .125 over his first six games in center and Lasorda, notorious for favoring hot hands, yanked him out of the lineup for Roger Cedeno.

Will Russell exhibit more patience when and if Fonville's bat cools off? ``Billy gave me a chance to play,'' Fonville said. ``. . . If I show him I can be in the lineup playing and doing what I can to help the team win, I sure hope I'll be in the lineup a while.''

Russell, who doesn't seem comfortable when his style is compared to Lasorda's, smiled and said, ``Everything's going good right now. When you do run into a dry spell, we'll address that situation then. You've got to put your best nine out there every day.''

Kirby's tribute: L.A. shortstop Greg Gagne, a teammate of Kirby Puckett in Minnesota, on Puckett's retirement announcement: ``When I first heard, I was a little shocked because I didn't know how serious (the eye injury) was. He's a classy guy. He played the game hard and enjoyed it. He earned the respect of a lot of people he played against.''