NOTEBOOK: DODGERS COACHES TO RETURN.

Byline: Daily News Staff and Wire Services

When the season ended, Dodgers manager Davey Johnson said he wanted the coaching staff to return intact, and he got that wish. The Dodgers announced Wednesday there would be no changes in the major-league staff.

The biggest question was whether pitching coach Claude Osteen, who replaced the fired Charlie Hough on May 26, would be given the opportunity to work a full year with the pitching staff.

``Claude's great,'' Johnson said. ``He's a great guy and has a great relationship with the pitchers. I'm confident with Claude. I think it's a very talented staff.''

Jim Tracy (bench), Rick Down (hitting) and Rick Dempsey will return for their second seasons. Glenn Hoffman (third base) and John Shelby (first base), who joined the Dodgers' major-league staff during the 1998 season, will remain with the club.

Also, the club signed infielder Craig Counsell to a one-year contract and the lefty-hitting second baseman accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Albuquerque. Infielder Tripp Cromer, outrighted a week ago to the minor leagues, elected to become a free agent.

Pitchers Ricky Stone and Luke Prokopec and infielder Adam Riggs, all recently removed from the club's protected 40-man roster, each accepted minor assignments.

-Brian Dohn

No appeal for Gonzalez: Juan Gonzalez, whose loss in a paternity lawsuit prompted his wife to demand a divorce, says he will not appeal the decision to the Puerto Rican Supreme Court.

In his first interview since losing in an appeals court last week, Gonzalez told WUNO radio in San Juan he will instead try to develop a relationship with his 4-year-old son, Igor.

``I analyzed the situation and I decided it was for the best,'' he said.

Igor's mother, Lisa Ferrer, said she became pregnant with Gonzalez's child while the outfielder was dating meringue star Olga Tanon, now his wife. In her lawsuit, Ferrer demanded Gonzalez acknowledge he is Igor's father.

Tanon said in a written statement last week she would demand a divorce after less than a year of marriage, though by Wednesday no court papers had been filed. Tanon is on tour in South America.

Royals' saga continues: Miles Prentice, who still wants to buy the Kansas City Royals even though baseball rejected his offer, said that David Glass should quit as the team's chairman.

Glass, the chief executive officer of Wal-Mart Inc., said Tuesday he intends to bid for the franchise. For more than a year, Glass had denied he was interested.

``We think Mr. Glass should resign to protect the integrity of the process,'' said David Westbrook, Prentice's spokesman. ``Any issue the board considers or policy it sets could bear directly on the strategic issue of making arrangements to sell this team.''

Tigers moves: Left-hander Ramon Tatis was claimed on waivers by the Detroit Tigers, who also designed infielder Carlos Villalobos - an ex-Lancaster Jethawk - for assignment and sent right-hander Nelson Cruz outright to Triple-A Toledo.