THE WRITING ON (AND OFF) THE WALL : MAKE SPACE NEEDLE AN L.A. LANDMARK.

Byline: TOM HOFFARTH

This is a trade that shouldn't need BIG BOLD LETTERS for Trader Tommy to figure out.

After spending the first half of the season buying in bulk, the Dodgers all of a sudden are Unit pricing when it comes to Randy Johnson.

Instead of running around doing the chicken-with-his-head-cut-off dance, give the Mariners what they want. Especially if it's that relief pitcher Lasorda promised from his heart he wouldn't deal.

Do it now. Osuna, the better. . . .

Would Johnson be a presence in the locker room? Ask David Segui, who for some reason forgot he didn't have a reach advantage. . . .

And then there's the possibility Lasorda will ship Wilton Guerrero to Montreal to join his brother in exchange for pitcher Carlos Perez just as soon as Jose Vizcaino comes off the disabled list. . . .

Guess who's the next big Dodgers ouster? New team president (and former O'Malley bean counter) Bob Graziano. Fox could be just allowing him to do all the heavy lifting before moving in their own bouncers. . . .

Fact checking: Mike Piazza and Charles Johnson have each made the same number of errors - six - this season. . . .

Fleer/SkyBox, Upper Deck and Pinnacle trading cards will issue a card of Piazza in a Florida Marlins uni in packs that come out this month. . . .

Wouldn't you think the Dodgers' July 23 giveaway - a replica jersey T-shirt with Raul Mondesi's number - is a bit presumptuous? . . .

We can't wait four more years for the next World Cup. Maybe eight, possibly 12, but not four. . . .

If this is what we've come to in the NBA lockout - NBA stars having to wrestle for money - David Stern has no other choice but to . . . I dunno . . . call his cable operator and order it up like everyone else. . . .

Public relations-challenged NBA Players Association executive director Billy Hunter isn't doing much to win in the court of public opinion in his case against the rhetorically polished NBA. . . .

Those close to the non-talks are already predicting that, in a best-case scenario, an agreement won't come until late October. . . .

And soooooooo whaaaaaat if someone doesn't want to attend the Victor Awards. . . .

Sports Illustrated's cover price has been quietly reduced from $3.50 to $2.95, which dips under the $2.99 askin' price for ESPN The Magazine. . . .

Stephen Hawking plus Bill Gates minus a huge 401(k) plan equals Bud Selig. . . .

Supercilious boxing promoter extraordinaire Don King recently bought the weekly Call & Post newspaper based in Cleveland that also covers Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio, guaranteeing him positive press by at least one media source. . . .

Wednesday's editions of USA Today promise to reveal the results of a readers poll it took last week to rank their favorite sports movies of all time. . . .

Nobody asked, so: 1. ``Heaven Can Wait,'' 2. ``Slapshot,'' 3. ``Field of Dreams,'' 4. ``He Got Game,'' 5. ``Raging Bull.'' . . .

Byron Scott was all set to try out for Team USA at the World Championships in Greece - he knows the territory - until a few current NBA players lobbied him hard not to go. . . .

The new ABL expansion team in Nashville (as opposed to those other well-established teams) will be called the Noise. It's about time someone acknowledge what comes out of Nashville. . . .

Organizers for next week's Goodwill Games in New York admit not even a third of the 600,000 tickets available to events have been sold. . . .

Mission not impossible: Actor Peter Graves remembers a celebrity golf tournament he played about 40 years ago with Roy Rogers, the singing cowboy who died last week. ``I was in a threesome with Roy and Mickey Rooney. I'll never forget that Roy Rogers played golf in cowboy boots. And he was pretty good.''