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Rays hire three in shuffling of minor-league coaches

ST. PETERSBURG -- The Rays on Wednesday added Richie Hebner, Xavier Hernandez and Brad Woodall to their minor-league staff and reassigned several others.

Hebner will serve as coach under Bill Evers at Triple-A Durham. The 54-year-old was hitting instructor for the Phillies last season.

Hernandez, 36, was 40-35 with a 3.90 ERA in 10 major-league seasons and spent the past three seasons as pitching coach for Houston Baptist University. He takes the same title for the Class-A Charleston RiverDogs.

Woodall, 32, coached for the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League last season. A former pitcher for the Braves, Brewers and Cubs, he'll be pitching coach for Rookie League Princeton.

Mako Oliveres, a coach at Durham the past three seasons, takes over for Mike Ramsey as manager at Double-A Orlando.

RAYS SPRING TICKETS: Individual tickets for any of the Rays' 13 home spring training games go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Tropicana Field box office, Rays Dugout outlets at BayWalk and WestShore Plaza, Ticketmaster locations and by phone (727) 898-RAYS or (813) 282-RAYS.

Advance tickets will not be sold at Florida Power Park.

Reserved tickets are $15 (field boxes), $12 (loge boxes) and $9 (grandstand). General admission and berm seating are $4 and will be sold only on game days.

Around the majors

LOAN CONTROVERSY: The House Judiciary Committee's ranking Democrat urged Bud Selig to resign, saying the commissioner appeared to violate major-league rules in a 1995 loan from a company controlled by Twins owner Carl Pohlad. Rep. John Conyers Jr., D-Mich., said the loan created an "irreparable conflict of interest" for Selig in his plan to fold two franchises, likely including the Twins.

LABOR TALKS: During a bargaining session in New York, Selig asked players to accept a luxury tax that would slow the increase of salaries and proposed that teams vastly increase the amount of local revenue they share.

EX-UMPS SUE: Former umpires Ken Kaiser, Dale Ford and Mark Johnson, who resigned during a 1999 labor dispute, sued Major League Baseball for $1.35-million in retirement pay and interest.

ASTROS: Left-hander Billy Wagner agreed to a $27-million, three-year contract.

CARDINALS: Japanese outfielder So Taguchi agreed to a three-year contract worth about $3-million.

DODGERS: Los Angeles won the rights to Japanese left-hander Kazuhisa Ishii.

INDIANS: Right-handed reliever Mark Wohlers agreed to a $4-million, two-year contract.

PADRES: The team filed a lawsuit accusing Bruce Henderson of malicious prosecution, saying he filed "baseless" lawsuits to stall stadium construction and a downtown redevelopment project.

RED SOX: Ace right-hander Pedro Martinez has been throwing without pain for three weeks and should be ready for spring training. ... Massachusetts Attorney General Thomas Reilly met for about two hours with New York lawyer Miles Prentice to discuss the team's proposed sale.

TIGERS: Hall of Fame broadcaster Ernie Harwell will call games for Detroit for the 42nd year.

YANKEES: Left-hander David Wells' $7-million, two-year contract will be announced today. ... Retired outfielder Paul O'Neill will work about 25 games as a pre- and postgame analyst on the team's regional cable network.

-- Times staff writer Kevin Kelly contributed to this report.

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