ARLINGTON, Texas -- Alex Rodriguez won't be hard to find in between the Texas Rangers' three games in Toronto this week.

"If you need me, I'll be in my room,'' Rodriguez said.

And the All-Star shortstop won't be alone at the team's hotel.

"There won't be any going out to dinner or going to the mall this time,'' said catcher Einar Diaz.

	“	I personally do not have any anxiety about SARS, but I can't speak for everyone else. Hey, I could get hit by a car walking across the street. ”
		— Rangers manager Buck Showalter

Texas players plan to take all necessary precautions during their trip to Toronto because of the dangers of SARS. The Canadian city is dealing with more than 250 cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome and 21 deaths.

Major league baseball decided to continue with all scheduled games in Toronto, despite the World Health Organization issuing an advisory last week for travelers to avoid Toronto. The WHO said Monday, however, that the worst SARS outbreak is over in Canada.

The Kansas City Royals wrapped up a three-game series at Toronto on Sunday. The Rangers flew from Texas to Canada on Monday and begin their series at SkyDome on Tuesday.

After Sunday's 10-7 home win over the New York Yankees, Rangers trainer Jaime Reed and other team medical personnel talked to players about the trip, the disease and the precautions they should take.

"We want to make sure they are educated about what is fact and what is fiction,'' said Texas manager Buck Showalter. "I've never gone into a city with something like this. But I take great pride in washing my hands.''

Among the suggested precautions are frequent washing of hands and avoiding crowded places where people come in extended contact with each other. Players have been advised to stay away from hospitals and public transportation and to use their own pens if they sign autographs.

"Our medical staff has assured us that it's pretty safe and been blown out of proportion a little bit,'' Rodriguez said. "But I still think we have to be precautionary, careful and just watch ourselves.''

That means the Rangers will likely be spending more time than usual together while in Toronto. They will be there until Thursday night, then travel to Cleveland for a weekend series.

"There will definitely be a lot of extra time spent at the ballpark. We'll all be getting there early and probably staying pretty late,'' said second baseman Michael Young. "I'm sure the odds are with you if you do go to a restaurant, but you can never been too safe. Obviously there are concerns because people have gotten seriously ill.''

Even though he's never been to Toronto on a baseball trip, outfielder Kevin Mench will save his sightseeing for another time. He instead plans to split his time between the ballpark and the hotel.

Showalter said he spoke with Blue Jays third-base coach Brian Butterfield, an old friend who told him that people weren't walking around wearing masks in Toronto.

"I personally do not have any anxiety about SARS, but I can't speak for everyone else,'' Showalter said. "Hey, I could get hit by a car walking across the street.''

For their three-game series against Kansas City, the Blue Jays drew 16,417 spectators Friday, 17,197 on Saturday and 17,059 on Sunday, their second-, third- and fourth-biggest crowds this season.

The Blue Jays' parent company, Rogers Communications Inc., is offering $1 tickets for Tuesday's game in an effort to "bring the community together at SkyDome ... to show its support for the city of Toronto."

Fans bought tickets at a rate of about 2,000 an hour and SkyDome was sold out late Monday night. In all, 34,000 tickets were bought for $1. The 16,000 fans who paid full price will receive a $1 voucher from the club for a future game.

With the average Blue Jays tickets being about $20, the move is costing Rogers roughly $700,000.