Handling of DeCinces Was the Ugliest of All

The California Angels’ shabby treatment of their ballplayers goes back a long way, from Buzzie Bavasi’s personal vendetta that allowed Nolan Ryan and Don Baylor to get away (Bavasi called Ryan a .500 pitcher and said he would replace him with John D’Acquisto), to Mike Port’s singling out the obviously injured Donnie Moore as the team’s scapegoat for the team’s problems in 1987.

Couple this with uninformed trades (Tom Brunansky for Rob Wilfong and Doug Corbett, both now out of baseball), and a manager who would still be under .500 lifetime if he won every game in 1988 and it’s easy to see why the Angels aren’t winners.

But Port’s handling of the Doug DeCinces matter is the ugliest chapter of all.

VERNON SHERIDAN

Hermosa Beach