At 39, Downing Still Chases Magical Ring : Angels: His body says quit, but his mind says his career is incomplete without a World Series.

The thought of retiring, that perhaps he should give in to a body that ever more insistently resists being coaxed into playing shape, was a demon Brian Downing wrestled all winter.

He was sure, at times, that ending his career after the Angels’ failed American League West divisional title run last season was the right choice. “It was most of my thoughts,” he said.

But then he would ponder nearly 17 major league seasons--the last 12 of them with the Angels--and the nine club career records he owns. Each time, the 39-year-old designated hitter realized that his career was not complete.

“It’s the ever-lasting pursuit of the magical ring,” he said, referring to the Angels’ inability to win an American League pennant. “Every time I talk to people--the few I’m friendly with--they say, ‘If you leave, they’ll probably win.’ Maybe that’s why they’d win, because I leave. I don’t know.

“They go out and sign (Mark) Langston and pursue Joe Carter and it looks good. Then you have this shutdown (the 32-day lockout), and that puts you back down to earth again . . .

“I’ll keep going until results tell me otherwise. My body told me otherwise a long time ago. It’s strictly a matter of production now. The biggest thing is what you’ve got in your guts. You’ve got to have it in your guts.”

He has played through painful rib muscle strains each of the past two seasons, but he earns no points for nobility or diplomacy. Downing’s unwavering bluntness drives away those who try to know him, and, as confirmation of his desire to distance himself from others, his locker in the Angels’ spring training complex is tucked away in a corner, with more room between it and its neighbors than any other player’s cubicle.

“Brian’s part of the group, but everybody’s part of the group in their own way,” Manager Doug Rader said. “You’ve got to allow them their freedom and preference. You don’t have to be gregarious to be part of the team.”

Downing was a productive member of the team last season. His .281 average ranked eighth among AL designated hitters, and it represented an improvement of 41 points over 1988. He was one of only four DHs to appear in 100 or more games, and he became the Angels’ all-time leader in hits, games played and career at-bats.

But for the first time since 1976, Downing struck out more times than he walked, 87-56. If that was because of his persistent rib problems or the erosion of his skills, Downing couldn’t be sure. Healthy and swinging easily after the first days of camp, Downing is concentrating on easing his mind, if not his body.

“I attack it with the wonderful cliche that I take things one day at a time,” he said Saturday. “That part (his rib muscles) is coming along real well, but I know a problem is just the next sunrise away. The problems have been well-documented the last two years, and right now they’re under control.

“I would have liked to take it slow, but we kind of started a little late (because of the lockout). I would normally have taken it slow. That’s not to say I’m taking it easy, but I’ve got to play a lot more under control. I’m just trying to get my body back together. I’m out of condition, and I’ve got a lot of work to do to get it back where I normally am. That kind of goes against the grain of everybody who says they’re in the best condition of their life, but, then again, I don’t play a position out on the field, so to be in good condition isn’t as mandatory for me.

“I did go through a great bit of indecision over the winter about whether I wanted to give it a try. I was ready, then we had this foolish lockout business.”

The lockout has tarnished the season for him.

“To me, April 9 (the rescheduled opener) is just the first game. It doesn’t have that aura of opening day to me or to a lot of people,” he said. “You get those feelings just twice a year: when they do the pregame introductions on opening day and when they do them for postseason play. Those are the times it’s a real special feeling inside.”

Since he considers opening day tainted, his last chance to experience that thrill would be if the Angels make the playoffs and World Series. And if his body allows him to make one last reach for the magic ring.