Downing Won’t Quit or Seek a Trade to A’s : Angels: But veteran believes he has been unjustly cast aside, and doesn’t want to end his career sitting on the bench.

It seemed a perfect fit to Brian Downing.

Jose Canseco is hampered by a hand injury, and the Oakland Athletics might need an extra bat. Downing saw himself as the answer, though it would mean leaving the Angels after more than 12 seasons.

“It’d break my heart,” Downing said, “but hell, so would this.”

Downing conceded Monday that this scenario has little chance of occurring, but he feels he has been unjustly cast aside by the team for which he has played more games (1,595) than any other player.

His appearance in Monday’s lineup was his 30th in 72 games and he carried in a .228 average, his highest since the first week of the season. However, he said he would not ask to be traded.

Nor does he intend to quit. “I wish I could. I’m not man enough to do that and a lot of people would be very disappointed in me if I do that,” said Downing, who will be 40 in October and is in the last year of a contract that pays him $1.25 million. “If that had been true, I’d have been out of here several months ago. . . .

“I just kind of got tired of the indifference. Everybody was so quick to write me off and treat me like a piece of (dirt). That’s all. If I had any doubt (about my abilities), I certainly wouldn’t volunteer to play for the Oakland A’s, would I?”

Angels General Manager Mike Port, who met with Downing about a month ago to discuss his future, was returning to California from New York on Monday and could not be reached for comment. Manager Doug Rader said Downing’s situation had been settled a month ago.

“Brian’s changed his mind, but I don’t feel a public forum is the place to comment,” Rader said. “He’s a member of the 25-man roster and as such he’s a member of a team. Everybody that’s part of the team needs to be counted on to produce. That’s how I look at Brian, Wally Joyner, Kent Anderson or Mark Eichhorn. . . . My responsibility is to do the best I can for the team using all the tools available to me.”

Downing said he can’t physically play defense for a National League team and thought Oakland made sense because it’s next-closest to Anaheim among American League teams.

He added he was not seeking a trade to a contending team just to reach the World Series, because “it wouldn’t be like getting a ring with a halo on it.”

“Everybody wants to play or they shouldn’t be here,” said Downing, who said this would be his last season. “I don’t want to do this again.’

He added, “It’s not like I’m a malcontent or anything. I’ve kept pretty quiet. It’s not a lot of fun. I don’t see myself sitting on the bench spitting sunflower seeds and scraping pine tar.

“I still feel like I can do a lot and I thought the opportunity might be there in a great situation. I’d thought about it for some time but there never was an opening.

“It just so happened I heard on TV and said, ‘That’s a possible fit.’ I never would have considered it a couple of months ago. But you hear things and read things and it wears on you. I have a lot of pride and respect. It’s probably dead now, but I don’t take it back. I really don’t serve much purpose here.”