ANGELS : It’s Not a Day to Enjoy Victory

Mark Langston stood on the pitcher’s mound Tuesday dominating the Colorado Rockies, but his mind kept wandering.

Outfielder Stan Javier stood in center field, trying to focus on the hitter at the plate, but instead kept thinking about Tim Crews. Ron Tingley squatted behind the plate, but kept wondering how the Cleveland Indians were coping with Monday night’s boating accident, in which pitchers Crews and Steve Olin were killed.

“I thought about it quite a bit in between innings,” Langston said after the Angels’ 1-0 victory over the Colorado Rockies. “I said a prayer for each of the families. It was a very emotional game.

“Life is so precious, and you realize you’re not in control.”

Langston, who was told that he would be the opening-day starter by Manager Buck Rodgers, said he was honored, but had difficulty expressing enthusiasm.

“It was a tough day to get excited when you’re thinking about what happened,” Langston said. “Very tough.”

Javier and Crews were teammates for parts of three seasons in the Dodger organization, and he spent 1 1/2 years with pitcher Bob Ojeda, who was injured in the accident. He remembered the days that he and Crews shared limo rides to the airport, and Crews’ son running around the Dodger clubhouse after games.

“We were such good friends, and our wives were so close,” Javier said of Crews. “All night long I was just laying in bed, seeing his face. You want to stop and take time out, but the game keeps going on.”

Tingley, a teammate of Olin’s in the minor leagues, said he couldn’t help but glance toward Rodgers on the bench, and think, “How lucky we are that Buck is alive.”

“It took us a few months to get over (last year’s) bus crash,” he said. “I don’t how they can get over something like this.”