PREVIEW ’93 : Angel Front-Office Image Hangs on Babes in the Field

Whitey Herzog is seated in the hot desert sun, slowly rocking back and forth, chewing nervously on tobacco, telling stories from his playing and managing days, sprinkling in a few jokes. But his eyes refuse to leave the batter.

The Angel hitter slaps a soft grounder to shortstop for an easy out. Herzog curses, slaps his right hand across his forehead, grimaces in disgust, spits into a cup and sits there shaking his head.

“I don’t know, maybe I expect too much,” said Herzog, Angel vice president/baseball personnel. “It’s like I expect them to be perfect. They’re just kids. It’s going to take some time and we know that better than anyone.

“I don’t know, maybe it’s just that I’m so anxious, we’re all so anxious, just to see what they can do. And I know damn well they can do better than this.”

The kids.

They’ve been the focus of the Angels’ camp this entire spring and will continue to be throughout the 1993 season, which opens Tuesday against the Milwaukee Brewers at Anaheim Stadium. They’ve been the focus of private front-office meetings. They’ve been the focus of meetings between Manager Buck Rodgers and his staff. Even the Autrys find themselves discussing the subject during dinner.

The Angels, who open the season with five players in the everyday lineup with less than two year’s experience, have convinced themselves this is the right way. No more philosophy changes. No more foolish trades of prospects for aging veterans. No more extravagant free-agent spending.

“This organization suffered from inconsistency in their past,” said Angel President Richard Brown, “and when you’re as inconsistent as we have been, people are suspect. I think people want to see if we change our plan again if we hit rough times, and to be quite honest, I don’t blame them.”

This is why the Angels never dared to publicly exhibit their apprehensiveness about the youth movement this spring. It was painful for them to concede that starter Russ Springer and Jerry Nielsen, the two pitchers obtained in the Jim Abbott trade, may not be ready for the big leagues.

“I don’t know what happened to those guys,” Herzog said. “When we saw Springer last year, he was overpowering people, throwing in the 90s. He comes to camp, and the first time he pitches, I swear to God it looked like he never pitched before.

“The other guy, my God, he could thread a needle with his control last year. Now, he’s throwing the ball right down the middle of the plate.”

Springer and Nielsen weren’t the only Angel only worries this spring. First baseman J.T. Snow, the key player in the Abbott trade, struggled most of the spring, and was hitting only .173 until the final week of camp.

Rookie right fielder Tim Salmon, the Minor League Player of the Year, was hovering around the Mendoza line until the final few days. Center fielder Chad Curtis was batting .207 when camp broke, and second baseman Damion Easley--who missed the first two weeks of games with shin splints--was hitting .250.

In a year that’s designed to develop their youth, the Angels’ biggest surprises of the spring were veterans. Starter John Farrell, who missed the last two seasons because of elbow surgeries, made the starting rotation. Third baseman Gary Gaetti, trying to prove he’s not finished, broke camp with a team-leading 12 RBIs. Scott Sanderson, signed only because the Angels didn’t know Farrell still could pitch, proved that he could be a capable starter.

Yet, the Angels were frustrated because Springer failed to make the rotation and Julio Valera came down with a tender elbow. The only newcomer to the Angel bullpen may be 32-year-old Gene Nelson. And the winners of the two vacant utility jobs are infielder Torey Lovullo, 27, who’s playing in his third organization, and probably Jerome Walton, 27, who was released by the Chicago Cubs.

“People kept telling me the kids were uptight all spring,” Herzog said, “and that’s how come they didn’t perform well.

“How the hell can you be tight in spring training, huh? There was no competition for some jobs, and others we tried to give away.

“I’m sure there were fans who came down here this spring, looked at the guys we’ve been talking about all winter, and wonder if we know what we’re doing.

“I’ve told our people, and I had a meeting with the coaches, and said it’s too early to be worried. You can’t make judgments in spring training. Now, if they’re still struggling like this in June, that’s a different story. Then we’ve all got something to worry about . . . like our jobs.”

Herzog broke out laughing, but in truth, there’s something quite critical at stake: The reputation of an organization.

“And I’ve listened to enough talk shows and read enough fan mail,” Brown said, “to know that it isn’t too good right now.”

It’s rather simple. If the Angels’ youth movement flourishes this season, the front office will look like geniuses. If they flop . . .

“We’ll look like idiots,” Brown said.

The Angel front office has been verbally assaulted for years, but it reached epic proportions this winter. The Abbott trade brought death threats, leaving Bryan Harvey exposed to the expansion draft brought outrage and ignoring the high-priced free agents brought ridicule.

There have been plenty of other incidents, that in the words of Brown, “make us look like country bumpkins.”

You know, things like trading for a third baseman who needs rotator-cuff surgery and trading for a pitcher who already had decided to play college football just doesn’t look good.

When Herzog wasn’t aware that the Angels signed Sanderson until a reporter informed him a full week later, that just doesn’t sound good. When Herzog says there’s no reason to file a grievance against Toronto because they didn’t know about Kelly Gruber’s injury, and O’Brien files a protest claiming they did, that just doesn’t speak well.

Even owner Jackie Autry became involved, according to a highly placed source, when whispers of O’Brien’s job status reached her. O’Brien will be staying, the source said; Brown denies that a change was ever requested.

In an attempt to eliminate at least the public’s confusion, the Angels decided that only O’Brien and Herzog will be be spokesmen for the team. Jackie Autry no longer will make herself available for comment on generic matters involving the club and Brown will respond primarily only to reporters’ inquires about business operations.

“I’m happy there’s some overlap in the front office,” Brown said, “but I’m not happy the way the outside world views us. I think we’ve been too open to the press, and the perceptions of us are totally erroneous and unfortunate. I’m not saying we always agree with one another, but there is mutual respect.”

Brown, who has been the Angels’ president and chief executive officer since Nov. 1, 1990, would also like to purge any notions that he simply is a lawyer watching out for the Autry’s pocketbook.

If truth be known, Brown’s friends and family say, he actually is more fervent during games than many of the fans or players. They’ll tell you he’s absolutely ecstatic after victories, and morose after defeats, as if he were personally responsible for the outcome.

“I run the ballclub, and I run it as actively as any president would run an organization,” Brown said. “Like it or not, the game is a sport and a business. Unfortunately, the sport is tarnished by the business.

“My biggest regret in all this is that we have not had a contending ballclub the last couple of years, but believe me, that’s going to change. I know it doesn’t look like we’re always on the same page, but we are writing the same book. It’s just that we only have a few chapters written.”

It may take years before the Angels’ plan is fully developed and certainly there are no expectations that they’ll contend this season. But Brown says they’ll be patient and believes he has one of the best managers in the business to implement their plan.

Certainly no one in the organization is respected more than Rodgers. If it weren’t for the bus accident that sidelined Rodgers for three months last season, Brown is convinced the Angels would have finished much higher than their sixth-place record of 72-90.

Yet, considering the Angels traded away Abbott, lost Harvey and Junior Felix in the expansion draft and will have only two starting players who were in last year’s opening-day lineup, a sixth-place finish this year might be quite an achievement.

The Angels, in fact, soon are hoping to extend Rodgers’ contract through at least the 1995 season. And, considering the doomsday predictions about the Angels, a .500 season might be worthy of a lifetime contract.

“Right now, we want to see what these kids can do,” Rodgers said. “You’d like to see all of them be successful, but realistically you’re going to lose some people down the line that aren’t going to cut it.

“I’ve got my own feeling on who’s going to fall by the wayside and who won’t. And there will be some who will take advantage of this opportunity and some who are satisfied with being mediocre.

“But we’ve got to get the car on the road before we fine-tune it.”

The Angels, who have finished a combined 61 games out of first place the last three years, aren’t expected to change everyone’s opinions in one season. They aren’t expected to be in a pennant race come July, let alone September. Yet the success of the Angels’ youth will play a significant role in the image of the front-office.

“I think we’re all on the same keyboard now,” Herzog said. “I know what we’ve done is the right thing, but the only way to shut people up is to do it on the field.

“We’ve got to win.

“We’ve got to contend.

“We’ve got to entertain people.”

The Angel front-office, Brown insists, no longer will do the entertaining.

California Angels / HALO COUNTRY

The youth movement is in full swing and the search for a bullpen stopper continues as the Angels embark on a new season.

* The Team

Only three position players in the lineup have two or more years’ experience. Opening Day Order (’92 averages)

1. Luis Polonia, LF: .286

2. Chad Curtis, CF: .259

3. Tim Salmon, RF: .347*

4. Chili Davis/DH: .288

5. J.T. Snow, 1B: .313*

6. Rene Gonzales, 3B: .277

7. Damion Easley, 2B: .258

8. Greg Myers, C: .231

9. Gary DiSarcina, SS: .247

* In the minors

* Fresh Faces

J.T. Snow was key player in Jim Abbott trade. Scott Sanderson has averaged 14 wins since ’89. Gene Nelson was set-up man for Dennis Eckersley.

J.T. Snow / 1B

‘92 at Columbus

Avg: .313

HRs: 15

RBIs: 59

Should be a Gold Glove candidate.

*

Scott Sanderson / P

‘92 at Yankees

W-L: 12-11

ERA: 4.93

IP: 193

Has defeated all 26 teams.

*

Gene Nelson / RP

‘92 at Oakland

W-L: 3-1

ERA: 6.45

IP: 52

Picked up as a free agent.

* The Skipper

Buck Rodgers was able to manage only 73 games last season after the team’s May 21 bus crash.

Buck Rodgers / MGR

Record as a major league manager

Won: 677

LOST: 641

PCT: .514

Named Manager of the Year in ’87.

* New Guys on the Block

Did you know that the 1961 Los Angeles Angels put together the best winning percentage of any expansion team in major league history?

Los Angeles Angels (1961) .435

Kansas City Royals (1969) .426

Houston Colt 45’s / Astros (1962) . 400

* The Fun Stuff

Get your nuts here: Talk about variety. . .the Big A has it all from the purist menu of dogs (regular and jumbo), sodas, beer, peanuts, popcorn and helmet sundaes to a wide selection of sausages, baked potatoes, sushi, pasta, fish and chips, Mexican dishes, pizza, deli an umm-ummmmm cinnamon rolls.

* Oh say can you sing? If your are interested in singing the national anthem, send a tape to Corky Lippert, Box 2000, Anaheim, 92803. It should be sung without accompaniment. Sing it as written--Absolutely no deviations, except for the key. She is a year behind on her tapes; usually she books her entire season in February, March and April. She also needs people who can sing “Oh Canada,” when the team plays Toronto. About 20 games are sung by groups such as Little Leaguers on Little League night.

* Want to write to your favorite Angel? Letters to players are delivered every day, so you can be sure the ballplayers you write to will see your correspondence. Some of the more popular players have people who respond to their fan mail and others turn letters over to the Angles’ public relations folks. Most players will sign a baseball card and return it if you enclose a self addressed, stamped envelope. you might even get a note from your favorite Angel as well.

* Address your letter to: (Players’s Name), California Angels P.O.Box, 2000, Anaheim, 92803.

* Heads Up Play: On Sept 7, 1964, Angel catcher Bob Rodgers hit an inside-the-park homer that hit the fence, caromed off Carl Yastrezemski’s head and bounced into center field.

* The Schedule, How to Get There, Seating, Tickets and Tidbits Home park: Anaheim Stadium Location: 2000 State College Blvd., Anaheim, 92803 Phone number: 1-800-6-ANGELS Seating capacity: 64,593 1992 attendance: 2,065,444 1992 average per date: 25,499 1992 largest crowd: 51,401 (June 16 vs. Tesas Rangers) Record crowd, regular season: 63,132 (July 4, 1983, vs. Kansas City Royals) Parking and hours: Parking lots open two hours before game time ($4). Gates open 90 minutes before game.

* Advance ticket purchases: Gate No. 1; Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. -5:30 p.m. Advance ticket windows on field level behind home plate are open during game. Fax a ticket order form (714) 937-7246. there is a $4 service charge. Major credit cards accepted.

* Telephone ticket orders: Ticketmaster: (714) 740-2000 or (213) 480-3232; 9 a.m.-9 p.m., Monday through Saturday; 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Sunday. MasterCard, VISA, American Express and Discover. Tickets ordered 10 days before a game will be mailed. Late orders can be picked up at Will Call window at Gate 1. Ticketmaster outlets also available at Tower Records, Music Plus and Robinson’s/May (cash only or Robinson’s/May credit card).

* Mail orders: Must be received at least seven days before the game. Add $4 per order for postage and handling. VISA, MasterCard or Discover. Mail to Angels Tickets, P.O. Box 2000, Anaheim, 92803.

* General Admission: $4 Centerfield: $8 Centerfield Club: $8 Centerfield Terrace: $8 Club Box: $11 Field Box: $11 Terrace Box: $9 View Level: $7

* Promotions for kids 15 and younger*:

4/11-Cardbook/egg hunt; 5/15-Shower curtain; 6/12-Bat; 6/13-Card set; 6/19-Bat bag; 7/2-Replica jersey; 7/10-Toothbrush and cup; 7/27-Laundry bag; 7/31-Pillow case; 8/21-Lunch box; 9/3-Backpack.

* First 15,000 kids (except 6/13, first 20,000).

* Local television and radio:

KTLA (channel 5) will televise 45 road games and four home games. KTLA, which also will televise the Dodgers, will show one team or the other nearly every Friday, Saturday and Sunday through the season (95 total games). All Angel games are on KMPC 710 AM.

* National telecasts and cable: April 25 against the Boston Red Sox, on the ESPN Sunday night game.

Source: California Angels