BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : ANGELS : Snow Had a Busy First Day

Angel first baseman J.T. Snow spent nearly two hours Tuesday answering questions from reporters, another hour in the parking lot greeting friends and family, went home to return congratulatory phone calls, and then laid down on the living room couch and watched the opening-day highlights on ESPN.

That’s when it hit him.

“When I got home and started to relax,” Snow said, “that’s when I realized it was a pretty big deal. I mean, to hit a home run on the first day, in front of all my family in my first game at Anaheim Stadium, that’s something special. It’s something I’ll never forget.

“Believe me, it took awhile to fall asleep.”

While Snow was being mobbed by the media after Tuesday’s opener, where was fellow rookie Tim Salmon, who had two hits?

“I was in the back lifting weights,” Salmon said, laughing. “When I got done, everybody was gone.

“I guess they got tired of talking to J.T.”

It’s possible that pitcher Julio Valera will stay in the bullpen if starter Russ Springer excels in his first two starts at triple-A Vancouver, Manager Buck Rodgers said. . . . Dr. Lewis Yocum said that third baseman Kelly Gruber, who is recovering from rotator-cuff surgery, had a minor setback during the weekend, but he expects Gruber to begin swinging a bat in two or three weeks. . . . Milwaukee center fielder Robin Yount moved into 16th place on the all-time list by playing in his 2,731th game. . . . Angel reliever Scott Lewis, who is on the 15-day disabled list because of a bruised right elbow, said it’s still too painful to attempt pitching. “I can’t even touch it right now.”