BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : ANGELS : Abbott Returns, Will Face Langston

Jim Abbott parked his car in the same spot Tuesday that it had occupied the last four years at Anaheim Stadium, walked through the same front doors, nodded to security, took the elevator downstairs . . . and then went into the visiting clubhouse.

“It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be,” Abbott said. “Nobody gave me a hard time or anything.”

The biggest difficulty, the Yankees’ Abbott realized, will be tonight. He faces his former teammates for the first time.

In a strange twist of fate, he’s not opposing just any Angel pitcher.

He’ll be facing Mark Langston, his best friend.

“There are a few other draws I’d rather have in the league,” Abbott said, laughing. “I miss him. I miss his pitching. I miss his work ethic. (Tonight) will bring back a lot of memories.”

Langston, who remembers how emotional it was the first time he pitched against Seattle after leaving the Mariners, said he and Abbott have talked extensively about today’s matchup.

“We’ve both been looking forward to it,” Langston said, “and I think it’s good for him to get it over with. During the winter, we joked with each other and said that we’d both probably pitch 10 shutout innings, and no one would win.

“But I can’t tell you how much I respect him. His work habits, his competitiveness, that’s a lot of things I have. What can you say, there’s not a bad thing you can say about him.”

*

Angel right fielder Tim Salmon, second baseman Damion Easley and catcher John Orton spent their off-day Monday in Midland, Tex., to attend the funeral of the wife of minor-league teammate Kevin Flora. MaryAnn Flora was killed last week in a one-car accident along with their 4-year-old niece.

“He’s been real down,” Salmon said. “I think when he saw us, it picked him up a little bit. We even made him laugh a little bit that night. It’s going to take awhile, he’s really going through a rough time right now.”

The Angels also were represented by vice president Dan O’Brien and several minor-league teammates.

“It was important that we be there,” Salmon said.

*

Salmon, who hit the game-winning homer Sunday night off Red Sox starter Roger Clemens, said he was been swamped upon his return by congratulatory messages from friends and family.

“It’s something I’ll never forget as long as I live,” Salmon said. “No matter whether I make a mark on this game or not, everyone will always remember Roger Clemens.”