BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : ANGELS : Players Unhappy About Labor News

The Angels would love to feel optimistic about the labor situation. They dearly would like to rejoice over the owners’ pledge that there will be no work-stoppage, cheering long into September.

Instead, the Angels say, they must be realistic. And it’s hard to be overjoyed about the news that the owners once again failed to reach an agreement about a revenue-sharing proposal.

“How can you get excited about this?” Angel shortstop Gary DiSarcina said. “It’s the same old thing. As players, it’s so frustrating to see what’s going on.

“If the game is in such a troubled state, let’s fix it. We’re waiting for the owners to decide what they want to do, and nothing gets done. I don’t know why they even have all these meetings since nothing ever comes from it.

“So while we wait, we keep hearing the same things how the players are overpaid, and that we’re crybabies. Come on, it’s time to change the game’s image. It’s awful right now, and we’re at fault, too. You can’t have guys throwing firecrackers at kids and spraying bleach at reporters.

“In my mind, we need to do something pretty quick.

“Maybe we could bring Babe Ruth back.”

Despite the owners’ pledge that there will be no lockout in the spring, nor an arbitrary revamping of the system, the players still are quite skeptical.

“All this does is delay the process,” reliever Gene Nelson said. “We keep waiting for their proposal, and they keep putting us off.

“It’s not a good feeling, believe me.”

Said Angel Manager Buck Rodgers: “Let’s put it this way, I don’t think anybody was jumping for joy in here. You can’t be happy when there still is no proposal for the players’ association.”

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The Angels still are quite concerned about reliever Joe Grahe, fearing that he may have to undergo exploratory surgery for his shoulder this winter.

“I don’t want to be a pessimist,” Rodgers said, “but if a guy has trouble getting loose the next day after he throws, it’s just not normal. It’s not getting any better, either.

“I mean, I’m not a doctor, but usually when you have a guy who can’t come back the second day like that, there are problems. It might be something we have to look at this winter.”

League team, have been out-homered, 70-41, since May 31.