BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : ANGELS : Suspensions Simply ‘Paid Vacations’

While the Milwaukee Brewers and Oakland Athletics are vehemently complaining about the suspensions levied by the American League office, Angel Manager Buck Rodgers contends they should be grateful. “Those aren’t penalties,” Rodgers said, “those are paid vacations. They say on one hand they want to stop the fighting, and all they give people are paid vacations.

“You’re going to start having guys standing in line trying to get in a fight to get these paid vacations. Hell, give me one, I’ll take it. It’s a big joke. They’ve made a bad matter 10 times worse than if they just left everything alone. But you can complain all you want, we don’t have a commissioner to do anything about it.”

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It’s becoming quite clear that catcher John Orton, who has been on the disabled list since June, is quickly disappearing from the Angels’ plans and may not be on their 40-man roster this winter.

“Orton just hasn’t turned out like some people thought he would,” Rodgers said. “He can’t shake the old injury bugaboo, and we don’t know if he ever will. Very seldom does a young man who gets injured a lot improve with age. Usually, if a guy is injured a lot as a young man, it continues the rest of his career. Most of them you don’t hear about because they’re out of the game.”

Orton, a 1987 first-round pick, has had only one season in which he has played in more than 105 games, and has been limited to 80 games the last two seasons because of injuries.

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Rookie starter Mark Holzemer walked out of the clubhouse late Friday night after being the losing pitcher in the first game of the doubleheader only to find a couple of familiar faces awaiting him.

Holzemer’s parents took a flight in from Littleton, Colo., to surprise him, hoping to celebrate his first major league victory. They had also traveled to Anaheim for his first start, and again, will have to wait. “I told them, ‘You’ve got to quit coming to my games, you’re bad luck,’ ” Holzemer said.

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Injury report: Infielder Kurt Stillwell, who was expected to play every day in Gary DiSarcina’s absence, sustained a groin pull in the third inning Friday that will keep him out until at least Tuesday. . . . Catcher Greg Myers probably will also be out until at least Tuesday with soreness in the groin area. He incurred the injury Aug. 18 of a tipped ball by Alan Trammell of the Detroit Tigers. . . . Starter Hilly Hathaway, who’s eligible to come off the disabled list Wednesday, probably won’t be activated before the Angels’ next trip Sept. 7 to Detroit and Toronto.