Herzog Rides Into Sunset, Stuns Angels : Baseball: The general manager, 62, gives up control only months after winning a power struggle over key personnel decisions.

Whitey Herzog dramatically appeared 2 1/2 years ago at an Angel news conference and was hailed as the savior of the organization. He, in turn, vowed to win a World Series for the Cowboy, Gene Autry.

Tuesday afternoon, Herzog’s voice filtered over a speaker phone in a cramped Angel office as he announced his retirement as general manager. He had been no savior. There had been no World Series.

Herzog, heavily criticized for being an absentee executive, simply said that the time had come for him to step aside. Bill Bavasi, who became assistant general manager in September, will replace Herzog on Saturday.

The timing of his decision surprised even his closest associates. If he had done this in September, when he was involved in a bitter power struggle with Dan O’Brien, no one would have raised an eyebrow. If he had resigned a year ago, when he was fed up with the budgetary constraints of owner Jackie Autry, Gene’s wife, most would have understood.

But to resign now, only four months after having been given absolute authority in player-personnel decisions, and five weeks from the opening of spring training, was baffling. Herzog surrenders the final year of his $800,000 contract and will be an unpaid consultant.

“I really believe that it’s time for me to do some of the things I want to do,” Herzog said from Springfield, Mo. “I don’t really want to be traveling all over and going back and forth to California or anywhere else.

“If I didn’t think Bill Bavasi was so capable of doing the job for the next 25 years, then I don’t know if I would have done this at the time.”

Bavasi, whose father, Buzzie, is a former general manager for the Angels, Dodgers and San Diego Padres, been with the organization the last 13 years. He had been the farm director before becoming the assistant general manager in September.

“I thought Whitey might retire at the end of the year, at the earliest,” Bavasi said. “For him to do it now is a shock.

“I’m comfortable with it, but maybe that’s because I’m too dumb to know that I shouldn’t be.”

Still, despite Herzog’s insistence that there was no ulterior motive for his retirement, it sparked immediate rumors: The Boston Red Sox are interviewing candidates for general manager this week. The Kansas City Royals are expected to have a new owner this summer, David Glass, who is a close friend of Herzog’s. Perhaps the negotiations with free-agent relief pitcher Gregg Olson caused yet another clash with Autry. . .

“Whitey was determined that he accomplished what he could with the Angels,” club President Richard Brown said. “If you read anything else into it, you’re wrong. I thought he’d resign in spring training or after the season started, depending on what he could accomplish.

“I can’t fault a man who’s 62 to do this now.”

Herzog, who was talked out of quitting last September, appeared to be invigorated by his authoritative role after O’Brien’s firing Sept. 20. He declared that the Angels would be aggressive in the marketplace and that there would be no reason for them not to contend in 1994.

But the problems remained. Herzog was told that the Angels’ budget would have to be slashed to about $19 million, and instead of acquiring players in the free-agent market, he couldn’t even secure his own.

He alienated several of his players in negotiations with his brash, sometimes abusive style. He screamed at starter Mark Langston in a closed-door session. He slammed the phone in reliever Steve Frey’s ear. He bullied agents.

“He had a great deal of respect and recognition among his peers, but the reality now is that this is a different era, and he hasn’t crossed that bridge,” said Steve Comte, Frey’s agent.

Said Arn Tellem, Langston’s agent: “Whitey just has a different style. Whitey’s strengths were finding and evaluating players, but not in the art of diplomacy dealing with lawyers and agents.”

There was plenty of other criticism. Although he came to the Angels with the reputation of being a genius, Herzog’s tenure was pockmarked with blunders. He was unable to re-sign Wally Joyner and Dave Winfield, and signed free agent-bust Gary Gaetti. Joyner and Winfield continued as stars elsewhere and Gaetti flopped as an Angel.

There was the decision not to protect Bryan Harvey in the expansion draft; Harvey saved 45 games last season for the Florida Marlins. There was the trade that sent Jim Abbott away, and the one that brought Kelly Gruber.

“I think Whitey started to believe the accolades,” one associate said. “He really believed that he’d bring a World Series to the Cowboy. But even his magnetism wasn’t going to bring him a winner.”

Herzog came and went without even his closest associates fully understanding what happened. It seemed odd to them that Herzog was in town all week, conducting scouting meetings and negotiating sessions, and didn’t even hint at the possibility of leaving. It wasn’t until Friday, shortly before leaving for a Colorado skiing trip, that he told Brown of his decision.

Brown told Herzog to reconsider during the weekend. Herzog called Monday and said his decision was final.

“I’m as surprised as anyone by this,” said Bob Harrison, Herzog’s special assistant and close friend. “He never said a word about it. He was planning everything, had everything lined up, and was getting ready for spring training.

“I really thought he would go this whole year, and then say if the club is close, or if he gets a bigger budget, he’d be back.

“There was absolutely no indication of this.”

Said Manager Buck Rodgers: “I think everyone knows that Whitey has been frustrated about some things over the years, but I thought he’d be here past the all-star break. But you know, the hardest part about this is going back to work after skiing and fishing. I think he just wanted to curtail the responsibilities.”

“Yep,” Herzog acknowledged, “Now, I don’t have any.”