Langston Wants Angels to Commit to Aggressiveness

The sinews in his neck stretched taut, Whitey Herzog scowled at pitcher Mark Langston and bellowed the question heard ‘round the Angels’ world.

“What more do you want from us?” Herzog asked in exasperation. “Just how much money do you need?”

Langston glared at him and, surprising even himself, raised his voice and snapped back.

“I’ll tell you what I want,” Langston said, pointing at the flashy ring on Herzog’s right finger. “I want one of those. I want what you have.

“I want a World Series ring.

“I want you to give us a chance to win a World Series.”

Langston’s point was painfully blunt, yet ever so eloquent.

Now, three months since that negotiating session in the Angel offices, Herzog is gone as general manager and Langston is back. Langston can still walk away as a free agent at the end of the season, but said this week that he’s willing to commit his next four years to the Angels.

In return, he wants a simple commitment that the Angels will be aggressive in their quest to win.

“I’ve made that crystal-clear to the Angels,” Langston, 33, said, “and they realize that. I can’t emphasize how much I want to win. And I feel good that will happen now because we finally got somebody (General Manager Bill Bavasi) in charge.

“If I didn’t want to be here, I wouldn’t be, because I’ve certainly been given all the chances to leave. But this is where I want to be and this is where I’d like to stay.”

Langston, who has yet to reach an agreement on a contract extension, will arrive today for the start of spring training with faith that the Angels will fulfill their promise.

Maybe he’s fooling himself, or perhaps the Angels have fooled him, but Langston is convinced that they have just as much chance of winning the American League West title as anyone else.

Of course, it may sound a bit crazy. This is a team that has finished a combined 84 games out of first place since Langston’s arrival four years ago, and in the last two seasons, the Angels have finished 42 games under .500.

However, from the moment the Major League Players Assn. approved realignment in January, the outlook of the Angel organization changed. Why, with Chicago, Minnesota or Kansas City headed to the American League Central and only four teams left in the West, the Angels figured they might have a chance at winning their division.

They immediately acquired outfielders Bo Jackson and Dwight Smith, each of whom hit more homer runs in reserve roles last season than all but three Angels; they picked up relievers Craig Lefferts, Bob Patterson and Bill Sampen, who have appeared in more games--1,100--than the combined total of the Angels’ tentative starting lineup, minus Chili Davis, and they signed starters Frank Tanana and John Dopson, both from 1993 playoff contenders.

“The realignment makes us instantly competitive,” said Langston, who has been selected to the American League All-Star team the last three years. “The teams that are left aren’t powerhouse teams. I really think we can win this whole ball of wax.”

The Angels are left in a division with the Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers and Oakland Athletics. The Mariners and Rangers have never won a division title, and Oakland finished in last place in 1993.

“I think you’ll see a different team this spring, one with a whole lot more confidence,” Angel Manager Buck Rodgers said. “We had so many first-year kids last spring, I think guys were just happy to be here.

“Now, it’s a whole different game. It’s going to be like the Olympics. If you don’t want to win, don’t bother to show up.”

The Angels, if nothing else, have attracted the attention of the Cactus League. They have already sold out their box seats for the spring and expect to have near-sellouts for every game.

Of course, the main attraction is Jackson, whose appearance may also relieve some of the pressure on other players.

“Last year, I felt I was under a microscope,” said first baseman J.T. Snow, who was acquired in the Jim Abbott trade, “but it won’t be that way this spring. If anything, the spotlight is going to be on Bo and Tim (Salmon). I’ll be able to go into spring without feeling like everyone’s checking me out.”

There still will be plenty of questions this year, but much of the uncertainty is gone. Despite the possibility that shortstop Gary DiSarcina will be the most experienced starting position player--having been in the majors all of 2 1/2 years--the veteran pitching staff realizes that these kids belong in the big leagues.

A year ago, they had no idea.

“There were just too many question marks last spring,” Langston said.

“We took a lot of marquee players off the team and gave doubts to everyone.

“I mean, we all knew that Tim Salmon had great years in the minor leagues, but there’s a slew of players who have had great minor league careers and never made it.

“Believe me, after watching Tim and what everyone else did last year, and seeing some of the things we did this winter, I’m very, very encouraged.

“You know, I’ve got a funny feeling this could be our year.”