BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : ANGELS : Abbott Enjoys His Escape From N.Y.

Yankee pitcher Jim Abbott says he felt imprisoned in his own neighborhood. When he was traded to the Yankees by the Angels, he had thought living in an apartment in Manhattan would be special. But when you go 11-14 with a 4.37 earned-run average, and all anyone talks about is baseball, city living loses its charm.

“I couldn’t get away from baseball,” Abbott said. “Every street corner has a newspaper, and there were always the headlines. I was constantly reminded of it.

“It was a tough year . . . but the experience last year made me grow up. It was a great experience.”

Abbott left his Manhattan apartment after last season, and is spending this season in Connecticut, loving every minute of it. “I found out I missed the ride home to and from the ballpark,” said Abbott, who spent his first four seasons with the Angels. “It’s a time you have to yourself. You couldn’t do that with a cab.”

Abbott, 2-2 with a 2.70 ERA, is eligible for free agency after the season. He might return to New York, but when he was informed that a New York tabloid reported that his velocity was down in his victory Sunday--when he was eight outs away from his second no-hitter--he could only shake his head.

“It’s never enough,” he said. “Just never enough around here.”

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The Angels will wait until Thursday to determine if left-handed reliever Ken Patterson needs elbow surgery. He underwent a magnetic resonance imaging test Monday that revealed a sprained medial collateral ligament, but will be re-examined Thursday after the swelling subsides.

Patterson is expected to be put on the disabled list Wednesday, and Angel Manager Buck Rodgers said that he would like to replace Patterson with John Farrell of triple-A Vancouver.

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Abbott, when being told that 92-year-old Angel coach Jimmie Reese is becoming fast friends with Bo Jackson: “That’s Jimmie Reese for you, always going with the front-runner. First, Nolan Ryan, and now Bo Jackson.”

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Spike Owen, who is being paid $500,000 this season and $2.75 million next year by the Yankees, was the Angels’ starting shortstop for the first time this season. It was the first time in 231 games that shortstop Gary DiSarcina did not play because of a non-injury. . . . Starter Mark Langston, who is on the disabled list, left the team to be with his wife, who has been ill. . . . Catcher Chris Turner ended his hitless streak of 21 at-bats with his fourth-inning single.