BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : ANGELS : Anderson’s Parents Go It Alone

Jim and Janice Anderson were sitting at home in Geneva, Ohio, Sunday night, preparing to watch their son, Angel starter Brian Anderson, pitch on national TV for the first time of his life.

They contemplated having a few friends over to the house, but were too nervous to have anyone around. They wanted this evening for themselves.

“Maybe a few years down the road it will be different,” Janice Anderson said, “but right now I don’t want to have anyone around. I just get too keyed up.”

It turned out to be a good idea.

Brian Anderson, who had pitched so brilliantly in his first four starts, yielded eight hits and eight earned runs in 2 2/3 innings against the Boston Red Sox. It was the worst outing of any Angel starter this season.

Still, it hardly fazed the city of Geneva, which is planning a Brian Anderson Day on May 31 when the Angels are in Cleveland. The town folks already have reserved three buses for the trip, and about 150 are planning to attend.

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Angel starter Mark Langston, who underwent arthroscopic elbow surgery April 12, said he hopes to return to the rotation by the end of the Angels’ next trip that concludes May 15.

Langston said he felt no complications Sunday after pitching off a mound for the second time since the operation. Although he said he mistakenly believed he could return by the end of this home stand, he sees no reason why he can’t be back in two weeks.

“I’m going to be back pretty quick,” said Langston, the only active pitcher in the major leagues who has pitched at least 223 innings in each of the last eight seasons. “There could be a setback, but I see myself getting close.”

The Angels, however, still want to remain cautious and probably will wait until the weekend of May 13-15 before pitching Langston in a simulated game. They are projecting Langston’s return in about three weeks.

“When we get him back,” Angel Manager Buck Rodgers said, “we want to make sure we get him back for the whole season.”

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Angel starter Joe Magrane, who was activated Sunday and will start Wednesday against the New York Yankees, arrived early in town Sunday to present the Champion of Liberty award of the Anti-Defamation League to agent Dennis Gilbert at the Century Plaza Hotel.

The only trouble, Magrane said, was not knowing whether the honored guest would be at the ceremony.

Gilbert was bitten Friday by a black widow spider, and was hospitalized with a 104-degree temperature. His temperature, he said, even reached 107 degrees at one point. He was discharged from Valley Presbyterian late Sunday afternoon and arrived in time to receive his award from Magrane.

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The Angels signed veteran catcher Andy Allanson, 32, to a triple-A contract and he will report to their Vancouver club. Allanson batted .167 in 13 games last season for the San Francisco Giants.

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Angel outfielder Jim Edmonds, who suffered a mild concussion last Tuesday against the New York Yankees, was given clearance to play beginning Tuesday.

“It’s like I feel good every day,” Edmonds said, “but once I come to the clubhouse I start feeling lousy again. I don’t know if it’s the lights or what, but I’m getting tired of it.”