BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : ANGELS : Ryan Will Attend Service for Reese

Nolan Ryan, who named his second son after Jimmie Reese because of his deep admiration for the late Angel coach, said he will attend today’s memorial service for Reese in Santa Ana.

“I can’t begin to tell you how much he meant to me,” said Ryan from his Texas home. “He was a very special part of my life and always will be. When you think of the Angels, you think of him. I don’t think that will ever change.”

Ryan, baseball’s all-time strikeout leader, was the man responsible for keeping Reese in the organization under General Manager Harry Daulton. Daulton had brought Reese to spring training, and after camp ended, Ryan went to Daulton and said: “This guy is too good. Keep him.”

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Baltimore Oriole shortstop Cal Ripken Jr. played in his 1,984th consecutive game, moving closer to Lou Gehrig’s immortal record, but said Thursday that his streak pales in comparison to that of Reese.

“What I’ve done doesn’t even approach what he has done,” Ripken said. “I don’t think anyone can compare my achievements to his. You didn’t even have to meet him to be amazed by him.”

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The Angels finally gave up on left-handed reliever Jerry Nielsen and traded him to the Chicago White Sox for double-A pitcher Dean Locklear. Nielsen actually delayed the Jim Abbott-J.T. Snow trade until the New York Yankees included him along with starter Russ Springer, but Nielsen was a disappointment. He yielded a 8.03 earned-run average in 10 games with the Angels last season, and this year was 1-2 with a 7.65 ERA at double-A Midland. The Angels also acquired outfielder Bo Ortiz to complete their June 14 trade that sent Dwight Smith to the Baltimore Orioles.

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Rod Carew, Angel hitting coach, was stunned upon hearing that former teammate Cesar Tovar, 54, died in Venezuela because of pancreatic cancer.

“I really don’t know what to say because it’s such a shock,” said Carew, who was a teammate of seven years while with the Minnesota Twins. “He was the sparkplug of our team. He was the one who always got us going. He was such a very good friend. Caesar, me, (Tony) Oliva did everything together. Those guys were like big brothers to me.”