Angels Bringing In Williams : Baseball: Signing of former Phillie reliever is move to boost fan interest, and the bullpen.

The Angels, intent on drumming up fan interest, on Wednesday took a step toward making their games, well, a bit more melodramatic.

Mitch (Wild Thing) Williams, 30, signed a one-year, $500,000 contract Wednesday with the Angels. Williams also could earn as much as $2 million from incentives in the contract, which is not guaranteed. He will receive bonuses for games he finishes, beginning with his 30th of the season, according to a source.

“I would anticipate that we’ll be playing the song, ‘Wild Thing,’ when he comes into games,” Angel President Richard Brown said. “Maybe we’ll even have (actor) Charlie Sheen come to a ballgame. We don’t want to embarrass the guy, but with his permission, that’s what we’d like to do.

“We think he’s going to help our ballclub, but certainly a byproduct of signing Mitch Williams is that he has personality.”

Williams, whose control problems have reduced managers to tears, is being brought to the Angels to be their left-handed setup man. Left-handed hitters had a combined .217 batting average against Williams the last five years, and hit just .148 against him last season.

The Angels still are targeting either free agent Lee Smith or John Wetteland of Montreal to be their closer. Williams, who knows all of this, still desires to be a closer again.

“Of course I’d like to close,” said Williams from his ranch in Hico, Tex. “But I’ll let my abilities speak for me. If they tell me I’m a setup man, I’m a setup man.

“My first two years I was a setup guy, so for me, this is like starting over.”

So no problem if Lee Smith joins the team too?

“No, not at all,” Williams said. “I’m a big fan of the big ol’ dope.”

Williams, who was born in Santa Ana, saved a team-record 43 games for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1993 but will forever be remembered for his playoff exploits. He blew two saves during the National League playoffs, two more during the World Series that ended in Toronto outfielder Joe Carter’s clinching home run, and returned home to death threats.

The Phillies traded him to Houston for reliever Doug Jones, and by May 31, the Astros gave up on him too, and released him. Williams retreated to his 600-acre ranch, and despite the Angels’ attempts to coax him out west, Williams announced he was finished for the season.

“Mentally, I think, was the biggest problem I had,” said Williams, 1-4 with a 7.65 earned-run average in 25 appearances last season. “I know I don’t throw the ball as hard as I used to, but I can still get people out.

“I just want the chance.”

Williams wanted to join the Texas Rangers, or perhaps the Phillies, but there was no interest. The only team that kept calling was the Angels, including Manager Marcel Lachemann, and he finally relented Wednesday morning.

“We think we have a guy who can help us quite a bit,” Angel General Manager Bill Bavasi said. “He fell on some hard times. But it’s tough to go from a guy who did what he did for Philadelphia, and in a blink of an eye, go to a goat.

“We know we’re taking a shot, but we’re not guaranteeing anything, and the contract reflects that. As of today, we still don’t have a closer, but he has a shot for it.

“I think he wants to come here and prove something.”

Said Alan Hendricks, Williams’ agent: “Hey, he may just be the Mitch Williams of ’93.

“Minus, Joe Carter.”