ANGELS : This Local Won’t Even Watch

Tim Salmon’s Phoenix home is in the heart of the Cactus League, so with every spring training camp that opened came a sobering reminder of what the Angel right fielder was missing because of the baseball strike.

“This is our livelihood, and spring training is what you look forward to every year,” said Salmon, the 1993 American League rookie of the year.

“I haven’t heard any trade talk in the off-season, all the things that get you excited for spring, but we’re not going to play until we get a settlement we can feel good about. For the players, that means totally giving in at this point, and that’s not going to happen.”

Angel Manager Marcel Lachemann believes the use of replacement players could expedite a settlement. If they play great baseball and are accepted by fans, major league players would be more motivated to return. If replacements stink and attendance falls dramatically, owners would have more incentive to end the strike.

But Salmon, who hit .283 with 31 home runs and 95 runs batted in in 1993 and .287 with 23 homers and 70 RBIs in strike-shortened 1994, disagrees.

“What they’re doing may be slowing the process of getting this resolved,” he said. “I think the owners’ plan is going to backfire in their faces.”

Though exhibition games will break out all over the Phoenix area next week, Salmon won’t watch replacements. “I have better things to do with my time,” he said. But he couldn’t blame players for wanting to cross picket lines.

“They just want a shot at playing, and if I was in their boat, I might do the same thing,” Salmon said. “I don’t look at them with hatred, because I have no fear I’ll get my job back. When this is settled, they’ll be gone and I’ll be back.”

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Game on: When the University of Miami pulled out of an exhibition game against the Florida Marlins, there was speculation that Arizona State, which will open the exhibition season against the Angels next Wednesday night, might follow suit.

But the school issued a release Wednesday saying it will play the game as scheduled. All proceeds from the game will go to 40 local charities.

“There has never been any discussion not to play the game,” Arizona State Athletic Director Charles Harris said. “The fact that the Angels may be using replacement players has never been our concern.”

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Big man in camp: The term “replacement player” doesn’t seem to fit Earl Cunningham, aspiring Angel outfielder. At 6 feet 2 and 260 pounds, Cunningham is big enough to replace two players.

Unfortunately, Cunningham’s swing has always been as big as his body, and that’s why he’s in this Angel camp, trying to resurrect a career that began with so much hope.

Cunningham was the Chicago Cubs’ first-round pick, the eighth selection overall, in 1989, and he signed out of Lancaster (S.C.) High for $185,000.

But Cunningham never rose higher than Class A in five Cub seasons and was released in early 1994. His problem? An assortment of injuries and a Goliath-sized strike zone.

In five seasons, Cunningham had 483 strikeouts and 64 walks in 1,292 at-bats. He had 46 home runs and 192 RBIs. The Angels signed him last year, and he hit a combined .217 with 13 homers and 36 RBIs at Class A Cedar Rapids and Lake Elsinore. But he also had 93 strikeouts and 12 walks.

“When I wasn’t hitting, everyone got wrapped up in why I wasn’t hitting and wanted to help,” said Cunningham, who hopes to be a replacement player. “I got too much help and had trouble focusing. I’m going to strike out, but give me a chance to get 400 at-bats in a season, and I may hit 30 home runs.”