ANGELS : Target for New Stadium Is 1999

It appears as though the deal to build a baseball stadium for the Angels will not be completed in time for the 1998 season.

Angel President Richard Brown said it would take three years to complete the $215-million project, a year for the stadium design phase and two years for construction, meaning an agreement with the city of Anaheim would have to be reached no later than this month.

But the Angels still are not satisfied with the city’s most recent proposal, and stadium negotiations might take more of a back seat while the Autry family works to complete a deal with former baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth to purchase a minority share of the team.

“Anyone who buys the club is going to live with a new stadium lease for 30 years, so it would be unfair to bring that person in without adequate input on the deal,” Brown said. “I still have high hopes (for the stadium) but to fast track it at this time doesn’t make a lot of sense.”

Ueberroth is expected to begin a financial analysis of the Angels within the next two weeks, the first formal step in the process of buying about a 25% share of the team and taking over as managing general partner.

Jackie Autry, Angels’ executive vice president, said a priority would be to bring Ueberroth up to speed on stadium negotiations. She is expected to respond to Anaheim’s latest proposal this week, and Brown said she still “has a few problems” with the offer.

“If we had the perfect lease, it would be a slam dunk, but we still haven’t got the deal we want,” Brown said. “And until we do, we’re not going to have a new stadium.”

Brown said it’s possible the stadium could be completed midway through the 1998 season, but he won’t be disappointed if it doesn’t open until 1999.

“I sent the city a letter last week saying we’d like to move rapidly on this,” Brown said. “But if we had to move to 1999, that is still acceptable to us.”

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Angel pitchers were hammered for a third consecutive day Sunday, as the Seattle Mariners had 14 hits in a 12-7 victory in front of 2,892 in the Peoria Sports Complex. The Angels have been outscored, 33-20, in three consecutive losses since Thursday’s off day.

Seattle’s John Tsoukalas had a three-run homer in the first inning, and Terrel Hansen’s three-run double in the sixth caromed high off the center field wall, which is 410 feet away. The Angels had 11 hits.

“For some reason the whole team has gotten very tentative,” Angel Manager Marcel Lachemann said. “We’ve been behind, we’re making mental mistakes, things we hadn’t been doing before. We’ve hit the ball better lately, but we’re playing worse.”

Notes

Infielder Mike Fernandez was released Sunday and catcher Tom Dodge was re-assigned to their minor league camp, bringing the Angels’ roster to 39. Fernandez batted .200 (3 for 15) in seven games, and Dodge, a former Angel bullpen catcher, was hitless in seven at-bats in five games. . . . Derrin Doty, 24, an outfielder who split last season between Class A Cedar Rapids and Lake Elsinore, was called over from the Angels’ minor league camp to play left field Sunday, but Manager Marcel Lachemann said it was only for the day, and that he didn’t expect Doty to become a replacement player. . . . The Mariners committed five errors Sunday, bringing their spring total to 36 in 16 games. . . . Seattle reliever Sal Urso, who retired two of the last three batters in the ninth, is the brother of Angel second baseman Joe Urso.