BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : ANGELS : Smith’s Feathers Ruffled, but He Finally Arrives

Reliever Lee Smith arrived for his first workout Saturday morning, only to find tepees being erected as part of a Native American Powwow in Tempe Diablo Stadium.

“I knew right then they weren’t going to practice in that place,” said Smith, a free-agent acquisition from Baltimore.

Fortunately, Angel traveling secretary Frank Sims was in the stadium office and told Smith that practice was at Gene Autry Park in Mesa. Smith got there at 8:59 a.m.--two minutes later and he would have been fined--but the big right-hander was still a bit disoriented.

His socks didn’t fit. He didn’t have a long-sleeved T-shirt. His first hat was too big, the second too small. The next one fit just right, and when Smith was finally dressed, he was asked if he needed anything else.

“Yeah, some more directions to this place,” he said. “I haven’t talked to anyone since I signed. No one told me what time practice was, where it was. . . . Oh well, it can only get better.”

Smith, who is expected to fill a huge void as the team’s closer, felt much more comfortable on the field.

He joined the Angels for stretching and drills, shagged some batting practice and threw about 10 minutes in the bullpen, drawing the attention of numerous spectators as he popped the mitt of bullpen catcher Mick Billmeyer with several blazing fastballs.

Asked if he had a chance to see Smith throw, Angel starter Chuck Finley said: “No, but I heard him.”

Is three weeks enough for Smith to prepare for the season?

“It’s going to have to be,” Smith said. “I don’t think I need to do a whole lot to throw an inning. It’s just a matter of building up enough endurance to pitch on consecutive days.”

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There have been some minor aches and pains but no injuries during the first four days of camp, which has been marked by seven-hour workouts.

“I’ve never been to boot camp, but I imagine this is what it’s like,” Finley said. “We expected long days. They told us if we brought our golf clubs, the only thing they’d be used for is to hang clothes on them.”

Taking that as a challenge, Finley squeezed in a round of golf the other day with reliever Mitch (Wild Thing) Williams.

“He’s everything I thought he’d be,” Finley said of Williams. “His swing is violent. He drove the car hard. He drank Coke hard. He throws hard. He’s out of control. But he’s fun to be around. The nice thing is he’s a left-hander, so that’s normal.”

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Former Angels Bob Patterson and Rene Gonzales signed minor league contracts and will report to the team’s major league camp today.

Patterson, a 35-year-old reliever, went 2-3 with one save and a 4.07 earned-run average in 47 appearances with the Angels last season before becoming a free agent. Gonzales, a 33-year-old utility player who played the 1992 and ’93 seasons in Anaheim, played 42 games at triple-A Charlotte and 22 games for Cleveland, where he hit .348, in 1994.

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The starting times for the Angels’ two exhibition games at San Diego have been changed. The Angels will play the Padres on April 22 at 1 p.m. and on April 23 at 6 p.m. in Jack Murphy Stadium. The teams will play in Anaheim Stadium on April 24 at 7 p.m. and on April 25 at 1 p.m.