Angels Not Off Hook on Harvey

T he column that takes it one paragraph at a time . . .

* So Bryan Harvey’s elbow finally blows out, 29 months after it was left unprotected in the expansion draft, and he needs ligament transplant surgery and the Angels are sitting there, suddenly looking like sage visionaries?

* Not so fast there, revisionists. Harvey remains the best relief pitcher the Angels have ever developed. Back in November, 1992, he was an investment--something to be kept in the portfolio, or traded for items of approximate value, not flushed all the way to Florida in exchange for nothing, not even one tin of smokeless chewing tobacco.

* That, of course, is assuming Whitey Herzog, Angel general manager back in November, 1992, could have traded Harvey for items of approximate value.

* With Whitey, the best policy was always never assume anything.

* By mid-1993, with Harvey’s arm sound and saving games by the bunches, he could have brought the Angels two or three prospects. Atlanta, I seem to recall, dangled that kind of package in front of the Marlins. Ryan Klesko and Kent Mercker were among the names rumored. Instead, Florida held onto Harvey and he saved 45 games for an expansion team that only won 64. Now, the revisionists in south Florida are criticizing Marlins General Manager Dave Dombrowski for doing what the Angels didn’t--hold onto Harvey too long.

* Cleveland, reportedly, was close to dealing for Harvey this spring. After 50 years, the gods of fungo finally decided to cut the Indians a break.

* At 31, Harvey isn’t quite finished. Others have returned from “Tommy John surgery” and gone on to lead productive careers. Tommy John, for one. Jose Canseco, for another. Although I see that Canseco’s new team, the Boston Red Sox, has taken him out of the bullpen.

* In other baseball news, the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians were pelted with magnetized Tiger schedules and golf balls during the Tigers’ home opener. Yes, the fans are still bitter. The Tigers could have suspected as much, so why the giveaway magnets? There’s a reason the Yankees canceled Bat Day years ago. Rule 1 of baseball marketing promotions: Never arm the fans.

* Bitter Angel fans merely pelted the players with toilet paper on opening night. Yes, it’s true--they are more laid back here.

* The Angels take three out of four in Toronto? I thought newspapers had agreed to stop running these fantasy baseball roundups.

* Texas Manager Johnny Oates returns from a two-week leave of absence and the Rangers commit five errors in a 4-1 loss to Seattle. Welcome back, Johnny, to the American League West.

* The Montreal Canadiens were eliminated from playoff contention Monday night. The Mighty Ducks and the Canadiens--in the same club, on the same level. Jack Ferreira’s five-year plan is moving right along.

* Montreal hadn’t missed the playoffs in 25 years and hadn’t had a season this bad in 47. And from here, things could get worse. The Canadiens were only 3-18-3 playing away from the Montreal Forum, with two of those victories coming against Ottawa. By the end of next season, the Montreal Forum will be a parking lot. Only the demolition wasn’t to have started this early.

* The Kings remain an iffy proposition, but Barry Melrose is bound for the Stanley Cup playoffs. Melrose’s ESPN career resumes tonight when he calls Vancouver’s regular-season finale against San Jose. Then he moves into the studio for the remainder of the playoffs. Barry always was a better quote than coach. Is it true he took the Kings’ job just to get a shot one day at ESPN?

* Melrose’s new assignment took him out of the running for L.A. Ice Dogs head coach. Too bad. Barry had the right hair for it. Bowed but unbroken, the Ice Dogs moved quickly Tuesday, hiring second choice John Van Boxmeer. Said Ice Dogs President Greg McElroy at the Van Boxmeer news conference: “We need a coach who will doggedly pursue the Turner Cup Trophy.” Don’t they have fines for this in the IHL?

* The Ice Dogs? Isn’t that team already playing in Ottawa?

* One day after signing 6-8 forward Terrance Roberson, one of the top high school prospects in the country, Jerry Tarkanian lands Larry Abney, a 6-7 1/2, 210-pound forward from New York who averaged 18.5 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks last season. How come Boyd Grant never got these kind of kids into Fresno State?

* Must be the all the neon and night life on the Strip up there.

* Playoff experience is certainly making the difference in the Sonics-Lakers series. Six Lakers have none at all. Too many Sonics experienced last year’s first-round dive against Denver.

* Orlando can’t shoot free throws or win on the road. New York can’t shoot. Chicago can’t give Michael Jordan the ball every time down the floor. But someone has to come out of the East. That leaves . . .Indiana. Be still NBC’s heart.

* The Chargers extended the contracts of Bobby Ross and Bobby Beathard through 1999. That should just about give the organization enough time to recover from its first Super Bowl.

* Let’s see, Dennis Conner qualifies for the America’s Cup finals in one boat, then announces he’s trading it in for the boat of the team he just beat and the lords of yachting say no problem, sounds fine to us, whatever you want, Dennis. “The America’s Cup--We Don’t Just Sail, We Wing It.” Pirates had a stricter rule book.