Abbott Returns to Angel Family : Finally, a Mistake Corrected

Maybe it was the series with the Indians--three victories in five games over this year’s alleged Best Team In Baseball, an indication of just what might be possible come October, if and when.

Maybe it was the Anaheim Stadium turnstile totals for the last three games against the Indians--crowds of 30,000-plus and 40,000-plus, there for the baseball , not a free Lucky Stores bike bag.

Maybe it was 1991, or maybe it was 1993, when the Angels got into July with a fighting chance in the American League West, only to drop the gloves, sit on their hands and make no improvements to the roster because roster improvements cost money, which, as you might remember, was the only “untouchable” commodity the Angels had during those years.

Maybe the only thing to do now is take a deep breath, sit back, stop mulling the reasons why and just--to borrow a popular local colloquialism--consider the bottom line.

And today, the bottom line is this:

Jim Abbott is an Angel again.

Of all the U-turns taken by this organization, for too long the Roy Riegels of major-league franchises, this one is unprecedented.

The One That Got Away is coming back.

The popular Angel hero, lost in the mail and presumed gone for good, has been returned to sender.

Nolan Ryan never made it back, except to have his No. 30 retired.

Don Baylor never made it back, except to beat the Angels in the 1986 playoffs.

Frank Tanana made it back, barely, for half of one spring training, but by the time he did, he was in his 40s and so was his fastball.

Wally Joyner never came back. Dante Bichette never came back. Devon White, Carney Lansford, Tom Brunansky, Mike Fetters--so many mistakes through the years, never rectified, only watched with envy and regret from afar.

Abbott is a first, a rarity, one of the kind--and this has nothing to do with the fact he both pitches and catches with his left hand. Abbott’s return via trade Thursday represents the first time in 35 years the Angels admitted they made a mistake and took a positive measure to correct it.

Abbott is an Angel again, and his reacquisition didn’t require the loss of a single name from the 25-man roster. Garret Anderson won’t become the next Bichette--an All-Star outfielder in another city. Troy Percival won’t become the next Roberto Hernandez--the Angels’ latest gift to the Chicago White Sox bullpen. Even J.T. Snow, the lone argument in favor of Whitey Herzog’s infamous trade of Dec. 6, 1992, will be allowed to stay. In baseball terms, this is as close as it comes to having one’s cake and eating it, too.

Angel General Manager Bill Bavasi, who all but wrapped up Baseball Executive of the Year with this one, parted with four prospects, none of them can’t-miss and one of them hope-he-shows-someday. That would be McKay Christensen, the Angels’ No. 1 draft choice of 1994, who plays the outfield, at least by reputation, and may not play outfield for months, or years, due to his ongoing commitment to a Mormon mission.

Timing isn’t everything, it’s the only thing. Wednesday, the Angels signed Darin Erstad, their No. 1 selection of 1995. Erstad also plays the outfield. Less than 24 hours later, Christensen is packaged along with three minor league pitchers for Abbott. It’s an age-old bylaw of the game: An outfielder in the hand is always worth more than one in the Southern Hemisphere. Bavasi kept the sure thing and dealt the perhaps. Now the White Sox are the ones who get to sit and wait and cross their fingers.

Andrew Lorraine also went to Chicago. Two years ago, Lorraine was supposed to be the answer to the Angels’ crying need for a right-handed starting pitcher. That need hasn’t gone away--if anything, it has intensified--and if Lorraine were truly a solution, he’d have been up with the Angels weeks ago, instead of Russ Springer or Mike Harkey.

“We reached very far,” Bavasi said of the four-for-two transaction, which also brought back another old Angel, left-hander Tim Fortugno. “But we didn’t over-reach.”

David Cone, Bret Saberhagen, Kevin Tapani--those names were available only by over-reach. The price tag, in almost every case, would have included Anderson. The weekend before the All-Star break, Bavasi almost pulled the trigger--Anderson in a package for Tapani. The deal was so close to complete that minor-league outfielder Marquis Riley was flown into Anaheim from Vancouver, ready to take Anderson’s roster spot when Bavasi gave the word.

Instead, Bavasi gave the trade a second thought. And a third. Anderson took a few more turns at the plate and began hitting baseballs long distances and taking long, leisurely strolls around the bases. With every home run, his trade value soared, until Bavasi finally decided “What are we doing here?” and took Anderson off the board.

Today, the Angels have the makings of the best young outfield in either league--Anderson, Jim Edmonds and Tim Salmon, all 26 or younger, with Erstad, 21, waiting in the wings.

And they have Abbott, already a major-league veteran of 6 1/2 seasons, yet only 27. This gives them a rotation of Chuck Finley, Mark Langston, Abbott, Brian Anderson and Harkey to take into August.

The Angels have never before entered an August in such condition. For the first time since 1986, they enter August with October on their minds.

For the first time since who can remember when, they entered into a trade with the sentiment of the fans on their minds.

I know, it sounds too good to be true.

Where’s the punch line?

When does the ghost of Whitey poke its head around the corner, stick out its tongue, blow a few raspberries and howl, “Gotcha! We’re bringing back an old Angel left-hander, all right. You remember Joe Magrane?”

All we can do is go by what we already know, and at the moment we know that Abbott is scheduled to pitch for the Angels against the Brewers on Saturday. The Angels have put it in writing. So, we have the evidence.

Until then, avoid black cats and broken mirrors. Light a few candles. Maybe burn a little incense.

And for heaven sakes, Marcel, if a new pitcher shows up at County Stadium today wearing an Angel uniform, and he looks like Jim Abbott and he sounds like Jim Abbott, assign two players to watch his every move. Don’t let him out of their sight.