That Old Familiar Feeling Might Haunt Angels

On April 2, 1996, the Angels look no different than they did on Aug. 2, 1995.

Best pitching staff in the American League West.

Best outfield west of Cleveland.

Best shortstop not named Cal Ripken Jr.

Better defense than Seattle.

Better bullpen than Seattle.

“The team to beat in the division,” according to Seattle Manager Lou Piniella.

Capsule summation of the Angels’ chances in the AL West:

It’s theirs to lose.

This, understandably, has many people around here quite concerned.

On Aug. 2, 1995, the Angels had an outfield that consisted of 1993 AL rookie of the year Tim Salmon, 1995 AL rookie of the year runner-up Garret Anderson and 1995 AL All-Star Jim Edmonds. Edmonds was on his way to a career season--33 home runs, 30 doubles, 107 RBIs. Salmon was racking up eventual career highs in home runs (34) and RBIs (105). Anderson had just been named AL player of the month for July and was about to finish his first major league season with a .321 batting average, 16 home runs and 69 RBIs in 106 games.

On April 2, 1996, they try to do it again.

Aug. 2, 1995: Gary DiSarcina was hitting a career-high .317 two weeks after appearing in his first All-Star game and two days before appearing in his first big-league thumb-to-elbow splint.

April 2, 1996: DiSarcina flashes wary teammates the thumbs-up sign and tries to assure all, “It can never, ever happen again.”

Aug. 2: Leadoff man and third baseman Tony Phillips was having his “cake” and eating it, too--hitting .299 with 16 home runs and leading the league in runs.

April 2: Phillips wears White Sox after prematurely retiring twice--for one day this spring and for two months (August and September) last season. A rookie, George Arias, now plays third base for the Angels. A 33-year-old utilityman with 22 career stolen bases, Randy Velarde, now bats leadoff.

Aug. 2: Chuck Finley, Mark Langston and Jim Abbott anchored a starting pitching rotation that made the Angels virtually slump-proof.

April 2: Finley, Langston and Abbott can tell you tales about a pair of nine-game losing streaks that happened one dark and stormy September. Your teeth will chatter, your knees will rattle, your hair will stand on end.

Aug. 2: Finley (10-7) and Langston (10-1) were a combined 20-8 with two months yet to pitch.

April 2: Finley (33) and Langston (almost 36) have combined for nearly 70 years on the planet and 22 years in the majors. The last two months of the 1995 season? A combined 10-11.

Aug. 2: Abbott was a day away from making his first Anaheim Stadium start as an Angel since returning to the team in a July 27 trade with the White Sox.

April 2: Abbott still hasn’t won at Anaheim Stadium since making his return last Aug. 3. Abbott started six home games as an Angel in 1995, went 0-3 with a 7.54 earned-run average.

Aug. 2: First baseman J.T. Snow prepares to break in his first Gold Glove.

April 2: Snow prepares to break in a new third baseman and a new second baseman.

Aug. 2: Jorge Fabregas caught a little, Greg Myers caught a little and Marcel Lachemann worried a lot.

April 2: Fabregas will catch a little, Don Slaught will catch a little and Lachemann still would like to know what happened to Joe Oliver.

Aug. 2: Shawn Boskie, Angel fourth starter by default.

April 2: Shawn Boskie, Angel fourth starter by default.

Aug. 2: Scott Sanderson, 38 and on the disabled list again.

April 2: Scott Sanderson, 39 and in the rotation again.

Aug. 2: Lee Smith, still hunting down the final out on 37-year-old knees, completing a “Slow Ride” to another 37-save season.

April 2: Lee Smith, gone hunting, now back sitting in the bullpen, one of his 38-year knees now adorned with a gnarly surgeon’s scar. Needs a new theme song. “Fixing A Hole,” perhaps?

Aug. 2: The Mariners were still mucking around without Ken Griffey Jr., who missed a total of 73 games in 1995 with a broken wrist.

April 2: “Ken Griffey Jr., reporting for duty. Great year to play 162.”

Aug. 2: Seattle’s Randy Johnson was en route to winning his first Cy Young Award and the Angels had no one who could hit him.

April 2: New Angel second baseman Velarde has a career batting average of .500 (18-for-36) against Johnson. That’s one. Johnson, meanwhile, tuned up for his Cy Young defense last week by striking out 13 Oakland Athletics in Arizona. In six innings.

Aug. 2: The Angels led the Mariners by 11 games with 55 to play.

April 2: The Angels lead the Mariners by zero games with 162 to play.

Heaven help them.