How About Dopey, Pluto and Bambi for a Pitcher?

Dear Disney: Instead of pouring more dough into cheerleaders, uniforms, logos, mascots, pregame shows and postgame shows, how about trading for a pitcher, Kevin Appier of the Kansas City Royals, and signing him to a long-term Angel contract? . . .

With Darin Erstad figuring so prominently in the Angels’ plans for the near future, left fielder Garret Anderson might be trade bait. . . .

Dante Bichette’s comment that hitting numbers at Coors Field are no more inflated than pitching numbers at Dodger Stadium belongs in the next baseball humor book. . . .

In the last two games of their series at Colorado, the Dodgers team batting average jumped from .243 to .248. . . .

Hideo Nomo turns more singles into doubles than any player since Rickey Henderson in his prime. . . .

The two local closers, Todd Worrell and Troy Percival, deserve spots on the All-Star game pitching staffs. . . .

Pitcher Todd Stottlemyre’s three hits for the St. Louis Cardinals during their victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday were impressive, but his father, Mel, also a pitcher, once went five for five for the New York Yankees in the pre-designated hitter days. . . .

You’ve got some mileage on you if you remember when the Yankees were the only team in the major leagues that wore pinstripes. . . .

When I hear about a rain delay or postponement, I’m reminded that the Dodgers haven’t been rained out in L.A. since 1988 and the Angels only once in Anaheim since then. . . .

Ryan’s Hopes: Among those on the All-Ventura County baseball team that was selected by the Santa Barbara News-Press are pitcher Ryan Michalak of San Marcos High, outfielders Ryan Spilborghs of Santa Barbara and Ryan Church of Lompoc and designated hitter Ryan Ferrer of Santa Ynez. . . .

On “Guaranteed Win Night” Friday at Blair Field, management of the Long Beach Riptide of the Western Baseball League will give every fan a free ticket to another game in July if the home club doesn’t beat the Grays Harbor Gulls. . . .

The return of defenseman Rob Blake probably will fill the Kings’ need for a quarterback on the power play. What they should do is sign a goal-scoring forward from the free-agent-without-compensation ranks, preferably Bernie Nicholls or Pat Verbeek. . . .

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Hollywood Park, which has been staging Friday cards at 7 p.m., will experiment with a first post of 4 p.m. this Friday. Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel believes all midweek programs should start at that time. . . .

After Helmsman’s third-place finish, Hall of Fame jockey Chris McCarron is still without a win in the Hollywood Gold Cup. However, McCarron won three races on Gold Cup Sunday, including those on 20-1 and 13-1 longshots. . . .

Vlade Divac’s last season with the Lakers was the only one when he didn’t improve his scoring and assist averages from the previous season. . . .

After having to sit through performances by the Celtics, Bruins and Red Sox, it’s no wonder that the crowds at the U.S. Olympic gymnastic trials in Boston were so enthusiastic. . . .

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is co-director of the Bank of America Jammin’ Hoops Camp, open free of charge to ages 7 to 17 July 18-20 at Compton High, July 22-24 at Inglewood High and July 25-27 at Pasadena High. . . .

Golf ought to be in the Olympic Games. . . .

This year’s graduation rates of all USC student-athletes, 71%, and football players, 75%, were all-time highs for the university. The overall NCAA student-athlete rate was 58% and the football players’ rate 56%. . . .

Unbeaten super-bantamweight Marco Antonio Barrera will get national television exposure when he faces Orlando Fernandez July 14 on CBS. . . .

The trouble with Michael Moorer is that he is more menacing outside the ring than inside it. . . .

Participants in a telephonic news conference with Mike Tyson on Monday were told to limit their questions to boxing-related subjects. . . .

Tyson on Riddick Bowe offering to bet him $100,000 that he won’t be able to knock out Bruce Seldon on July 13 in less than the 1 minute 48 seconds it took Bowe in 1991: “I don’t dignify things like that. When I was a kid maybe, but I’m just a humble Muslim.”