Carew Thought About Quitting

The Angels did not lose their manager over the All-Star break, as some thought they might, but they almost lost their Hall of Fame batting instructor.

Rod Carew, still struggling to cope with the death of his 18-year-old daughter, Michelle, said he strongly considered quitting this week but decided to return after talking to family members and Manager Marcel Lachemann.

“I’ve tried to ride this out, but it’s been real tough on me,” said Carew, whose daughter died April 17 after a seven-month battle against leukemia. “But my family knows I enjoy my job and that Michelle would have felt like I was letting the guys and the team down.

“But I’m also concerned about my wife and [two] daughters and what they’re going through. How do you balance it? I mean, we still haven’t cleaned Michelle’s room out--how are they going to be after that? But as long as they feel it’s OK, I’ll still do this.”

When Carew rejoined the team in May, he hoped baseball would provide a distraction, perhaps help him deal with the grief. But Michelle “has been a constant” in Carew’s thoughts.

“As much as you try not to think about it, it’s always there,” Carew said. “I miss her, I miss having her around, I miss the way she answered the phone when I called home . . . “

Lachemann seemed relieved that Carew, who won seven American League batting titles, is still with the team.

“I’m glad to have him back,” he said. “It would have been a big loss.”