Finishing Touch : Finally, the Time Has Come for the Angels to Put an End to the Pain and Suffering of '96

By MIKE DiGIOVANNA

Sept. 29, 1996 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

ARLINGTON, Texas —

The 1996 season comes to a merciful end today, giving the Angels a rare reason to . . . celebrate?

You bet.

They’ve wanted to put this dreadful season behind them for weeks, but there was this persistent little problem, something to do with having to play the September portion of the schedule.

The meaningless games--and numerous losses--of the past month served as reminders of just how much the Angels have underachieved, and being trapped in the daily grind of playing out a lost season has made it all the more difficult to put the pain and suffering of ’96 behind them.

And when we say pain and suffering, we’re not talking about the pitching elbows of Steve Ontiveros and Brian Harvey.

The Angel clubhouse was a trauma center this year, with more tumult than a season’s worth of “ER” episodes.

There was the tragic April 17 death of Michelle Carew, the 18-year-old daughter of batting instructor Rod Carew, after a lengthy battle against leukemia, a struggle that tore at the heartstrings of the entire Angel organization.

There was Manager Marcel Lachemann’s Aug. 6 resignation and the dismissal of coaches Rick Burleson, Chuck Hernandez and Bobby Knoop, which caused upheaval in the clubhouse.

There was John McNamara being diagnosed with potentially life-threatening blood clots just two weeks into his term as interim manager, a condition that sidelined him for more than three weeks.

Shortstop Gary DiSarcina left the team a week before the season to be with his 1 1/2-year-old daughter, who had a kidney removed, and reliever Mike Holtz left the team twice during the summer to attend funerals for his grandmother and grandfather, who died within a month of each other.

A deal to sell the team to the Walt Disney Co. fell through in January but was revived in May, resulting in the firing of several long-time Angel employees.

Ontiveros and Harvey, who were expected to make significant contributions, combined to throw zero pitches this season, and Jim Abbott, one of baseball’s most consistent starters for seven seasons, suddenly forgot how to pitch.

Two of the team’s best players, center fielder Jim Edmonds and pitcher Mark Langston, combined for five stints on the disabled list, totaling 141 days. There was an early season closer controversy--Troy Percival or Lee Smith?--and a mid-season outfield controversy--is there room for four?

Players sniped at Lachemann behind his back, griped among themselves, and they even complained about Anaheim Stadium’s infield so much the team hired a new groundskeeper.

Oh, and one other thing: The Angels stank, finishing last in a division many predicted they would win and entering today’s season finale with a 70-90, second worst in the league.

“It’ll be nice when we can finish this year,” right fielder Tim Salmon said. “It’s been so long since we’ve been in contention, it’s like, let’s just start over.”

A do-over. Yeah, that’s what the Angels need. Forget about that 5.30 team earned-run average, second-worst in the American League, that combined 46-71 record and 5.59 ERA for Angel starters, and Abbott’s horrendous season (2-18, 7.48 ERA).

And forget about that .258 team batting average with runners in scoring position, second-worst in the league, and all those ignominious team records the Angels set, for wild pitches, hit batsmen, home runs given up, runs given up, pitchers and players used.

“Yes,” pitcher Shawn Boskie said, “a lot of guys will be relieved when this season is over.”

What happened?

Angel starting pitching was horrendous, middle relief was spotty, hitters too often failed to produce in the clutch--or at all--and team defense, an expected strength, was inconsistent.

But beyond the statistics was a general lack of confidence, character and chemistry, three intangibles that almost all winners need.

“We have a lot of guys who play for themselves a lot, but we need to be more of a group, with more of a definition,” Troy Percival said.

“We shouldn’t just look at ourselves as big leaguers, we should look at ourselves as the California Angels, a team that doesn’t want to lose. During the national anthem, I look at the dugouts and see team vs. team. I don’t think we have enough of that.”

DiSarcina said confidence was “the biggest and most obvious missing ingredient” on the Angels, surprising because they were filled with bravado for much of 1995.

“The guys, as a whole, didn’t have the ability to know they can come back and win if we were down a few runs,” DiSarcina said. “Why? I don’t know. How do we rectify it? By winning. But that becomes a chicken-and-egg thing. What comes first, confidence or winning?”

General Manager Bill Bavasi has always believed personnel decisions should be dictated by on-field results, not clubhouse chemistry. But even he admitted that along with a need for pitching and more production from certain spots, the Angels need to “increase the character on the club, or add more character to the guys who have it.”

How does Bavasi define character? “It has to do with a combination of courage and talent,” he said. “You have the ability to hit in pressure situations, but are you calm enough to handle it?”

Most Angels weren’t this season. Garret Anderson had a respectable batting average (.285) but hit .242 with runners in scoring position. Jim Edmonds hit .305 overall, but .243 with runners in scoring position, and .156 with runners in scoring position and two out.

J.T. Snow, with a subpar .257 average, hit .127 with runners in scoring position and two out. Tim Salmon had a .287 average with 30 homers and 98 runs batted in, but imagine his production had he hit better than .260 with runners in scoring position.

“I’m not going to take all our guys and throw them on the freeway,” Bavasi said. “Our character improves a heck of a lot with a couple of clutch hits in June.

“These guys can improve. Part of it is believing in themselves. You look at the makeup of this team--our guys are good guys, they play hard, intensity is not an issue . . . it’s just results.”

Players won’t use off-field problems and distractions as an excuse, but as one team official said, Michelle Carew’s death “simply blew the team away.”

The Angels can’t pin losses on the Carew ordeal, but it certainly pushed baseball down on their priority lists, and might have made losing--at least early in the season--easier to accept.

The pervasive attitude seemed to be: How can we get upset about losing a baseball game when Rod Carew just lost his daughter?

“We’re human beings,” Langston said. “We’re attached to Rod. To say it had no affect is not true. If you’re a father, how could it not affect you? But to say that’s the reason we haven’t played well, I’m not going to buy into that.”

There are other theories: The Angels dragged contract negotiations with DiSarcina and Anderson well into the season, providing more distractions.

With the team in escrow and the Autry family unwilling to increase payroll, Bavasi’s hands were tied during the winter free-agent season. He re-signed Chuck Finley and Abbott, but there wasn’t enough to re-sign Tony Phillips, reliever Bob Patterson, or attract another impact pitcher or two.

Bavasi tried to patch the roster with low-budget moves, signing Ontiveros, Harvey, and third basemen Tim Wallach and Jack Howell, but they didn’t pan out.

“This is probably the most disappointed I could ever be,” said Langston, and that’s saying something--Langston endured the collapse of ’95 and was the losing pitcher in the one-game playoff against Seattle to determine the AL West champion.

“Coming into spring training with such high expectations and seeing where we are today . . . it’s definitely more disappointing than last season,” Langston said, “Even that day in the Kingdome.”

Where to go from here?

Where to go from here? The top priority this off-season is the hiring of a manager. Jim Leyland tops the Angels’ list, but he appears headed to the Florida Marlins, and there’s a slew of candidates behind him, including Philadelphia’s Jim Fregosi and Kansas City’s Bob Boone, if they become available.

Others expected to receive strong consideration are former Cubs Manager Jim Lefebvre and current coaches Davey Lopes (Padres), Tim Johnson (Red Sox), Jimy Williams (Braves), Rick Down (Orioles) and Joe Maddon (Angels).

“We want a guy who can do it all,” Bavasi said.

Next stop: The free-agent pitching market, which doesn’t look real promising. Atlanta’s John Smoltz and Boston’s Roger Clemens are eligible but are expected to re-sign with their current teams.

White Sox pitcher Alex Fernandez will be available if players receive service time under a new collective bargaining agreement.

The Rangers have options on potential free agents John Burkett and Bobby Witt, the Phillies have an option on Curt Schilling, and Jamie Navarro can exercise an option with the Cubs for $3.5 million.

The best of the rest includes Atlanta’s Steve Avery, Baltimore’s David Wells, Seattle’s Jamie Moyer and Terry Mulholland and, perhaps, Boskie, who hopes to re-sign with the Angels.

“Every team wants that one pitcher, that Appier-, Cone-, Smoltz-type, a guy who can chew up innings and keep you in ballgames,” DiSarcina said. “We could use five of them. But the fact is, they’re not out there. It’s going to be tough for the front office to address our needs.”

The Angels likely will have to trade for front-line pitching, using Snow, Anderson and designated hitter Chili Davis as bait. If they are unable to improve their starting pitching next season, they will not be able to compete with the Rangers and Mariners.

Finley (15-16, 4.16 ERA, 215 strikeouts) is the only reliable starter the Angels have going into the off-season. Langston must rebound from an injury-marred season, Boskie tailed off considerably in September after an excellent start, rookie Jason Dickson may be another year from being a consistent contributor, and knuckleballer Dennis Springer has been erratic.

And then there’s Abbott, the poster boy for the disaster of ‘96, who still has two years left on a three-year, $7.8-million contract.

“We’ve invested too much into him and he’s had too good a career for us to turn our backs on him,” Bavasi said. “He’ll get every opportunity, but it wouldn’t be fair to the players to say he’s a lock for the rotation in ’97.”

There are other issues: Can third baseman George Arias, who will play winter ball in Mexico, hit enough to remain in the big leagues? Will the young and improving catching tandem of George Fabregas and Todd Greene be good enough next season?

Can Snow and Anderson, if they are still Angels, return to the productive power hitters they were in 1995? Can DiSarcina prove 1995 (.307) was not a fluke?

Can Davis, perhaps the team’s most productive and consistent hitter in ’96 with a .292 average, 28 homers and 95 RBIs, squeeze one more big season before retirement?

Can the new manager light a fire under this team and keep it lit?

“That’s the most important decision of the winter because it determines the type of philosophy we’ll be playing under,” DiSarcina said. “The sooner guys can get mentally ready for spring training, have an understanding of the way things will be under the new manager, the better.”

As much as any player, the pressure will be on Bavasi this winter. He must choose the manager, find pitching help and determine what mix of players will produce the best results.

“It should be an interesting off-season,” Bavasi said.

More interesting than this September?

“It better be,” he said, “or we’re in trouble.”

ANGELS LOSE: Chuck Finley and the Angels have another bad day and lose, 4-3, to the Rangers. C12

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Angels By the Numbers

93: Days spent in last place in the AL West

29: Pitchers used, a major league record

1,245: Days players spent on disabled list

$725,000: Amount paid pitchers Steve Ontiveros and Brian Harvey, neither of whom played this season

52: Players used, a team record

46-71, 5.59: Record and earned-run average for starting pitchers