Davis Likes His New Team

The last time Chili Davis left the Angels, the team he went to, the Minnesota Twins, won the World Series in 1991.

“I don’t know if we’re World Series caliber, but this team is much improved,” Davis said of the Kansas City Royals, who acquired him for pitcher Mark Gubicza last winter. “We’ve played teams that are used to banging on us, and we’ve played them tough. We have some power, good pitching and speed.”

Davis, who batted .292 with 28 home runs and 99 RBIs in 1996, said he had a feeling late last season he’d be traded. “Tim Mead [Angel assistant general manager] told me, ‘You’re not going anywhere, you’re here to stay,’ ” Davis said. “That’s usually a bad sign.”

Davis, 37, thanked the Angels for “reviving my career” in 1993, because “I didn’t know if I’d ever play again” after the Twins didn’t re-sign him. But Davis did take a backhand stab at former manager Marcel Lachemann when he said:

“I’m playing for a guy [Royal Manager Bob Boone] who knows me, who I think will give me the respect that two guys gave me before, [Twin Manager] Tom Kelly and [former Angel manager] Buck Rodgers. I don’t have to be pushed to play baseball. I can do it on my own.”

Asked to elaborate, Davis said, “I’m not going to criticize Lach. He tried to be the best manager he could. He had a good first year [1995] and I think he expected last season to be better than the first. But at some point he realized he had no control over whether we won or lost, so he stepped down.”

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News item: Angel pitcher Allen Watson was charged with misdemeanor assault Friday for allegedly punching a man in the face during an argument on a riverboat casino.

Comment: When will these professional athletes learn?

So what if the guy Watson allegedly slugged also was arrested for misdemeanor peace disturbance and used “offensive and indecent language which is likely to produce an immediate violent response from a reasonable recipient,” according to a county prosecutor?

And so what if the guy insulted teammate Chuck Finley’s mother, who was not with the two players?

That doesn’t justify Watson’s actions. Watson should know there are scoundrels who would love nothing more than to be punched by a wealthy pro athlete so they can cash in on a civil suit against the player.

Watson and Finley should have walked away before the argument turned violent. But instead, baseball is stuck with another black mark and the Walt Disney Co. is wondering just where on its family-values spectrum Watson fits.

Watson, Finley and Manager Terry Collins declined comment on the incident Saturday, though Finley did say, “I have a feeling the whole thing was a setup.” Collins wouldn’t say if the team was planning any disciplinary action against Watson, but Collins said he’ll make his next scheduled start.

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Mitch (Wild Thing) Williams, called up by the Royals on Friday night, is back in the big leagues. Williams hasn’t worn a major league uniform since the Angels released him June 19, 1995.

He did have an excellent off-season, though . . . on the cattle-roping circuit. Williams, who tends horses and cattle on his farm in Hico, Texas, said he “won a couple of belt buckles and a saddle” at local competitions.

“But I gagged at the big one, the U.S. Team Roping Finals [last October] in Oklahoma,” Williams said. “I got the first three [cattle] but missed the last one completely.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

TODAY’S GAME

ANGELS’ JASON DICKSON (2-0, 3.10 ERA) vs. ROYALS’ GLENDON RUSCH (2-0, 1.20 ERA)

Opponent--Kansas City Royals

Site--Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, Mo.

Time--11 a.m.

Radio--KTZN (710).

* Update--Two of the American League’s best rookie pitchers will square off in the series finale, which will end the Angels’ first trip of the season. Rusch is a 22-year-old left-hander who relies more on control than velocity. He has eight strikeouts and three walks in 15 innings, and opponents are batting .196 against him. Dickson threw a five-hit shutout against Boston in his first start and beat the Yankees in his third start. The Royals have seven players on the disabled list: pitchers Jeff Montgomery, Jaime Bluma, Chris Haney and Rick Huisman; outfielders Jermaine Dye and Roderick Myers; and second baseman Jose Offerman.