Collins Is Off Base With Pollyanna View

It seems to be the position of Manager Terry Collins and the Angels that it will be business as usual when Tony Phillips, arrested by Anaheim police early Sunday on suspicion of felony possession of cocaine, returns to the team and lineup in Chicago tonight.

Collins was saying Sunday he is convinced this has not been an ongoing problem and that this is one more hurdle of the type the fiery Phillips has overcome in his career, an incident of the type he seems to feed off and that drives him.

“I expect him to be a great player for us down the stretch,” Collins said.

Phillips, of course, has not been convicted of anything, but Collins has either been keeping company with Pollyanna or is determined not to pour fuel on a potentially combustible distraction for his division-leading team.

To think that Phillips and the Angels can simply move ahead, as Collins said, seems to ignore reality.

After all, on-base percentage is one thing.

Free-base is another.

Phillips, according to the Anaheim Police Department, negotiated the purchase of a small quantity of free-base cocaine at an Anaheim motel shortly after midnight Saturday. Police investigators subsequently entered the room and found Phillips in possession of the cocaine, along with paraphernalia to use it.

We are led to believe that Phillips will now simply return to his multifaceted role as a clubhouse leader, offensive catalyst and versatile defensive player as if nothing happened.

Who are the Angels kidding?

The man is entitled to due process, certainly, but questions abound.

How can Phillips retain his leadership mantle under the cloud of alleged cocaine use?

How can he be a great player down the stretch if he’s distracted by a criminal investigation or involved in a substance-abuse program?

How can a player who has often reacted heatedly to the heckling of fans ignore what will now be a fusillade of jeers?

Angel players, under orders from management, have refused to comment. So have Disney officials, which raises another question.

How does this image-conscious company, forced to operate under baseball’s vague drug policy, deal with the problem?

Chairman Michael Eisner, on a visit to the Angels’ spring training camp in March, suggested to reporters that the club would not hire a player with a history of drug abuse or criminal activity.

“People who work for us know what’s appropriate,” Eisner said. “We’re not about winning at all cost and never will be. There is an ethical and moral compass that we expect people to travel. It’s not difficult.”

Will Phillips be retained when the season ends?

That may be unlikely now.

In the meantime, Disney seems willing to let the criminal investigation play out, subscribing to whatever the district attorney, baseball and Phillips himself decide.

The various factions, meaning the Angels, the players’ union, the owners’ Player Relations Committee and Phillips’ representatives, kept phone lines buzzing Monday.

Sources indicated that both the union and PRC recommended that Phillips go to New York as soon as possible to meet with doctors Robert Millman, who represents the clubs, and Joel Solomon, who represents the union, to determine if a rehabilitation program is in order.

The probability, sources said, is that Phillips will visit New York when the Angels are in nearby Baltimore next week on the third and last stop of the trip beginning tonight in Chicago.

Should Phillips be allowed to play in the meantime?

Due process is due process, but what will his focus and frame of mind be?

“He’s a stubborn and strong-willed person,” an Angel official said. “He’s been maligned throughout his career and uses that as motivation.”

Phillips has called it the little-man’s complex. He has battled fans, umpires and the opposition. If he faces a bigger battle now, there is no minimizing the impact on the Angels of his potential loss, particularly at a time when Jim Edmonds remains on the disabled list.

The Angels were one game above .500 when Phillips was reacquired May 18 and they are now 66-51.

At the same time, there has been a curious drop in his production recently.

In the 22 games before his arrest, he struck out 23 times and walked only eight times. His .303 batting average of July 17 has fallen to .279.

According to Anaheim police, the informant involved in Phillips’ cocaine purchase Sunday morning said she had sold to him before.

If Phillips ultimately agrees to a rehabilitation program--of 15-30 days in most cases--it is unlikely he will be disciplined by baseball and that may mitigate against any criminal charges.

If he were to be convicted, or if he were a repeat offender, which he is not, the chances of discipline by baseball would be greater.

Much of the situation remained clouded Monday, but this much seems clear: It will never be business as usual again for Phillips and the Angels.