No Time Like the Present to Acquire McGwire

The Angels’ apparent decision to keep their offense intact and pursue Mark McGwire as a free agent after the season is difficult to fathom.

Consider:

* Yes, given McGwire’s desire to play in Southern California, the Angels will have a running start toward signing the Oakland A’s first baseman during the winter provided he doesn’t agree to a trade before Thursday’s non-waiver deadline, end up liking his new situation and decide to re-sign with that club.

* If he is available as a free agent, the Angels will have to pay a much stiffer signing price than they now would, given the competitive bidding of an open market.

* The reluctance to part with prospects is to be applauded, considering the Angels’ horrible history in that regard, but the free-agent signing of McGwire would force them to part with prospects anyway because they would owe the A’s two draft choices as compensation.

* Because Curt Schilling is about the only impact pitcher possibly available before the deadline, and because he consistently has stated his reluctance to go to a West Coast team (“as far as I’m concerned that’s the other side of the world”), and because Atlanta and Cleveland appear to be the only teams that can meet Philadelphia’s price for Schilling, why not ignite fans and improve the offense for the stretch run by trading for a bona fide slugger?

The point being: If you can’t win consistently with pitching, then make sure you can win with hitting.

All of this would hinge on the A’s accepting Garret Anderson as part of the deal, since it would seem a mistake to give up Jim Edmonds, who continues to produce a highlight film in center field.

Anderson has basically become a singles hitter. Nothing wrong with his 1997 contributions, but his trade value will probably never be higher, and his multiyear contract is one the A’s seemingly could live with.

The bottom line: Trade for McGwire now and go after a free-agent pitcher during the winter. Greg Maddux? Darryl Kile?

JUNIOR’S TANTRUM

What’s eating Ken Griffey Jr.?

From his inexplicable comments at the All-Star game regarding the alleged lack of respect he receives to his broad tirade at the Seattle Mariners for scheduling the team to play a minor league exhibition game in North Carolina on the eve of an important 12-game trip, Griffey seems to have stepped out of character.

Maybe the power outage during which he hit only one home run in 24 games (before hitting homers Friday and Saturday) has something to do with it.

Maybe the front office’s failure (which it is now trying to correct) to respond to an incendiary bullpen that could thwart the Mariners’ ability to dominate, and even win, the American League West is the issue.

Maybe it stems from the timing of his brother Craig’s recent release from the Mariner farm system or the publicity that now goes to Alex Rodriguez.

Griffey, however, said he had no other problems beyond his belief that “we have to become a first-class organization or we’re simply not going to win. You can’t have a first-rate team and a third-rate front office.”

Said General Manager Woody Woodward: “Who does he think got those first-rate players here? I think it’s a very good front office, and it’s put together a very good ballclub.”

Griffey legitimately chastised Woodward for scheduling a second-half exhibition game before a trip to Cleveland, New York, Boston and Milwaukee, but also ripped the general manager for never coming to the clubhouse, even to congratulate the team after its 1995 playoff run ended, and said the front office always tends to leave its best players feeling unappreciated by waiting until the 11th hour to offer extensions or pick up contract options, as Randy Johnson is now being made to wait.

“This club never makes a player feel good,” Griffey said.

The Mariner center fielder is in the first year of a four-year, $34-million extension, which would make most people feel good, but he said, “Why does this team always wait till the last minute? They did the same thing with me, they did it with Jay [Buhner], they did it when they signed Randy.”

Reached in Cincinnati, Griffey’s agent, Brian Goldberg, said: “It’s tough to say the kinds of things Junior did because people point to the amount of money he’s making, but he’s also human with human emotions, and I think he feels that he’s done a lot of little things for the club without ever getting a thank you.

“He certainly felt the exhibition game should have been scheduled on a regular off day in April. Then he spent an hour signing autographs before the game only to have people yell abuse and throw things at him when he was in the field because he didn’t sign more. There’s been some little things that got to him and the other players and he was the one who carried the torch, but people shouldn’t read anything more into it.

“I mean, Woody Woodward has been a class act for as long as Junior has been in Seattle. He’s been a friend to Junior, to Senior, and to me.”

Griffey’s blowup came at a time when a fuel-carrying bullpen has raised temperatures throughout the team. Norm Charlton and Bobby Ayala have failed in the closer role.

Starter Jeff Fassero volunteered for the assignment, but Manager Lou Piniella, who held a private meeting with his beleaguered relievers before the team left for Carolina, said thanks but no thanks.

“If we don’t get our pen straightened out, we might be sitting home in September, and we shouldn’t be,” Fassero said. “We’re missing that key.”

Woodward, having recently acquired Omar Olivares from Detroit, has been negotiating with Toronto for Mike Timlin, Boston for Heathcliff Slocumb and Philadelphia for Ricky Bottalico, but is reluctant to part with left fielder Jose Cruz Jr. or double-A pitching prospect Ken Cloude.

In the meantime, Griffey told Seattle writers: “I said what I thought and I have nothing more to say.”