Dodgers, Angels Close Merely in Location

The end of this week will mark the beginning of spring training, which, for Dodger fans, means one thing:

Trinkets.

In their annual effort to remind us they’ve been around even longer than Mike Devereaux, the Dodgers will soon announce plans to pass out mementos that will slide under your front seat on the drive home and never be seen again.

There will be trinkets commemorating the 40th anniversary of the move to Los Angeles, trinkets celebrating Don Sutton and Jaime Jarrin’s entry into the Hall of Fame, trinkets in Vero Beach honoring the 50th anniversary of Dodgertown.

This being a different sort of spring, I would like to make a recommendation for a different sort of Dodger souvenir.

How about a trinket for the 10th anniversary of their last playoff win?

Perhaps a Kal Daniels commemorative coin?

Down the road, the Angels, who haven’t won a playoff game in 12 years, are concentrating on the future.

This is because, for once, they actually have one.

They will talk about a renovated ballpark (Somebody named Ed). A renovated fat guy (Cecil Fielder). Renewed hopes for finishing a job that last year was sucked down Tony Phillips’ pipe (Aug. 10, to be exact).

No matter what the spins, the upside-down realities are these:

The Dodgers could reasonably finish fourth, a fall to last place halted only by the expansion Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Angels could reasonably finish first, with more than enough to make the six-game leap to the Seattle Mariners.

We know you have questions.

What will be the biggest story at Dodger camp?

Paul Konerko. His first start. His first at-bat. His first home run. His first catch at first base. His first late-afternoon batting practice with a howling Tom Lasorda.

The minor league player of the year will cause such commotion as a scrub, teammates will start calling him, “Kobe.”

What will be the second-biggest story at Dodger camp?

Eric Karros. His opinion of all the attention given Konerko. His attitude at being left unprotected this winter. His feelings about being traded before opening day.

Karros might be the first 31-homer, 104-RBI lame duck in baseball history. So far he has remained professionally subdued, but you know what kind of noise lame ducks can make.

What about the Dodger closer?

Rupert Murdoch needs one, and quick, before the uncertainty of the team’s ownership further muddies the season.

The other closer, silly.

The Dodgers would love temperamental Antonio Osuna to win the job. A better short-run choice is probably chilled-out Scott Radinsky. Everybody’s favorite punk rocker leads the league in that most important relief statistic, postgame shrugs.

What about the new contract they gave Raul Mondesi?

Does it have a bed-check clause?

For $36 million over four years, the Dodgers need Mondesi to continue playing hard on the field but slow down off the field. That kind of money should buy a leader. He says he wants the job. Let him prove it.

Because the Dodgers aren’t going to give Mike Piazza a new contract, will he leave as a free agent after this year as his agent promised?

Not a chance. His agent’s comments were baseball’s hokiest since Bud Selig said he was taking his new job for “two or three months.”

You think Piazza will turn down $100 million from Fox in September because of a claim his buddy made in February?

Those comments only added one needless distraction on a team filled with real distractions such as, how in the world can they start the season with unproven players in center and left field?

Didn’t Todd Hollandsworth prove himself by being named rookie of the year?

For two months, he did. But not enough to warrant taking chances on both him and Roger Cedeno in the same lineup.

How is Hideo Nomo’s surgically repaired elbow and Ramon Martinez’s torn shoulder that he only rested?

Who knows?

Would you trade for Randy Johnson?

Yesterday. Some worry about giving up a young star like Ismael Valdes for a surly old guy with a back problem. If that surly guy can give your team the championship intimidation that it lacks--and his back was fine last year down the stretch--one year of him is better than three years of inconsistent Valdes.

Can you tell us about that big Angel off-season move?

You mean, keeping third-base coach Larry Bowa? By not getting that managerial job in Toronto, Bowa can continue to spread his infectious work ethic around a clubhouse that has caught on quick.

How important is the return of healthy pitcher Chuck Finley and catcher Todd Greene?

The last time both of them played, on Aug. 19, the Angels were tied for first.

Weren’t the Angels hurt this winter by not spending big money on another starting pitcher?

They did spend big money on a starting pitcher, retaining newly acquired Ken Hill, who had a 1.37 earned-run average in his last six starts.

Look at the other numbers. Finley was 13-6. Jason Dickson was 13-9 in more than 200 innings. Allen Watson lost 20 pounds and has learned the league.

Can Darin Erstad bat leadoff?

He’s not the ideal guy for the spot but, then, one of the best leadoff hitters in Angel history was Brian Downing.

With Jim Edmonds, Tim Salmon, Fielder and Garret Anderson batting behind him, he probably won’t complain.

What is the biggest difference between the Dodgers and Angels?

The Angels’ core roster has been together for several years, and, with several key additions, is finally talented and mature enough to win a division championship.

The Dodgers’ core roster has been together for several years, failed down the stretch in those years, added only shortstop Jose Vizcaino, and is now treading water while waiting for Fox to come to the rescue.