Emotion Doesn’t Inspire Angels

Angel Manager Terry Collins’ biggest concern during last week’s losing streak was that his team wasn’t playing with the same intensity, the same emotion, that the Angels displayed during their record-setting June.

Well, the Angels did not lack intensity or emotion Thursday night. They did lack exceptional pitching in an 8-6 loss to the Seattle Mariners before 24,210 in the Kingdome, a defeat that extended their losing skid to six and reduced their lead over Texas to half a game in the American League West.

But intensity and emotion? The Angels showed plenty during Phil Nevin’s sixth-inning outburst, in which the catcher was so steamed after getting ejected for throwing his bat that he ripped off his jersey a la Hollywood Hogan and tossed it to the ground around home plate.

Sandwiched between the Mariners’ five-run fifth, which featured bases- loaded, two-run singles by Jay Buhner and Shane Monahan, and a three-run sixth, which featured Ken Griffey Jr.’s league-leading 36th home run, was Nevin’s outburst, which is sure to garner plenty of air time around the country.

Nevin, disgusted after taking a called third strike with the bases loaded in the top of the sixth and still upset by what appeared to be a blown call by home-plate umpire Larry Barnett in the bottom of the fifth, hurled his bat toward the dugout and was immediately ejected by Barnett.

Nevin then launched into a lengthy profanity-laced tirade at Barnett, and while Collins tried to restrain him, Nevin threw his batting helmet into the dugout, ripped off his batting gloves and slammed them to the ground, and then sent his jersey buttons--and then his uniform top--flying.

When bench coach Joe Maddon finally escorted Nevin to the dugout, Nevin took a pair of shin guards off the bench and tossed them onto the field, just for good measure.

The outburst, combined with some tense moments caused by a pair of hit batters--Alex Rodriguez by Angel starter Omar Olivares in the bottom of the sixth and Darin Erstad by Mariner starter Jeff Fassero in the top of the seventh, seemed to inspire the Angels, who scored four in the seventh to cut Seattle’s lead to 8-5.

Jim Edmonds had an RBI single, Cecil Fielder an RBI double and Garret Anderson a two-run single in the rally, but much-maligned Mariner reliever Bobby Ayala, who entered with an 0-6 record and 7.06 earned-run average, came on to retire Matt Walbeck on a grounder to second to end the inning.

The Angels scored another run in the eighth on doubles by Gary DiSarcina and Erstad and Dave Hollins’ sacrifice fly to make the score 8-6, but Seattle right-hander Mike Timlin pitched a scoreless ninth, inducing Cecil Fielder to hit into a double play, to preserve the victory.

There was more bad news for the Angels earlier Thursday. Already shellshocked by an array of injuries, the team received another jolt when it learned that reliever Mike James will not only miss the rest of this season but a good portion of 1999 as well.

The Angels knew James would not pitch again in 1998, but Thursday’s exploratory surgery turned into major elbow reconstruction, with Dr. Lewis Yocum transferring a tendon from James’ right forearm to his elbow, moving a portion of his ulna nerve from one part of the elbow to another, and repairing a tear in his flexor muscle.

“It was the trifecta,” Angel trainer Ned Bergert said. “I wouldn’t term it career threatening, because many players have come back from it. But any operation of that nature is major.”

There is usually a 12-month recovery period after such a procedure, but some players have taken 18 months, and some have never recovered. The fact that James’ throwing motion puts stress on his elbow may not work in the 30-year-old’s favor.

“We could have had better news,” Collins said of James, who had a 1.93 earned-run average when he went on the disabled list May 5. “But we knew this was a possibility.”

*

* HOLLINS’ HOT CORNER

It happened in Philadelphia with Scott Rolen, in Minnesota with Todd Walker and it’s happening in Anaheim with Troy Glaus. C9

* RANGERS BEAT A’S

Ivan Rodriguez singled in the go-ahead run in the ninth and John Burkett pitched a strong game as Texas beat Oakland, 4-1. C6