Rex Hudler

* After 13 seasons in the major leagues--including three with the Angels--he returns to Anaheim this season as a color commentator.

The Sun Also Sets: In baseball, you didn’t have weekends. There was always a Saturday night game and a Sunday day game. And I spent a lot of time in the clubhouse after games talking with other players. But if I had two day games, that was a real weekend. I wouldn’t spend any time after day games at the ballpark. I would love to go home, turn that barbecue on and see what the sun looked like going down--because I was usually in a ballpark every time the sun went down.

Family Guy: Because we’re on the road so much, I really love quiet time with my family. Just real, real mellow time. I have a 4-year-old daughter, Alyssa, and a 2-year-old son, Cade. We planned the kids late so I could be there after I was retired and watch them grow up. So many times ballplayers have children early in their careers, and they miss their kids’ childhoods. I’m really smelling the roses with my children.

Diners Club: When we were here before, we liked to go out to eat. The Cheesecake Factory in Newport Beach is a nice place to go and hang out. We liked 21 Oceanfront in Newport Beach. That’s beautiful. And Las Brisas, a Mexican restaurant in Laguna Beach. It’s on top of a hill and it’s just spectacular.

It’s a Small World: Now that we’re coming back to Anaheim, we’re looking forward to doing some of the things we did before. Disneyland is what my little girl remembers. My daughter was an easy sell on the move here from Philadelphia. All I said was, “Honey, how’d you like to go to Disneyland?” That was a no-brainer. And then there’s the beach. We like the beach a lot too.

Heaven sent: The job here with the Angels came from heaven. There’s no doubt because this job was open at the right time. The offers are what’s important, the city comes next. We’ve been all over the world playing ball, so we can adjust to living anywhere. We always looked at the positive thing in each city we went to. But Southern California has a nice appeal to it. Except for the high cost of living here. Whew!