Salmon Has That Good Old Feeling

Forget the cliche. For Angel outfielder Tim Salmon, it’s no pain, huge gain.

The cleanup batter was relegated to designated hitter for most of 1998 because of a torn ligament in his left foot, a condition so painful Salmon likened it to having a nail tapped into the bottom of his foot.

Thanks to surgery last October and several months of rehabilitation, Salmon opened spring training Thursday with a pain-free workout, and he fully intends to reclaim his right-field job this spring.

“It doesn’t hurt, and that’s awesome,” said Salmon, who has averaged 30 homers and 98 RBIs in six major league seasons. “From a strength standpoint, it’s about 90%. I can run on it, but I haven’t been given the OK to go full out. I need to be careful not to overdo it.”

Salmon spent about a month after surgery on crutches and began running in January. He wants to be able to run the bases hard, run hard in the outfield, and wake up the next day feeling fine by the end of camp.

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Angel catcher Phil Nevin has a nasty cold, his allergies are acting up, and his 20-month-old son, Tyler, suffered third-degree burns on the palm of his hand when he got it caught in a treadmill Monday night. Is this any way to start spring training?

The wheezing and coughing Nevin can handle. Knowing his son is in pain is a lot tougher.

“It affects the dad more than anything else,” Nevin said. “You’ve heard him cry before, but to hear him scream like that . . . it sticks in your head for a long time.”

Nevin said doctors expect Tyler to make a full recovery, and that news has buoyed his spirits. And he is feeling a lot more settled this spring than he did in 1998, when he made the difficult transition from utility infielder to catcher.

“Last year I felt like I had handcuffs on--I was trying to learn a new position, and that took away from a lot of the other things I can do,” Nevin said. “Now, I feel a lot more comfortable catching, and I feel like a lot of things are falling in place.”

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News of Roger Clemens’ trade from the Blue Jays to the Yankees did not sit well in the Angels’ Tempe Diablo Stadium clubhouse.

“I wish they would have traded him to Houston,” Manager Terry Collins said, referring to widespread speculation that Clemens would be dealt to the National League Astros.

“I wish [Boston ace] Pedro Martinez and [Baltimore ace] Mike Mussina and a few others would get traded to Houston too. This league has some outstanding pitchers who aren’t much fun to face.”