Collins Doesn’t Want Player Psyches Injured

TEMPE, Ariz. — Angel Manager Terry Collins overheard some players in the training room lamenting the franchise’s latest curse-extender, the broken forearm shortstop Gary DiSarcina suffered Sunday when he walked into the swing of fungo-hitting Coach George Hendrick, and the thought hit Collins like, well, Hendrick’s bat hit DiSarcina: It’s got to stop right here, right now.

“We came into this camp with an upbeat attitude, we cannot let this get us down,” Collins said. “We can’t start saying, ‘Here we go again, here we go again.’ I am not going to let that happen.”

That will be one of the first subjects Collins addresses when the Angels, $80-million man Mo Vaughn and all, hold their first full-squad workout today.

“I didn’t sleep very well last night--I had a horrible night, mainly because I saw a change in attitude [Sunday],” Collins said. “ . . . If we get down about this, and start moaning about it, by the time Gary is ready, we won’t be.”

DiSarcina was reexamined Monday by team physician Lewis Yocum, but the diagnosis remained the same. The broken bone in DiSarcina’s left forearm, which was placed in a cast, will need about six weeks to heal.

The arm will remain immobile for 10 days, but DiSarcina could resume some workouts in two or three weeks. He hopes to condition his legs and throwing arm in March, so by the time he’s ready to hit and field grounders, he’ll be in good shape.

“My whole routine has been broken,” DiSarcina said. “I used to want to peak at the end of camp. Now, I just want to be able to swing a bat by the end of camp.”

Having recovered quicker than expected from a broken thumb in 1993 and a torn thumb ligament in 1995, DiSarcina is confident he’ll be ready for the regular season.

Meanwhile, Collins will have third baseman Troy Glaus, an All-American shortstop at UCLA, play some shortstop, and he’ll get plenty of time to evaluate Craig Shipley, Jeff Huson, Andy Stankiewicz and Luis Rivera, the candidates for utility infield.

Notes

Terry Collins may have had a “horrible” night Sunday, but it was an upgrade from George Hendrick’s. The first-base coach said he did not sleep at all, but he had to have felt better when, after apologizing to Gary DiSarcina first thing Monday morning, DiSarcina gave him a hug. “I told him he’s still got some pop in his bat,” DiSarcina said. “He felt terrible. He’s one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met, and he just feels like . . . right now.” Hendrick, known for his good-natured jabs and ongoing banter with the players, absorbed plenty of ribbing Monday. “These guys pretty much treated me with no respect,” Hendrick joked, “just like they always do.”. . . DiSarcina, who has evolved into a team leader in recent years, said it’s important to maintain his presence by doing his rehabilitation work at the park. “I don’t want to go into a funk and not be seen, that’s not my personality,” DiSarcina said. “Spring training is the time you start building chemistry, the foundation for the season. The last thing I want is for guys to say, ‘Where’s Gary at?’ I’d rather be in the weight room sweating with them and them saying, ‘He’s gonna be back.’ ” . . . As expected, the Angels announced an April 3 exhibition game against Aguascalientes at Edison Field, the first time a Mexican League club will play in a major league stadium.