Bavasi Adds Another Turn to Angels’ Twisting Season

There was Manager Terry Collins’ resignation on Sept. 3, followed by a successful final month in which the Angels went 16-12. Then came General Manager Bill Bavasi’s resignation Friday, followed by a thrilling come-from-behind victory over the Rangers . . . and interim manager Joe Maddon was having a little trouble comprehending it all.

“This whole month, to top it off like this, it’s incredible,” Maddon said after Jeff DaVanon, acquired in Bavasi’s last trade, homered in the bottom of the ninth to give the Angels a 7-6 victory. “I don’t know what to feel.

“You’re best friend has left, you come back to win in dramatic fashion. . . . It was an emotional roller coaster. I may be able to figure it out on my long drive through the desert, but it’s difficult to make sense of it now.”

Maddon began working for the Angels as a minor league manager in 1981, shortly after Bavasi was hired as a minor league administrator, and the two have worked hand in hand ever since.

“You’re talking about people you really care about--it’s emotionally draining, and it tends to wear you out,” Maddon said. “I would never compare it to a death in the family because that’s the ultimate loss, but this is a close second.”

Just as Collins’ tearful press conference was a sobering sight for Angel players a month ago, so was Bavasi’s resignation, which doubled the amount of human wreckage in the wake of this awful Angel season.

“To see Bill and Terry walk away from their jobs in frustration thinking they couldn’t get the team going in the right direction is hurtful,” pitcher Tim Belcher said. “They threw me a pretty good chunk of change [$10.2 million over two years] for a 37-year-old pitcher, so I feel indebted to those guys, and I feel responsible.”

Belcher found it ironic that, because of the nature of the business, the guys on the field winning and losing games seem to have the most job security.

“There’s a much bigger upside to being a player than a manager or GM,” Belcher said. “They catch all the blame when things go bad, and they don’t get a lot of credit when things go good.”

Bavasi, when asked if he got too attached to some players, singled out sometimes flaky center fielder Jim Edmonds as one he was glad he stuck with.

“I know Jim can drive people crazy, but I like him because when the ball is in play, he does not know how to not play hard,” Bavasi said. “When the ball’s not in play, he’s tough to watch, but this guy is a gem.”

Edmonds was appreciative of Bavasi’s support.

“I’ve learned through a lot of people that he’s always been on my side, and that’s something I’ll never forget,” Edmonds said. “It was a tough mood in the clubhouse before the game. It’s tough to see the personal side of the game unfold like this. You go through changes. . . . If we as players would have done our jobs, things would be different.

“Hopefully we can finish strong and show the good side of this team Billy put together. And if we win next year, it will be because of what he did.”

Few took Bavasi’s resignation as hard as Tim Mead, the team’s vice president of communications. Bavasi and Mead both joined the Angels in June of 1980 and rose through the organization together, Bavasi in baseball operations and Mead in media relations. Bavasi appointed Mead as assistant GM in 1994.

“Some will look at this and slot it as just another firing, but so much of what Bill has done here has nothing to do with baseball,” Mead said, fighting back tears. “He always put the person first. If caring too much is a fault, he will be rewarded.”