No Letter-Perfect 2000 in Store for Dodgers, Angels

Assuming that only a few insomniacs noticed that the 2000 season opened in Tokyo a few midnights ago, here’s an A to Z as the full schedule begins Monday on more familiar and appropriate terrain:

A--Angels. Maybe Kent Bottenfield will prove his 18 wins of last season weren’t a mirage. Maybe Ken Hill and Tim Belcher and Scott Schoeneweis and Ramon Ortiz. . . . Well, there are too many maybes to pick the potentially potent Angels to finish anywhere but last in the American League West behind the Seattle Mariners, Oakland A’s and Texas Rangers.

B--Ballparks. The stadium renaissance continues with openings in San Francisco, Houston and Detroit, along with a renovated Dodger Stadium. Increased revenue in mid-size and smaller markets may help close the competitive gap. Pittsburgh, San Diego, Milwaukee and Cincinnati are in construction, or are about to be.

C--Comebacks. Moises Alou is rejoining the Houston Astros. Kerry Wood should return to the Chicago Cubs and a comparably talented Matt Morris should rejoin the St. Louis Cardinals by mid-May. Former restaurateur Kevin Elster has come out of retirement to play shortstop for the Dodgers, and the Atlanta Braves figure to hit the jackpot with the return of Andres Galarraga, among others.

D--Dodgers. Strength up the middle? Let’s see: the Dodgers have a shortstop, Mark Grudzielanek, at second base; a shortstop, Elster, with limited range who hasn’t played a full season since 1996; a center fielder, Devon White, who won’t dive; a catcher, Todd Hundley, who has shown no throwing improvement, and a rotation in which Chan Ho Park is still looking for that breakthrough season, Orel Hershiser, 41, will have to pitch every fifth day and Carlos Perez must prove he can drive to the park and back, let alone get hitters out.

It’s impossible to pick the Dodgers higher than third in the National League West. Tab the Arizona Diamondbacks over the Giants in a dogfight.

E--Edmonds. If former Angel center fielder Jim Edmonds is ever going to satisfy critics of his style and intensity, now is the time. Free agency beckons, and he’s in the middle of a loaded lineup that includes Mark McGwire, Fernando Tatis and Ray Lankford.

F--Finley. Another former Angel figures to prosper in a new environment. Those pitching-rich Angels made no offer to their all-time leading winner. So Chuck Finley moved to the Cleveland Indians with a $27-million contract and the knowledge he is almost certain to finally get an October start. The Indians remain a lock in the American League Central and will be banking on Yankee-killer Finley to get them deeper into the playoffs.

G--Griffey and Green. No one will be watched closer or carry more expectations than Ken Griffey Jr., going home to Cincinnati, or Shawn Green, coming home to Los Angeles. No reason to think either will be anything less than what they were in Seattle and Toronto.

H--Home Run Central. The slugfest featuring Griffey, McGwire and Sammy Sosa in the National League Central may be surpassed only by the division race. The Reds won 96 games in ’99 with basically the same suspect rotation they have this year. Griffey makes a strong offense stronger. The Reds should outlast the Astros and Cardinals in a thriller.

I--Injuries. The spring’s big two were the Diamondbacks’ loss of Matt Williams for at least six weeks with a broken foot and the Braves’ loss of John Smoltz for the season because of elbow surgery. Stay tuned. Major league teams paid $184 million to players on the disabled list last year.

J--Johnson. Dodger Manager Davey Johnson is on the hot seat. The industry perception was that he had lost some fire and fortitude. He has gotten his way with the trading of Eric Young, the possible strengthening of the bullpen and the decision to go with Elster over defensive whiz Alex Cora. This is his team now. How he handles it may well determine whether he will back for the third and last year on his contract.

K--Kelly. It may seem it was another lifetime when Tom Kelly led the Minnesota Twins to World Series titles in 1987 and 1991. He has remained the loyal soldier as the Twins try to compete with a $17-million payroll, but increasing frustration suggests he may be ready to sever relations. Had he done so when Kevin Malone called a year ago, he might be managing the $80 million Dodgers.

L--Lopes. Davey Lopes is finally getting his managerial opportunity with the Brewers. He may wish he was back coaching the Padres. There are new managers with six other teams: Mike Scioscia, Angels; Don Baylor, Cubs; Phil Garner, Detroit; Mike Hargrove, Baltimore; Charlie Manuel, Cleveland, and Buddy Bell, Colorado.

M--Mondesi. Former Dodger Raul Mondesi, who asked to be traded, can be expected to turn it on in his first season with the Toronto Blue Jays. His new team has a vault of young pitching and could be a sleeper in the AL East.

N--Newcomers. None is more highly touted than Cardinal left hander Rick Ankiel, 20, who struck out 194 batters in 137 2/3 minor league innings last year. However, none is more intriguing than Kazuhiro Sasaki, a rookie in the same way Hideo Nomo once qualified. Sasaki, 32, is Japan’s all-time saves leader and has unseated Jose Mesa as Seattle’s closer.

O--Orel. As a full-time starter the esteemed Hershiser will have to take on a larger than anticipated assignment in his return to L.A. And next year? Pitcher? Pitching coaching? Manager? General manager?

P--Pedro. So what does Pedro Martinez do for an encore after going 23-4 with a 2.07 earned-run average and 313 strikeouts as the AL’s unanimous Cy Young Award winner? The answer may determine the playoff fate of his improved Boston Red Sox.

Q--Quinn. Mark Quinn, coming off batting titles in the Pacific Coast and Texas leagues, could succeed Kansas City Royal teammate Carlos Beltran as AL rookie of the year. The Royals aren’t ready to challenge Cleveland, but they are loaded with young talent and are about to acquire some stability with the approval of David Glass as owner.

R--Ripken, Rocker and Rodriguez. Cal Ripken Jr. needs nine hits to reach 3,000. John Rocker may still be traded by the Braves, who regard him as something of a pariah. He got positive responses from fans in Florida, but it may be different once he leaves redneck heaven. The Mariners have said they intend to keep free-agent-eligible Alex Rodriguez all season, but they may reconsider before the July trade deadline if they’re out of the race. The Dodgers continue to salivate.

S--Shortstops. In a golden era for that position, Nomar Garciaparra and Derek Jeter could wage another duel for the AL batting title. They were 1-2 last year, with Rodriguez, who missed about six weeks with a knee injury, not far behind.

T--Tampa Bay. With Jose Canseco, Greg Vaughn, Fred McGriff and Vinny Castilla, no lineup has more thunder.

U--Umpires. The 22 umpires whose resignations were accepted by the commissioner last season could still be reinstated by an arbitrator. However, the umpires have a new union and Richie Phillips is out as counsel. The AL and NL staffs have merged under the commissioner’s authority and all umpires will work both leagues. Whether that makes for strike-zone uniformity remains to be seen.

V--Valentine. It is probably a make-or-break year for Bobby Valentine as New York Met manager. His contract expires, and he is already portraying himself as the unappreciated martyr. The Mets have a new ace in Mike Hampton, but the Braves are still the choice in the NL East. It’s a scary thought, but if Tom Lasorda has the ear of buddy Bob Daly, Valentine could yet be a managerial possibility with the Dodgers.

W--Walker. The Colorado Rockies have been virtually rebuilt, but Larry Walker remains a right-field fixture and will be shooting for his third consecutive NL batting title.

X--X-factor. Certain to appear with some team at some time. Best bets are the star-crossed Cubs, Red Sox and Angels.

Y--Yankees. More questions than usual, but they still figure to win in the AL East. Beating the Mariners or Indians in the playoffs is another matter. The World Series? Braves over the Indians.

Z--Zany. That’s how it was for the Angels and Dodgers in 1999. Is there any assurance it will be different in 2000?