Not Driven by Love of Money

Having sat out most of the 2000 season because of rotator-cuff surgery, Angel shortstop Gary DiSarcina has had a chance to follow baseball more as a fan than a major league player.

Now that he has gained some new perspective, he is less tolerant of such players as Gary Sheffield and Frank Thomas, who have complained about their contracts despite the fact both have multi-year deals that pay more than $9 million a year.

“Players think they’re bigger than the game,” said DiSarcina, who is rehabilitating this spring and hopes to be ready in May. “They sign a long-term deal, then they want to opt out of it.

“It’s a sad way for players to be portrayed, because $8 million is a boatload of money. And to complain about making $8 million, $9 million, $10 million a year is embarrassing to me.”

The Angels have had their share of internal problems in recent years. The 1999 team fell apart amid a hail of clubhouse bickering, and several players have questioned the organization’s commitment to winning. But money has not been an issue for the most part, and they’ve been able to avoid the turmoil that often surrounds it.

When Mo Vaughn signed a six-year, $80-million deal before the 1999 season, no Angels demanded their contracts be renegotiated. Though such players as Tim Salmon, Troy Percival and Darin Erstad have played under contracts that are below market value, none has complained publicly.

“I signed the contract, I live up to it,” said Percival, who will make $3.4 million this season, less than half of what fellow major league closers Trevor Hoffman and Robb Nen make. “I don’t think anyone on the street wants to hear me complain about making $4 million.”

Several factors have combined to prevent money from dividing the Angel clubhouse. Key players such as Salmon, Erstad, Percival, DiSarcina and Garret Anderson were awarded long-term contracts early in their careers and feel a sense of loyalty to the organization because of it.

The highest-paid player, Vaughn, is more frustrated that injuries have prevented him from living up to his end of his contract than players such as Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez soaring past him on the salary scale.

And the Angels’ best player and current leader, Erstad, is a gritty, blue-collar type who loves the game and probably would play for minimum wage.

“I think [former General Manager] Bill Bavasi knew the makeup of the team when he signed Mo,” DiSarcina said. “He knew no one would complain, and no one did.

“[Former Angel pitcher] Chuck Finley was a leader in this clubhouse for a long time, and every year at the trade deadline, he offered to defer money from his contract if it would help the team deal for another player. A lot of guys knew that.”

Many players wouldn’t talk about the Sheffield situation on the record. They all belong to the same union, and with a possible work stoppage looming after this season, they don’t want to appear divided.

“It’s a touchy subject,” Percival said. “I can’t say anything negative about what Sheff is doing. For years, guys have wanted to be recognized as the best player in the game. Unfortunately in these times, that’s determined by salary.”

You can tell by the way some players roll their eyes, though, that they don’t approve of what Sheffield, Thomas and others are doing.

“That’s so far outside my line of thinking, it’s hard for me to comprehend,” Erstad said. “I’d probably play for $10 an hour. Why not? Not many people get to say they do what they love for a living.”