Gershberg Is Happy to Be Back

The doctor did not have good news for Howie Gershberg. The cancer had returned to his intestines and advanced into his lungs. The cancer was inoperable there, and he should not expect to live beyond one more year.

That was 18 months ago. And, yes, that is Gershberg, a beloved and respected minor league pitching coach, walking into the Angel clubhouse every day to do the job he loves.

“It’s great to be back,” Gershberg said. “The most important thing is working. It keeps you in a good frame of mind.”

Gershberg, 65, missed spring training last year while undergoing chemotherapy. To the amazement of his doctor, the treatment controlled the spread of the cancer, and Gershberg says he feels fine. “I can go on like this forever if it doesn’t spread,” he said.

But the cancer is not in remission, and he is scheduled for more tests in April. The Angels--his employers since 1985--have kept him on their staff and encouraged him to tutor pitchers in spring training and in the minor leagues as his health allows.

“We all call him the guru,” said pitcher Matt Wise. “It’s definitely good to see him here.”

*

Jorge Fabregas did not sign the largest contract on the team during the off-season, but the Angels’ backup catcher certainly signed the smartest one. On Nov. 15, 11 days after the World Series ended and before free agents flooded what would become a buyer’s market, Fabregas signed with the Angels for a guaranteed $500,000.

Of the 109 free agents signed through Tuesday, according to Associated Press, 42 signed minor league contracts, including such notables as Jose Canseco, Rickey Henderson, Dante Bichette and Mike Jackson. As Canseco learned last spring when the Angels abruptly released him, a minor league contract guarantees you nothing.

Fabregas batted .223 with two home runs last season. He directed agent Scott Boras to get the best deal he could from the Angels, which turned out to be for the same $500,000 Fabregas made last season and an additional $250,000 in incentive bonuses. Had he balked, General Manager Bill Stoneman might have found another veteran backup in that price range, and Fabregas might well have a minor league contract somewhere else and a good chance to start the season in triple-A.

“I knew the guys here wanted me back, and I wanted to be back,” Fabregas said. “To go and test the market and maybe make a little more somewhere else, well, the grass is not always greener on the other side.

“Besides,” he said, grinning, “the difference in me going somewhere else would not be millions.”

*

Pitcher Ben Weber arrived in camp Tuesday, after a 21-hour drive from his home in Beaumont, Texas. Weber’s locker is next to that of fellow reliever Dennis Cook, the father of 4-year-old triplets. Weber and his wife, Marisa, became parents of triplets last week, and Weber said he would lean on Cook for advice.

“Maybe he can give me some pointers,” Weber said. “I just hope he doesn’t scare the hell out of me.”

The first warning: Be prepared for sleep deprivation. Cook jokingly suggested Weber might doze off in the bullpen now and then.

“I’ll probably have to nudge him to keep him awake,” Cook said.