Finley Finds Comfort at the Ballpark

In troubled times, the ballpark offers Chuck Finley a place of sanctuary.

“I come here and everything goes away for a couple hours,” he said wistfully.

He faces his old teammates tonight, for the first time this season. He was scheduled to start in Anaheim April 3, the day before he filed for divorce from wife Tawny Kitaen and two days after police responded to a domestic violence call at the family home. Kitaen pleaded innocent this week to two counts of misdemeanor battery and spousal abuse.

Finley said he is grateful for the support of the Cleveland Indians and in particular General Manager Mark Shapiro, who told him to take as much time as needed to attend to legal matters and the care of his two daughters.

Finley, 39, is in the final season of a three-year, $27-million contract with the Indians. Life after baseball is rapidly approaching.

He isn’t sure whether he wants to play next season, but he says he would only play for a contender--”I wouldn’t go into a situation where they’re rebuilding. I’ve been through too much of that”--and would probably not consider a return to the Angels, even though he still lives in Newport Beach.

“I don’t know if I’d really feel comfortable going back there,” he said.

However, he said he would consider working for the Angels after he retires in any number of capacities that would not require extensive travel--assisting in the front office, working with pitchers and such.

Finley won 165 games for the Angels, a franchise record. In 14 seasons in Anaheim, he was a five-time All-Star. But on Oct. 11, 2001, he did something he never did for the Angels. He started a playoff game, for the Indians.

“This team is everything they sold me on--winning team, great fans,” he said. “That’s what I wanted. That’s what I needed. I wanted to go somewhere where they were ready to win. I got to have that feeling of what it was like to win a division and keep playing two more days.”

*

The Angels swapped reserve outfielders, sending Jeff DaVanon to triple-A Salt Lake and promoting Julio Ramirez from Salt Lake. DaVanon hit .167 in 16 games with the Angels. Ramirez, released by the Chicago White Sox in spring training, hit .103 in 37 previous major league games with the White Sox and Florida Marlins.

TONIGHT

ANGELS’

KEVIN APPIER

(2-1, 3.49 ERA)

vs.

INDIANS’

CHUCK FINLEY

(2-2, 6.75 ERA)

Jacobs Field, Cleveland, 4 p.m.

Radio--KLAC (570), XPRS (1090).

Update--Finley has beaten his old teammates once in four starts. In 11 at-bats against Finley, Tim Salmon has seven hits, including four home runs.

Bill Shaikin