They Need a Little Incentive

They have all that firepower but still need ignition. They have Vladimir Guerrero, Garret Anderson, Jose Guillen and a bat rack of weapons but still need David Eckstein to contribute in the catalytic style of the 2002 World Series year.

It’s this simple: The big men may still do damage, but how many more runs will the Angels produce if the little man is triggering the attack, which is something the 5-foot-7 shortstop didn’t do and/or couldn’t do last year when either injuries or opposing pitchers caught up with him.

Of course, the insinuation that the American League adjusted and that Eckstein didn’t as his batting average fell from .293 to .252 and his on-base percentage from .363 to .325 would prompt some serious annoyance except for the fact that he has always had to deal with one aspersion or another -- whether aimed at his size, range or overall ability. In addition, Eckstein knows that he simply couldn’t perform, which is why he played only 120 games after 152 in 2002.

He pulled a back muscle in spring training, injured his hand and shoulder during the season and went on the disabled list in mid-August with a sciatic nerve irritation that prevented him from moving faster than a slow walk.

“In this game,” Eckstein said, “if you don’t have success, people are going to say things and write things, but that stuff doesn’t bother me. I’ve heard it all my life. I could care less what they were saying last year. I mean, all you have to do is watch my at-bats from last year to two years ago and you can see that the pitchers weren’t doing anything differently.

“Look, you know how I am. I don’t believe in excuses. If I step on the field, I’m ready to go, but the biggest thing last year was that I couldn’t go out there every day and take the same swing twice. You compensate in one area, and a physical problem kicks up in another. I was fighting myself every day. I just couldn’t repeat my swing. I was giving [batting coach Mickey Hatcher] nightmares.”

The Angels ultimately made their title defense from the trainer’s room, swept by injuries.

Eckstein, who doesn’t believe in an off-season, was still going hard and still experiencing sciatic-related problems through December when finally convinced to do nothing until spring training started.

Now, with new exercises to strengthen his hip, back and legs, Eckstein and the Angels are convinced he’s back on his feet and in the process of regaining his 2002 form.

Yes, there’s still a lot of lip service about a shortstop duel between Eckstein and the defensive whiz, Alfredo Amezaga, and Eckstein contributes to it by saying his mentality hasn’t changed, that he always feels he’s competing for a job and the game is all about what have you done lately, but the reality is something different.

The Angels want Eckstein to be the shortstop, need him to be, and are confident he will be. They continue to have doubts about Amezaga’s ability to hit in the major leagues, and they don’t want to have to reshape the lineup. If Eckstein isn’t the shortstop and leadoff man, Amezaga would have to hit eighth, forcing Darin Erstad to lead off and totally transforming the game within a game that Eckstein and Erstad play in the 1-2 spots.

“I don’t care how much firepower you have,” Angel Manager Mike Scioscia was saying, “you still need a table-setter to make any lineup go, and Eck is a terrific table-setter when he’s healthy and on his game.

“He’s an important piece of the puzzle and definitely needs to show that he’s regained his range at shortstop and his on-base consistency at the top of the lineup. At this point, we’re confident he’ll be fine.”

Eckstein shares that confidence. Does he have any doubt that he can regain his 2002 form?

“That’s not even in question, and I’ll leave it at that,” he said.

Why not? Don’t all the signs point to a good year?

Isn’t he dating actress Ashley Drane, who plays Muffy on the Disney Channel’s “That’s So Raven”?

Didn’t he defeat the Angels in another of those mind-boggling arbitration decisions, his salary vaulting from $425,000 to $2.15 million despite his poor numbers in 2003?

Of course, it’s easy for Eckstein to balance the good and bad. Perspective is never far away.

His family’s battle with a hereditary disease that destroys kidney function has been chronicled. Eckstein and his brother Rick escaped the condition, but sisters Susan and Christine and brother Kenny all have undergone transplants -- Susan receiving one of her mom’s kidneys and Christine and Kenny through donation.

Now, Eckstein’s dad, Whitey, is on dialysis and waiting for a transplant at 58, having been aware for years that at some point his kidneys would fail, and two of Christine’s children -- David, 5, and Kenny, 3 -- have tested positive for the condition.

Faith, said Eckstein, has allowed the family to maintain its positive outlook and direction, all of his siblings having built successful lives and careers.

“Watching what they’ve all gone through,” he said, “it’s not hard keeping your perspective and maintaining priorities.

“I take what I do very seriously, but at the end of the day I know how fortunate I am to be able to play a game I love, get paid more than I ever thought I would be paid, and have my health.

“I don’t take any of that for granted.”

Among other endeavors, Eckstein has been active in “Gift of Life,” an organ donation program.

Call it a shallow segue, but make no mistake: Eckstein’s gifts are still vital to a powerful lineup.

“No question,” he said. “I know I play a major role and that it is even more pronounced now. We have a chance to score a lot of runs if I’m doing my job at the top of the order.”

Considering the menu, the table-setter is a must.

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Ups and Downs

Comparing David Eckstein’s 2002 season with 2003:

*--* Year G AB R 2B 3B HR RBI BB SB Avg OB% Slg% 2002 152 608 107 22 6 8 63 45 21 293 363 388 2003 120 452 59 22 1 3 31 36 16 252 325 325

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