Byrd’s Relatives Affected by Hurricane

The joy Angel right-hander Paul Byrd felt about Friday night’s victory over the Seattle Mariners lasted about as long as it took him to walk from the dugout to the clubhouse.

And then reality kicked back in, the harsh reality of the death and destruction in Louisiana and the surrounding areas in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

For Byrd and his wife, Kym, this is not some distant tragedy, to be experienced only on a television screen or via a newspaper. Both have ties to Louisiana that have tugged sharply at their hearts in the last few days.

Kym grew up in the New Orleans suburb of Metairie, and Paul attended Louisiana State in Baton Rouge.

Byrd relatives from seven families fled the area, finding shelter in Texas, Alabama, Georgia and Florida. Six relatives are staying with the Byrds and more are expected.

But the Angel pitcher has questioned whether he is doing enough.

“What do I do right now?” Byrd said. “Do I leave the team and go back there and help? I signed a contract with this team and we are in a pennant race. Or do I stay here and make my money and help out that way? My wife and I talked about it, and my choice for now will be to stay here.”

The Byrds’ spirits were lifted a bit Saturday when they learned their last missing relative, a woman in her 70s named Mary Hassinger who had been hospitalized because of Alzheimer’s disease, had been evacuated to Birmingham, Ala.

“I think about my wife’s grandfather, Wallace Yip,” Byrd said. “He’s 84 years old, a hero in World War II who raised four kids and worked two jobs his whole life. He lived in Metairie, and everything he worked for might be gone. How do you explain that to him?”

Rather than a distraction, Byrd considers his turn in the starting rotation as a relief.

“When I’m on the mound,” he said, “it’s almost like a break. When I’m focused on the hitters, I have to concentrate on the job at hand.

“The hard part is when the game is over and I listen to the hurt affecting so many people. We’ve come close to losing a whole city. I’m still in a daze, still trying to figure out what happened. There are people who were living paycheck to paycheck who have nothing at all now. The clothes on their back are all they’ve got to their name.

“I’m fortunate. God has blessed me with ability to earn the money to bridge the financial gap for my family. But there are a lot of people out there now, homeless and unable to bridge that gap.”

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Right-hander Kelvim Escobar rejoined the club Saturday after completing a third rehab start Friday night for the Angels’ triple-A team in Salt Lake City.

Angel Manager Mike Scioscia said Escobar, a starting pitcher before elbow surgery in June, will be used in early and middle relief for at least the immediate future.

“Our [starting] rotation is where we need it to be,” Scioscia said.

That’s OK with Escobar.

“It’s exciting to be back,” he said. “I feel like a kid.”