Salmon Is Getting Ready for His Last ‘Stand

The Angels, barring an unprecedented collapse by the Oakland A’s, aren’t headed to the playoffs, but for veteran outfielder Tim Salmon, who will begin the final homestand of his 14-year career tonight, this week will have a postseason feel to it.

“I feel like I’m cramming for finals,” said Salmon, who is seven games away from retirement. “There are so many things on my mind -- coordinating all my family coming to town, getting tickets, taking care of this and that. It should really be just about baseball. It reminds you of the playoffs.”

The Angels will hold a news conference with Salmon in the middle of the week. They’re finalizing plans to honor him in a pregame ceremony this weekend, and there will be a tribute to Salmon in the game program.

Next April 2, before the second game of the 2007 season, the Angels will stage a Tim Salmon Night, “a full-out ceremony for him,” said Tim Mead, Angels vice president of communication.

“I feel like I don’t want to miss out on any of it,” Salmon said of his final days as an Angel. “I want to make sure I savor the last week, no matter how it turns out.”

He will savor it more if he gets to play, and once the Angels are eliminated, Manager Mike Scioscia is expected to give Salmon, who has 298 career home runs, a chance to reach the 300-homer mark.

Asked if this will be an emotional week for him, Salmon said, “You know what? I say no, but I’m sure there are going to be things that will come up to me all of a sudden.

“It’s going to fly by, and I want to be able to absorb it like I should, say things to the people I should. I’ve had all season to absorb it all, and now there’s a week left, and then it’s over. It doesn’t seem real right now.”

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Pitcher Bartolo Colon, who is in Arizona rehabilitating from a rotator-cuff tear, and first baseman Casey Kotchman, who is in Florida recovering from mononucleosis, will return to Anaheim this week to be evaluated by team physician Lewis Yocum.

Colon is in the middle of a 10-week program designed to strengthen his shoulder, lower back and legs while breaking up scar tissue around the tear. He won’t begin throwing until late November or December, but barring setbacks, the right-hander is expected to be ready for spring training in February.

Kotchman, who last played on May 8, has not attempted any baseball activities since mid-July, when he aborted his comeback attempt because of dizziness and light-headedness.

But team officials have been in touch with Kotchman recently, “and he’s feeling stronger, he’s at about 90%,” Scioscia said. The Angels would like him to play some winter ball, “but I don’t know what the possibilities are right now,” Scioscia said.

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mike.digiovanna@latimes.com