ANAHEIM ANGELS--Bob Brigham

First of all, you can forget Mo Vaughn. Out for the season with a torn biceps. The Angels are going to have to wait one more year to cash in on the first baseman they had hoped would be the foundation of their offense when he was acquired in '98. They mysterious signing of Jose Canseco a few days before Vaughn's' injury was announced suddenly became less mysterious. The Angels knew something, and that something was the need for a slugger to take the big guy's place.

To fill the defensive gap left by Vaughn's disability, they brought Wally Joyner back to the scene of his original MLB success, where he hit .290 with 22 HRs and 100 RBIs in '86. The man will turn 39 before the All Star break. They hope he can regain that success the second time around, but let's be realistic. He'll probably be home resting those old bones at All Star time.

Mike Scioscia is one of the outstanding young managers in the game. Can he make a difference of ten games in the W-L column? Even when you know which buttons to push, you have to have the buttons. The Disney people could have brought in a couple of Mikes --Mussina and Hampton-- to turn a pitching staff from one of the worst to one of the best. Instead they settled for the likes of Tim Belcher and Ismael Valdez, which makes one think that they are looking at the bottom line and perhaps getting ready to hang a FOR SALE sign on the franchise. Ramon Martinez, with added consistency, could bring the pitching staff a little respectability.

A healthy Gary DiSarcina could give the Angels the kind of shortstop that would anchor the infield, but the man has not been whole since 1998. He doesn't seem to have that sound body that enables a player of his caliber to build a career of distinction. But next to DiSar at third is a young man who is starting to look like an All Star. Dare we mention Troy Glaus in the same breath as Cooperstown? It could happen some day.

Before his departure last year, the outfield of Jim Edmonds flanked by Darin Erstad and Tim Salmon was arguably baseball's best. With Garret Anderson taking Edmonds' place, it drops a notch.

A bright spot is at catcher. This department has long been a weakness in Anaheim, but with the arrival of Benjie Molina last year, things are looking up. He gave the club more offense than former backstop Scioscia demands at this position, he is a fine receiver whose handling of pitchers is blossoming under Scioscia's tutelage and he throws to the bases with authority. His one weakness his manager should be able to accept, for he, too, was a s-l-o-w base runner.

The home instincts of this SoCal writer usually cause him to go out on a limb and pick the Dodgers and Angels about one slot in the standings higher than an objective assessment would place them. But that limb is pretty shaky this year. I am afraid the Angels will be flying low. Like last place in the AL West? Yep.