Anaheim Angels 2003 Season Preview

by Bob "Twilight" Brigham

Centerfielder Darin Erstad

ANGEL CODE RED FOR '03: The Anaheim Angels

Better dead than red. Remember that old saw from Cold War days? The Angels lived by it for the first four decades plus of their existence. Rather, they died by it. Then, as they prepared for the 2002 campaign some pencil pusher in the front office ran breathlessly to the general manager and said, "Boss, you know how we were talking about the new uniform design? I've got it! Everything should have a red trim! And the numbers, the guys' names, the caps and helmets, team logo---all red!"

Or maybe it was the equipment man's wife. Gene Autry from the great board room in the sky? Whoever, the GM bought it. Shazzam! Better red than dead! The Angels were more red than the Red Sox or the Cincinnati Reds. They even out red-ed the Cardinals. The result: The American League pennant flies above the Big (red) Ed, and aboves that the flag that says "World Champions" flutters in the Orange County wind.

OK, let's not get carried away with this color thing. The Yankees have been doing just fine, thank you, in pin stripes over the years, and in a lot of those years they could have won in chartreuse. Some experts would have us believe that it is the quality of the players that determines the standings.

So, let's look at the players. I suggest we start with centerfielder Darin Erstad. When Jim Edmonds was out there before going to St. Louis, the fence used to take a beating. Those over-the-shoulder catches going at full speed resulting in Jim getting his nose stuck in a knothole were as tough on his face as they were on the fence. Or haven't you ever gotten a good look at Jim's face? Erstad plays with the same abandon. And he gets so many grass stains on his red-trimmed uni that he looks like a Christmas tree by the fourth inning. If he can match the .283 BA he put up last season, he will contend for AL MVP honors. Manager Mike Scioscia will tell you that the kind of hustle that DE brings to the ballpark lifts the entire team to another level. And results in things like championships.

There is another DE in Anaheim that was a big factor in the success of last year's team and will continue to be in '03, shortstop David Eckstein. He looks like a jockey who took the wrong turn to exit the 57 Freeway. The guy should be riding the ponies at Santa Anita. Instead he is playing with the big boys at the Big Ed, getting key base hits, taking extra bases and showing Erstad-like hustle in the field.

In fact, there is a lot of DE on this team. DEsire, DEfense, ability to DEliver, attention to DEtail. If this prognostication reads like it was written by the Rally Monkey, I hope you will forgive old Twilight. After all the years he lets his heart rule his head by picking the Angels to finish higher than they eventually did, he is not going to go the other way and assign them a low slot in the final standings only to see them prove him wrong.

Two players and the most effective manager currently in baseball will not result in even a division championship. So this piece will need some more names before it becomes credible. Jarrod Washburn will again be the ace starter in the rotation, and Troy Percival can finish most things that Washburn and the rest of an otherwise mediocre staff will start if the guys with the bats can just keep it close.

Gary Anderson, the club's most talented offensive threat, will again be in left field. Tim Salmon, the oldest Angel from the standpoint of service, having worn every color the team has sported---including periwinkle blue---since his '92 rookie season, can still contribute.

So, here goes. With Manager of the Year Mike Scioscia pushing all the right buttons, Erstad and Eckstein consistently reminding their teammates to listen to the guy who used to catch for the Dodgers and do what he says, I predict that the DEs will REpeat as A.L. champs.

Not World? No, the ring-less one, Barry Bonds, will finally get his bling-bling, beating the Angels next October in six. If you fail to take advantage of the early Vegas odds on this happening, don't say I didn't warn you.