Salvage Job Is Left to Others

It’s as if you were on the Titanic, hopped into a lifeboat and were drifting among the icebergs when somebody comes up and asks, “So, what are your plans for next year?”

That is what it is like to be an Anaheim Angel today. You look back and see nothing but wreckage. You look ahead and see nothing but freezing water, life-threatening icebergs and lots of desperate people fighting one another, every man for himself, better to shove that next guy into the water than jeopardize yourself.

Terry Collins, his hands shaking so badly that he can barely bring a cup of water to his lips, the sobs coming from deep inside his heart, resigns as manager of the Angels and, honestly, you want to tell Collins he is a lucky, lucky man.

Bill Bavasi, Collins’ boss and the Angels’ general manager, sounded as if he was close to resigning. “That’s not something I’m going to discuss with you or anyone else,” Bavasi says when he is asked directly about his own job security.

But that’s certainly not a strong and positive affirmation of his own future with the Angels. Bavasi also says, when he is asked what the players are thinking about Collins’ departure, “I’d be less than honest if I said I cared.”

Bavasi goes on to say that the makeup of the squabbling, babbling team of babies, this group that has complained about its manager and one another early and often, is his own fault and that his own performance is to be evaluated at the end of the season.

The question is, by whom?

This baseball team is in disarray. By all accounts the Walt Disney Co., owner of the Angels and the Mighty Ducks, is trying to sell both teams.

By all accounts, Henry Nicholas III, billionaire co-owner and co-founder of Broadcom Corp., an Irvine-based microelectronics company, is speaking to Disney about buying these Orange County franchises.

So if the team is for sale, it would make sense that the real housecleaning, the termination of Bavasi and of any, or many, players, would be left for the new owners.

And, by the way, remember how Nicholas has donated $1.28 million to the UC Irvine rowing program? Let’s just say that if, suddenly, it is announced that Dave Stewart or Davey Lopes or Chris Chambliss or somebody is the new Irvine crew coach, that will be a sign the sale is nearing completion.

Friday afternoon was full of emotion.

Collins, a good, fair man, a man who loves baseball, wants it to be played hard and wants his players to be loyal and to keep their mouths shut, has been managing a team of disloyal malcontents who have stabbed each other as well as their manager in the back. Collins punctuated many of his comments with sobs, he is so devastated by this turn of events.

Bavasi stood, clenching and unclenching his fists. While Collins said he was “saddened” to be resigning, Bavasi said he was bitter to be accepting it. Bitter to be heading into a locker room to address players who, he says, “quit on somebody, I’m not sure on who.”

On one hand, Bavasi said, had not the Angels been burdened by all those injuries--to Gary DiSarcina, Tim Salmon, Jim Edmonds, Mo Vaughn, Tim Belcher, Ken Hill, et al--”we wouldn’t be standing here today.” On the other hand, Bavasi spoke of “the bad chemistry” on the club and about how too much energy had been expended by these millionaires whining about each other and their manager instead of playing baseball.

Two months from now, this resignation by Collins will be nothing more than a fuzzy memory. So much more is in store.

Other than Vaughn coming back, and he pretty much has to, what with that long-term, $80-million contract and a pretty mediocre year here, this team will be blown up regardless who is running it. Has a whole team ever been fired? This could be the year to try it. The only things you fans might recognize next spring are the rocks and waterfall in the outfield.

Bavasi spoke about how there has been no thought about the next manager and what qualities he might need. Who’s going to answer this want ad--”Want to manage a bunch of guys who can’t stand each other and who won’t be able to stand you either?”

Joe Maddon, the soft-spoken and relatively anonymous bench coach who has been appointed interim manager, is probably not first in line for the permanent job. Or else why would he have been given the miserable job of dealing with these guys the rest of the season? So Bavasi spoke grimly of evaluating “everything” at the end of the year. As if Bavasi will be evaluating anything but where to work next, sale or no sale by Disney.

Tony Tavares, president of the Angels and Mighty Ducks, came by after the Collins news conference. He had noticed a reference here Wednesday about how that line in the summer hit movie “Sixth Sense,” the one where the sweet little boy says, chillingly, “I see dead people,” brought to mind the Angels these days. “Most astute comment about this team I’ve read,” Tavares said.

Yikes. Say goodbye to Bavasi. No matter what. As for what the future is for the rest of the Angels? Maybe that little boy can tell us. For nobody else can.

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Diane Pucin can be reached at her e-mail address: [email protected]