Other Guys Not Doing Angels Any Favors

The Angels relived an entire season in 30 minutes Friday night. Nothing but good tidings early, so much promise, so much optimism . . . and then the sudden plunge into the bottomless sinkhole.

All before the first pitch, too.

A half-hour before airing their dirty faces on The Baseball Network, the Angels were wired from the sounds emanating from ballparks in Arlington and Toronto.

Entering the top of the eighth inning in Texas, the Rangers were leading the Seattle Mariners, 3-2.

Entering the top of the ninth inning in Toronto, the Blue Jays were leading the New York Yankees, 3-0.

What, two positive developments for the Angels on the same September evening?

Both teams blocking the Angels’ attempt at a last-second end-around into the playoffs were down, on the road, late. A loss by Seattle meant the Angels could pull to within one game of first place in the American League West with a victory over Oakland. A loss by New York meant the Angels, by beating the A’s, would pull into a dead heat for the American League wild-card with two games to play.

There are no perfect days in Anaheim anymore, but for the Angels, post-Armageddon, this was about as close as it comes to paradise.

Six more outs in Texas.

Three more outs in Toronto.

In the Anaheim Stadium press box and the Angel clubhouse, both games were monitored on television. Ground ball to Blue Jay shortstop Alex Gonzalez--off his glove and into the outfield for an error. Ground ball to Ranger third baseman Mike Pagliarulo--off his glove and a hurried, high throw to first for an error.

The bases were beginning to load up with Yankees and Mariners.

The minutes were beginning to drag.

Two deep fly balls in Toronto. Mike Stanley’s sacrifice fly pushes the Yankees to within 3-2, then Pat Kelly’s two-run home run into the left field seats makes it 4-3.

Two deep fly balls in Texas. Edgar Martinez’s sacrifice fly to the right-field warning track ties the score; Tino Martinez’s sacrifice fly to deep center breaks it.

Yankees lead, 4-3.

Mariners lead, 4-3.

Back in Anaheim, Vicki Rae is midway through the national anthem, catching her breath after “the rockets’ red glare,” just as Yankee closer John Wetteland strikes out Sandy Martinez for the final out at Skydome.

Ten minutes later, Gary DiSarcina is stepping on home plate, giving the Angels a 1-0 lead on a first-inning sacrifice fly by Tim Salmon, just as Norm Charlton wraps up Seattle’s second victory in as many days in Arlington.

Thanks for nothing, Blue Jays and Rangers.

Just like that, the Angels were stranded and abandoned, taunted by the prospect of two doses of outside help, only to be left again on their own and to their own devices.

And if you’ve been following this in-the-flesh embodiment of Murphy’s Law the past six weeks, you know what that means.

For the past six weeks, the Angels were the team that couldn’t help themselves. Want an AL West championship, your first in nine seasons? Here, play .400 baseball from Aug. 15 on. Can’t manage that? How about .300 baseball?

Sorry, the Angels couldn’t manage even that. Now, with their stockpile of games remaining having dwindled to a priceless few, they can’t afford a single slip-up in their final series with the A’s and they need the Yankees or the Mariners, one or the other, to pull an Angelesque mini-collapse this weekend.

With David Cone and Andy Benes both due to pitch this weekend, the Angels might be reaching out and grabbing only a fistful of straws. Before Friday, the Yankees hadn’t come from behind in the ninth inning to win a game in 1995. But on the last Friday of the regular season, with the playoffs on the line, they rally for four runs in the ninth on the road.

Welcome to life in the pennant race. Those who can stand the heat stay in the kitchen for as long as it takes. Those who can’t go hungry.

All the Angels can do now is tend to their own business and hope. And business, at the moment, is no piece of cake. Friday, the last-place A’s erased deficits of 1-0 and 4-1, knocked Jim Abbott out of the game in the fifth and had Marcel Lachemann dipping into his drowning poll of middle relief pitchers far, far too early for comfort.

This is why Lee Smith, wizened veteran closer, walked into the middle of a pregame meeting to determine Angels playoff shares--talk about whistling in the graveyard--and quipped, “Playoff shares? We ain’t got nothing to share yet. I’ll share my thoughts with you.”

Smith has been an Angel for all of one season. Not much time, in the grand scheme. But, already, he knows.