Mark Teixeira stays low-key but has big impact on Angels
KURT STREETER
First baseman's arrival in Southland is lost in the euphoria of the Dodgers' Manny Ramirez.
With all the hype surrounding the deal that brought the dreadlocked one to Southern California you may have forgotten that just before the trade deadline the Angels of Orange County made their own blockbuster move. Off went homegrown first baseman Casey Kotchman to Atlanta in exchange for Mark Teixeira, possessor of the powerful bat they've long coveted.
Remember?
Thought you might.
Funny how things work around here. It's the Dodgers deal for Manny Ramirez that has gotten all the buzz, partly because No. 99 is proving just how fun it is to watch Hall of Fame greatness, partly because Ramirez's flaky nature has a way of drawing the eyes, and partly because, well, they're the Dodgers.
Meantime, down in Anaheim, far from the Hollywood limelight and the sizzling sparks of Manny mania, it's the move for Teixeira that stands a better chance of altering the Southland baseball landscape.
The Dodgers, even with Manny playing like he's from the planet Krypton, are a better team, but still struggling to keep their heads above water. They might not even make the playoffs.
The Angels? Their 11-4 win over the New York Yankees on Saturday moves them to 73-43, the best record in baseball. And now, with a new addition and a surefire confidence, they're primed for a burst to the finish line. Teixeira's hot bat, good glove and solid presence stand a good chance of helping bring a second World Series title to Disneyland.
So far, the burly first baseman has played 10 games as an Angel. In that time he's batting .316 with two doubles, eight runs batted in, and, after a solo shot Saturday, two homers. Add eight walks and Teixeira has an on-base percentage of .435 -- 111 percentage points higher than Dodgers occasional leadoff man Juan Pierre.
But there's more to Teixeira's impact than sheer numbers. Unlike the way Manny Ramirez immediately sent an electric buzz coursing through his team, a jolt that woke up the Dodgers, Teixeira has worked his way onto his new team in a stealthy, seamless fashion.
You saw this all week in Anaheim. On Monday, when Teixeira walked to the plate for the first time in front of the home fans, there was the expected euphoria. But after the first game -- in the clubhouse, on the field and in the stands -- it was as if the 6-foot-3 first baseman had been an Angel all along.
