Tim Salmon

Garret Anderson may be the Angels' hottest hitter of late, but right fielder Tim Salmon is only a few degrees below the rookie left fielder on the team's offense-o-meter. Salmon is 30 for 70 (.429) with five homers, 24 RBIs, 22 runs and nine doubles in the past 18 games. He went 9 for 16 (.563) with two homers and 10 RBIs against the Brewers and showed he is much more than a one-dimensional power hitter.

It would be the biggest thrill of his baseball career, an accomplishment that many major league players dream about but never realize. Yet, when asked about his hopes of representing the Angels at the All-Star game, right fielder Tim Salmon says that as great an honor as it would be, he simply doesn't deserve it. Not this year. This year, he says, teammate Chili Davis should be going. "I don't feel I'm deserving," Salmon said, despite batting .

Tim Salmon scored one run and drove in another Wednesday night to lead the American League affiliates to a 2-1 victory over the National League in the fifth annual triple-A All-Star game. The start of the game was delayed 1 1/2 hours by rain. Salmon of Edmonton, the Angels' Pacific Coast League affiliate, led off the second inning with a walk and went to second on a passed ball. Syracuse's Ed Sprague singled Salmon to third. He scored on a fielder's choice.

A few months ago, sportswriters asked us all to cut poor Tim Salmon some slack. We all did, and guess what. It probably cost the Angels a wild-card spot. Could Salmon's $10-million-a-year contract be keeping him in the game? You bet it is. But Bill Stoneman is not going to admit to another front-office blunder. Let's cut the fans some slack, Bill. Jerry Mazenko Garden Grove Winners never quit, and quitters never win. The former describes the Angel team that played with passion and enthusiasm immediately after the All-Star break.

Manager Buck Rodgers was so concerned about the Angels' catching last season that he kept three catchers, hoping one would emerge as an everyday starter. It never happened, but he has become more comfortable with Greg Myers and Chris Turner, who will share the job this season. "I have more confidence in both of them," Rodgers said Sunday. "I don't think it will ever come down to a strict platoon. "Right now, it's probably 50-50. I may lean 60-40 toward somebody."

Angel outfielder Tim Salmon, who had been bothered by a torn ligament in his left foot for most of the season, underwent surgery to repair it Monday at the Kerlan-Jobe Health South Clinic. The Angels also announced that they have reached a two-year agreement to have a triple-A franchise to Edmonton of the Pacific Coast League. The Angels' PCL franchise in Vancouver was sold in August. The Angels had a triple-A franchise in Edmonton from 1983-92.

I am against any trade that will break up the foundation of the existing Anaheim Angel team. Let's not forget how often hangnails, bruises, and strains have kept big Mark McGwire on the bench, or the DL. Great teams are built on strong foundations, and the Angels, more than any other team, should have learned by now that the "quick fix" just doesn't work. Garret Anderson, Jim Edmonds, Tim Salmon, Gary DiSarcina and Darin Erstad are an integral part of any future Angel success. For those who like to play trade and play, we've already done that pretty successfully with Tony Phillips and Dave Hollins.

Legislation that would have outlawed restrictions on the resale of sports and concert tickets was killed by a California Assembly committee Tuesday. The bill, backed by StubHub, would have granted fans ownership of whatever ticket they buy. StubHub and its allies argued that a team was no different than a car dealer - once you buy a commodity, you should be allowed to resell it whenever and however you liked. The Angels aligned with other teams and venues in opposing the bill, arguing that it would help StubHub and other ticket resellers buy blocks of tickets and sell them above face value.