Aiming For A Comeback Angels Pitcher Jim Abbott Hopes To Recapture His Big-League Form

Things were simpler in 1989, the spring Jim Abbott came to the Angels and professional baseball.

Abbott, a Flint, Mich., native and former Michigan standout who was born without a right hand, arrived at his first spring training as a wide-eyed youngster with no timetable for making the major leagues.

Despite being an Olympic hero and a first-round draft choice, Abbott had no idea whether he would ever take the mound in a major-league game.

“I didn’t know anything about goals back then,” he said. “I came here that first year and didn’t know anything. I was kind of in awe of everything.”

So let’s pretend for a moment that in 1989 someone could have guaranteed Abbott an eight-year career and that virtually every minute of it would be spent in the major leagues. Included in those eight years would be a multi-million dollar salary that would make him financially stable for the rest of his life and a season in which he would finish third in the Cy Young Award balloting. And, just for fun, we would throw in a no-hitter in Yankee Stadium.

“I’d have been pretty happy with that,” Abbott said, a grin sliding across his face. “That’s not too bad a run.

“I would have been happy with three years. Even one year would have sounded good back then.”

Well, it has been eight years since Abbott was the new kid on the block, and all of the above has come true. In his eight seasons, 234 of his 238 games have come in a major-league uniform.

He has pitched twice for California (now Anaheim), once each for the New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox. In 1991, the year he finished third in Cy Young voting, Abbott was 18-11. Two seasons later he pitched a no-hitter for the Yankees, and now he is a wealthy 29-yearold.

But that is the rub. Abbott is only 29. He wants more. Not more money, just more time - in a major-league uniform.

For the first time since he came to Tempe for his initial spring training, nothing is guaranteed for Abbott. No spot in the starting rotation. No spot on a major-league roster.

Last season was the worst of Abbott’s career. A nightmare. He was 2-18 with a 7.48 ERA. He yielded 171 hits and 118 earned runs in 142 innings while striking out only 58 and walking 78. His fastball lost almost 10 miles an hour, dropping to 81.

It was the kind of season that can ruin a player’s psyche and end a career.

Although there were times last season that he thought it might be better for all concerned if he walked away from the game, Abbott chose to stay and fight.

He spent the winter working out with weights and throwing for pitching coach and former manager Marcel Lachemann.

“I’m using more of a power position, staying back on the rubber more,” Abbott said. “We worked on the grip some. And I tried to work on my flexibility, too.”

Today he is the man under the microscope as first-year manager Terry Collins must decide whether Abbott fits into his plans. Abbott has two years left on a three-year, $7.8 million contract. That money is guaranteed; his career is not.

The first day pitchers and catchers reported to camp, 72 Japanese media members were here to document every move of Shigetoshi Hasegawa, the latest Japanese sensation. But when pitchers went to the bullpen to throw for the first time, Collins and Lachemann were at Abbott’s side.

“He threw well today,” said catcher Jorge Fabregas. “He had good zip on the ball. He threw harder today than he did at the end of last season, or just about any time last season.”

Abbott did not throw hard last season; what happened to his velocity is one of that year’s great mysteries. Abbott cannot explain where his fastball went - and neither can Lachemann.

“It was very difficult for all of us,” Lachemann said. “It’s always difficult when someone like Jimmy struggles. I don’t know if it was a matter of him wanting it so bad. We wanted it so bad.”

Of course, it was only the first workout, but Fabregas was pleased with how Abbott’s pitches moved.

“He hit the outside corner today,” he said. “He has to do that because his ball cuts in so much. Last year was a tough year because he lost his velocity and his mechanics were all off. It was as if he had to fight against himself.”

If it wasn’t his velocity that was off, it was his control. He could no longer spot pitches - and batters knew it.

“When my mechanics aren’t sharp, it’s hard to throw inside to left-handers,” Abbott said.

And so game after game, he got rocked. And with each loss, his confidence diminished until it disappeared.

But through it all, Abbott never changed. No matter how early he was removed from a game, there he was at game’s end, sitting at his locker waiting for reporters and their questions. He never left the park early.

“I wanted to leave early,” he said. “I knew staying was the right thing to do, but it wasn’t the easiest thing to do. I know those guys have their job, too.”

If there was a silver lining to last season it was how Abbott was treated by the fans. After a particularly rough outing against Baltimore, Abbott received a standing ovation from the California fans when he was removed.

“The fans have treated me well,” he said. “They’ve been tremendously supportive. I don’t know why they gave me that ovation. You’d have to ask them.”

Here’s why. Abbott is the kind of guy who has embraced his lot in life as a genuine role model. Although he believes having only one hand has been overblown, he has been an icon for children with disabilities, and he accepts it graciously.

That made struggling last year even harder. It wasn’t in Abbott’s nature to stop talking to the press or stop signing autographs.

“It was not an easy year being a parent,” said Kathy Abbott, his mother. “I’ve never been very good at this. I’m nervous about everything. I thought it would get better, but it hasn’t. I thought football was pretty awful, but baseball is bad, too.

“Jim didn’t feel he was at the point that he couldn’t do it any more. He felt good about what he was doing.”

His mother has not been surprised that the fans who can be so brutal to some athletes have found it impossible to turn on her son.

“I think Jim has certainly, because of his special situation, kind of connected with the people,” she said. “He’s a good guy, and you hope somebody who is a good guy has success.”

The phone calls to Flushing, where his parents now reside, were a little more frequent last season. Mike Abbott, the father, served as a sounding board for his son.

“The thing that Jim’s always said is, the bitterness of defeat is always greater than the joy of winning,” Mike said. “The lows are really low. The secret with those guys is to keep it in the middle.”

Abbott would have been overjoyed for some middle ground last season.

“The money really doesn’t matter,” he said. “Last season was a very miserable feeling. Whether you’re making $100 million a year or $20,000 a year, the feeling is the same. People might not believe that, but it’s the truth. I wouldn’t want anyone to go through what I went through. You’re letting people down.”

Letting people down was probably the toughest part of last season for Abbott. He let down his manager, Lachemann, who was eventually fired, and he let down his teammates, who were not contenders in the American League West.

Part of the reason Abbott was able to survive last season was his relationship with his father. It is not a relationship with baseball as the foundation. In fact, it took a call from former Flint Journal reporter Chuck Johnson before the Abbotts realized their 13-year-old son was something of a phenom.

“My dad’s been a rock for me,” Abbott said. “When things aren’t going well, we talk less about baseball. More than anyone else, I can count on him when the chips are down. He’s a great person. He makes you feel special.”

Last December, Abbott’s wife, Dana, gave birth to their first child, Madeleine, and Abbott beams when he talks of her.

Abbott said a series of complex prenatal ultrasound tests assured them the baby would have no physical problems, but there were some tense moments before Madeleine was born.

“Like all parents, I wanted the baby to be perfect,” he said. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t counting hands, fingers and toes when she came out. When that last foot came out, there was no better feeling in the world.”

It was even better than: being the first United States pitcher to beat Cuba in Cuba in 25 years … being 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in the Pan American Games … carrying the American flag to open the Pan-Am Games … winning the Sullivan Award as the nation’s top amateur athlete … pitching all nine innings of the gold-medal game of the 1988 Olympics.

“As far as baseball memories, the Olympics is at the top,” he said. “The joy and elation of winning that game was the best. Back then, we were so pure. Nobody was playing for anything but to win that game. For two years we worked to win that game.

“It was a real culmination. I don’t know if I’ve ever felt as peaceful as I did on the plane ride home from Korea.”

But it still doesn’t compare to being Madeleine’s father.

“What can I say? She’s the light of my life,” he said. “She’s two months old, and she’s an angel.”

In two months, Abbott hopes he’s still an Angel.

Unlike Abbott’s previous spring training camps, this one seems to have a sense of urgency. He must be able to prove he can pitch and retire major-league hitters.

“This isn’t a spring training Jim can work on developing a pitch,” his father said. “This is ‘make it or break it.’ “