Angels enjoying title perks while focusing on 2003

Tuesday November 26, 2002

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) The offseason is whizzing by for the World Series champion Anaheim Angels, who can't wait to start defending the first title in the franchise's 42-year history.

``The goal is to win it again. That's all we're here to do,'' Series MVP Troy Glaus said at Monday night's premiere screening of the 2002 World Series video. ``People get remembered for championships, and that's what we want to do. We got one, so let's try to get two.''

AL Manager of the Year Mike Scioscia molded the Angels into an unselfish team that put winning ahead of personal achievements. And when the players report to spring training in February, they will have a swagger that wasn't there the year before.

``I've always felt that until you do something, you always have that doubt that you can do it. But now we've done everything you can do, so I think that the confidence level will be much higher next year,'' said second baseman Adam Kennedy, the ALCS MVP. ``But we definitely won't be comfortable. Last year was great, but we want to do it again.''

General manager Bill Stoneman has decisions to make about his bullpen.

Left-hander Scott Schoeneweis is adamant about starting again, and lefty Al Levine was left off the postseason roster in favor of rookie Francisco Rodriguez whose first four big league victories came in October.

``I'm sure it'll be tough to knock Frankie off the 25-man roster,'' Stoneman said. ``He's got a leg up on a lot of people as a result of what he showed us at the end of the season and in the postseason. But we go to spring training to sort those things out. There is never a promise that a job is permanent.''

Stoneman has no plans to trade Schoeneweis.

``Performance-wise, he did much better out of the bullpen than he did as a starter and fit into the team well. So I don't anticipate moving him,'' Stoneman said. ``Hey, if Schoney will be as unhappy in '03 as he was for the second half of '02, I'll take it.''

The World Series video, which went on sale Tuesday in VHS and DVD, is 1 hour and 39 minutes long. But the time flew by for Glaus, Kennedy, reliever Brendan Donnelly and closer Troy Percival, who viewed it for the first time Monday night at the Downtown Disney complex.

``You get so caught up in staying focused during the World Series and not getting too excited. So you need to watch it on video to appreciate what you've really done. It's pretty special,'' said Kennedy, who put the Angels into the Series with three home runs in the ALCS clincher.

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)