Tuesday, July 1, 2003 | 9:29 a.m.
MLB snapshot
line By Rob Miech
An early-season fill-in for injured Jermaine Dye, Byrnes became the 16th Oakland player to hit for the cycle Sunday, in a 5-for-5 effort that boosted his batting average to .336.
Byrnes, 27, has emerged as Dye, a Gold Glover three years ago, has submerged. Last Monday, he went 0-for-5 and left 11 runners on base. He has hit only .118 since returning from the DL, and a sore knee shelved him again over the weekend.
Yeah, the closer role in Texas will be open if the Rangers deal Ugueth Urbina, as expected. But Cordero's the team's dream stopper? Then again, as if it matters, since Texas is -- again -- so far out of contention.
Marte is usually nasty against fellow lefties and sets up Billy Koch. If the middle-of-the-road Sox make a deal and are down a starter, look for Marte to be tested in that capacity.
The more attention given to the Phillies, the more cameras focus on the dramatic antics of manager Larry Bowa. His emotions swing upon each pitch, and reliever Jose Mesa made Bowa sweat Monday.
Hopefully, a doctor is always nearby.
If Los Angeles can't muster enough offense to win a series against San Diego that begins tonight at home, it will be in trouble this weekend when the Diamondbacks visit Dodger Stadium.
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- It was as subtle as Joe DiMaggio's famous kick at the dirt after being robbed of a home run by Brooklyn outfielder Al Gionfriddo in the 1947 World Series.
A television audience of 3 million, the first to watch a World Series on those little black-and-white boxes, and a crowd of 70,000 at Yankee Stadium witnessed a rare moment of emotion from Joltin' Joe.
Garret Anderson, as classy, quiet and steady as DiMaggio, mimicked the legendary outfielder Sunday afternoon at Edison Field.
Anderson had runners on first and second with no outs in the fifth inning when he bounced into a fielder's choice at second off Dodgers pitcher Odalis Perez.
Three or four strides after stomping on first, having beaten a double-play throw from second, Anderson ever-so-smoothly gave a slow swipe at the dirt along the right-field foul line.
In Anderson's never-too-high, never-too-low world, like the late DiMaggio's, that qualified as a tirade over not being able to do more damage at the plate.
"He's the same guy, every day, and that works for him," said Angels closer Troy Percival. "He doesn't ride a roller-coaster. And when he smiles on the field, you know he's pretty happy."
Inquiring about his availability for an interview often runs the risk of a stoned-face, incredulous response to his privacy being invaded.
"It's just my demeanor," Anderson said. "I don't get too excited, or too upset, about anything. My emotions just don't get the best of me. I don't work that way. It helps me stay relaxed. I just roll with the punches."
When he hit .448 during the first full week of June, belting six home runs and driving in 15 runs to claim American League player of the week honors, he simply said "check the stats" when asked about his hot stretch.
A good week? "He's having a pretty good career," said Anaheim manager Mike Scioscia.
Among two dozen AL top-10 hitting categories, Anderson appears in nine. Only one other Angel (Troy Glaus, in day batting average) shows up in those statistics.
Anderson, hitting .316, slipped out of the top 10 in batting average during an uneventful weekend (for him) against the Dodgers, whom the Angels swept.
He has 428 RBIs since 2000, and Texas' Alex Rodriguez (455), the Yankees' Jason Giambi (436) and Toronto's Carlos Delgado (431) are the only American Leaguers who have driven in more runs over that span.
Anderson is the only Angel who has played in all 80 games this season. That's nothing new, since he has missed only 38 games since becoming an everyday player in 1996. He has never been on the disabled list.
In Puerto Rico, against the Expos on June 4, he collected the 1,500th hit of his career. He has averaged 189 over his past six seasons. With health and consistency, Anderson will collect No. 3,000 in early May 2010.
That should give the 6-foot-3, 225-pound lefty the credentials, later that decade, to become the first player elected to the Hall of Fame wearing an Angels cap.
Anderson, who turned 31 Monday, wants to spend his entire career in Anaheim. He makes $5.4 million this year on a contract that expires after next season.
"He's a great player, very underrated," said Dodgers outfielder Shawn Green, cut out of the same quiet-confident, DiMaggio-Anderson mold.
"With a lot of ups and downs in a season, it's important to stay on an even keel. No one really knows much about him, but he puts up great numbers every year."
During a career in baseball that has lasted more than 25 years, Angels hitting coach Mickey Hatcher said Anderson is the steadiest player he has been around.
"There are guys who let a lot of things get to them and bother them," Hatcher said. "He's very low-key, very focused. He thinks about adjustments, rather than breaking things, throwing things or mentally getting out of control."
Anderson had his most shining moment, so far, when he cleared the loaded bases with a double in the third inning of Game 7 in the World Series last fall, which was all the Angels needed in their 4-1 victory against San Francisco.
Hatcher noticed a bounce in Anderson's step after that hit.
"You could see, when he took off running to first base," Hatcher said, "the little bit of hair that he had on his head was sticking up."
While his teammates piled onto each other at the pitcher's mound and goofed around like Little Leaguers, Anderson zipped to his family, stood to the side and held one of his three children.
Even though there was no next game, he received treatment in the clubhouse while the rest of the Angels kept celebrating.
"I was excited," Anderson said, "but I wasn't the typical guy, squirting champagne on everyone and all that."
He hit .306, collected a club-record 56 doubles and slugged a career-best .539 a year ago, when he led his team to its first championship. Most anyone else would be a household name, with oodles of endorsement offers and interview requests.
Not Anderson, who said his celebrity status has not increased one iota.
"Not at all, it hasn't changed a bit," he said. "I'm fine with that. I'm not reluctant. It's just, it is what it is. I don't write the articles or put the stuff on TV. I just go out and do my job."
Everything else is secondary to his family and his work.
"He likes the quiet life, and he just wants to be a 'guy,' " Hatcher said. "He doesn't care about the hype or the publicity. He knows, when he walks away from the game, that he will have the numbers.
"And those numbers are going to be good."
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