ANAHEIM -- While some players' thoughts are lingering toward retirement or where they might sign a free agent contract, Darin Erstad will have none of it.
As long as the Angels remain in the race and there are games to play in the 2006 season, Erstad remains firmly rooted in the present.
"I'm not even thinking about that," Erstad said. "There is a time and place for that. We're not mathematically eliminated so I'm not thinking about [the future]."
Erstad is currently a late-inning defensive replacement at first base and a sore right ankle prevents more significant contributions. Two different bone spurs have plagued Erstad since Spring Training and sent him twice to the disabled list to miss a total of 102 games while doctors tried to locate the cause of the pain.
A repeat MRI this summer revealed the second bone spur, which resigned Erstad to the fact he'll need surgery in the offseason to continue his playing career. No date has been set for the procedure.
Where he plays also remains uncertain. If he doesn't land a free agent deal elsewhere, it is likely the Angels will sign Erstad to a Minor League contract, with an invitation to Spring Training that will include guaranteed Major League dollars if he makes the team, much as they did with Tim Salmon last December. Erstad is in the final season of a four-year, $32 million deal.
But Erstad chooses not to be bothered by the vagaries of the future when the details of the present are so clear. The Angels are getting closer to controlling their own destiny but they still need some help as they face an elimination number of two.
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Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim : News : Los Angeles Angels News
Notes: Erstad focused on present
Notes: Erstad focused on present
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