ANAHEIM, Calif. - Tim Salmon wondered for years if he'd ever get to the playoffs, much less the World Series, and that almost made him change teams a few years back. Now that he's arrived after a decade with the Anaheim Angels, Salmon can't wipe the grin off his face.

        “I can't put into words what it means. It's something you dream about as a kid and as an adult,” the 34-year-old outfielder said Wednesday.

        “Even now, it's dreamlike. We're riding with it. After 10 years of not happening, it's like it still hasn't sunk in. Sunday night, I could hardly even eat, my jaws were so sore from smiling.”

        Salmon was in a state of euphoria as he ran around Edison Field holding the AL championship trophy over his head after the Angels beat Minnesota 13-5 to win the league championship series four games to one.

        “I was watching some video of him with the trophy, you can see the happiness on his face,” Angels reliever Ben Weber said. “It brought to a tear to my eye, watching that. That was one of the best moments in baseball for me.”

        Anaheim's Adam Kennedy, who hit three homers in the final game against the Twins, said long after the game was over, Salmon was still looking for someone to talk to and celebrate with.

        “He's not letting this get by without preparation or enjoyment,” Kennedy said. “I'll tell you what, the fact that I was able to have a big day on our big day for some of the veterans, I take a lot of pride in that.”

        Salmon joined the Angels in 1992, and was the AL Rookie of the Year the following season, hitting .283 with 31 homers and 95 RBI.

        He's the Angels' all-time leader in home runs (269), RBIs (894), extra-base hits (576) and total bases (2,558).

        Salmon entered the playoffs with the most games played (1,388) and at-bats (5,009) of any big-leaguer without postseason experience.

        “There's no guarantee in life,” he said. “After 10 years, I can testify to that. You've got the Derek Jeters and Chipper Joneses who are there every year. You do start wondering, maybe it's not to be.

        “We have had good clubs every year in spring training. That has given me hope.”

        Salmon hit .286 with 22 homers and 88 RBI this season - not nearly as good as some of the years he's had, but far better than the 2001 campaign, when he hit .227 with 17 homers and 49 RBI.

        And he signed a four-year, $40 million contract extension shortly before the season began.

        “It was sad to see him go through that, he turned the page,” hitting coach Mickey Hatcher said. “It was tough for him. It gets to be a mental thing when you miss pitches you know you can hit.”

        Salmon underwent surgery on his left shoulder after the 2000 season, and it affected his bat-speed.

        “He was just a tiny bit late, wasn't able to get out there on the fastball,” Hatcher said.

        But it was back to normal this year.

        Center fielder Darin Erstad also had a miserable year in 2001 and has bounced back.

        “I remember last year, we were kind of bosom buddies saying, "Let's just make it through the year,”' Salmon recalled. “He made it a point to come to me the other day and say, "Fish, we really did it.'

        “Here he and I both are. We can both appreciate it.”

        Salmon has acknowledged he thought about going elsewhere before signing his contract extension because of a concern that there wasn't enough emphasis on winning.

        But he stayed upon being convinced otherwise.

        Angels bench coach Joe Maddon, who scouted Salmon and was involved in signing the third-round draft pick in 1989, said he enjoyed watching him celebrate the win more than anyone else.

        “My impression was how absolutely sincere that celebration was, it was a bloodletting of emotion, from his heart, his mind, his body,” Maddon said.

        Maddon said he knew Salmon would excel in the big leagues the first time he saw at Grand Canyon College in Arizona.

        “He was a big guy who could run, throw, hit, hit with power and play defense,” Maddon said. “It was love at first sight, basically.”

Reds' Pena tears hamstring Angels' Salmon perseveres, soaks up experience How Giants, Angels match up

County studies suing hapless Bengals
Simmons hopes week off gets team on track
Owens won't be disciplined for autograph
Bettis finally healthy, productive
Brown having quiet season for Browns
Jags deny dumping Boselli on Texans
NFL Injury Report
Guidugli likely to start for UC
Former Purcell star to visit UC
C-USA zeroes in on commissioner
Clarett may challenge NFL to enter draft
Buckeyes seething over Wisconsin slight
ND's Earl majors in big plays
College Basketball Notebook: Maryland, Williams work on extension
NKU women picked to win conference
High school football chat today
Groeschen & Popovich on Football
Volleyball polls: St. Ursula, Bacon finish No. 1
Soccer polls: Lakota West boys, girls sweep No. 1
Cross country polls: Turpin girls repeat
Girls tennis poll: Sycamore finishes No. 1
Soccer tournament highlights
Volleyball tournament highlights
Boys soccer results
Girls soccer results
Volleyball results
Cross country results
Field hockey results
Today's high school schedules

• Return to Reds front page...