AN ALL-STAR IS BORN FOR ANDERSON, CONSISTENCY COUNTS MOST.Byline: Heather Gripp Staff Writer ANAHEIM - As teammates field questions from the media, the player who leads the team in home runs and RBI RBI abbr. Baseball runs batted in Noun 1. rbi - a run that is the result of the batter's performance; "he had more than 100 rbi last season" run batted in , is on pace for the team record for doubles in a season and has made only two errors in the past 229 games goes virtually unnoticed. Venture over to the quiet corner where Garret Anderson Garret Joseph Anderson (born June 30, 1972 in Los Angeles, California) is a Major League Baseball left fielder who has played his entire career for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. sits and the Angels veteran outfielder is quick to offer an explanation for the isolation. ``I'm boring,'' he said. ``I'm really boring.'' Anderson won't be found trash talking or at the center of controversy. In fact, he's so polite he apologizes for being boring. He doesn't have big endorsement deals. He's not about to challenge home run records or show any sign of enthusiasm when he does homer. All Anderson does is play consistently from the start of the season to the end, steadily accumulating numbers that leave him near the top of the American League American League (AL) One of the two associations of professional baseball teams in the U.S. and Canada designated as major leagues; the other is the National League (NL). in several offensive categories. And he does it year after year. He's a career .298 hitter and has posted back-to-back 100-RBI seasons. So far, stardom has escaped the Kennedy High of Granada Hills graduate. However, the season Anderson and the Angels are having could be what it takes for fans beyond Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, to appreciate him, even if his personality is as consistently dull as his play is efficient. His invitation as a reserve to next week's All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game played by the best players in their sports league. The players are often chosen by a popular vote of fans of the sport and the game often occurs at the halfway point of the regular season, although this is not the case for some all-star games - Anderson's first - is an indication others are taking notice. ``I don't think there's any argument about it,'' Angels manager Mike Scioscia Anderson entered the week ranked fourth in RBI (60), seventh in hits (97), second in doubles (28), second in extra-base hits (45), sixth in total bases (174) and sixth in multihit games (30). He also has 15 home runs and a .298 batting average batting average n. Baseball A measure of a batter's performance obtained by dividing the total of base hits by the number of times at bat, not including walks. Noun 1. for a team that closed within 3 1/2 games of AL West-leading Seattle by taking two of three games against the Dodgers over the weekend. ``He's just blessed with the gift of being able to hit and he's worked hard at it,'' teammate Darin Erstad Darin Charles Erstad (born June 4, 1974 in Jamestown, North Dakota) is a first baseman/center fielder in Major League Baseball currently with the Chicago White Sox. Prior to 2007, he had played his entire career with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim franchise (1996-2006). said. ``He knows about hitting in big situations and he keeps calm and never tries to do too much. He's the guy I want at the plate in a tough situation more than anybody. ``He never gets real high or real low. He's the most steady person in the lineup. He's been like that ever since I've been here.'' Anderson, who turned 30 on Sunday, was like that long before he got to Anaheim. Kennedy High coach Manny Manny may refer to: In nobility:
``He was consistent,'' Alvarado said. ``He had a real pretty swing. We tried not to mess it up too much. I've heard (former Angels hitting coach) Rod Carew He was born to a Panamanian mother on a train in the town of Gatun, which at that time was in the Panama Canal said the same thing - he tried not to mess it up too much. He's always had that pretty swing.'' Anderson was a fourth-round draft pick by the Angels out of high school. ``You could tell he had the talent,'' high school teammate Denny Sharp said. ``But he was underrated even in our area back then because of the style of play he had. He didn't hit a lot of home runs or do anything flashy, he just got a lot of hits and was a very quiet and consistent player. We knew how good he was because we saw him everyday, but I don't think a lot of other people knew. Now it's almost the same thing.'' Anderson ranks second behind Hall of Famer Carew in Angels career batting average. In his eighth year in the majors, he is near the top in several other career categories. Anderson's 28 doubles in the first half put him on pace to shatter the team season record of 42 in a season. He has hit at least 20 home runs each of the past three seasons, including a career-high 35 in 2000 when he teamed with Troy Glaus Troy Edward Glaus (born August 3, 1976 in Tarzana, California) is a Major League Baseball player who plays third base for the Toronto Blue Jays. Previously, Glaus played with the Anaheim Angels (1998-2004) and the Arizona Diamondbacks (2005). , Tim Salmon
 Editing of this page by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled until (UTC) due to vandalism. is the only player in the majors with more hits than Anderson during the past five years. ``The last few years I've put up the numbers and I think that's all you can do,'' Anderson said. ``I don't thirst for the attention. My drive is just putting up the best numbers I can and winning.'' His consistency impresses fellow players the most. ``He rarely falls into prolonged tough times and in a game when you need him, he's there,'' Erstad said. ``He's out there every day. That's big.'' Despite the accomplishments, Anderson finished a distant 25th among outfielders in this year's All-Star voting by fans. The leading vote-getter received almost 10 times as many votes. Anderson couldn't even be certain his parents or his wife would want to see him play in the All-Star Game. ``Hopefully they'll want to come,'' he said. ``But I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. . It's been eight years, so I don't think they planned on going.'' Anderson admits the All-Star Game is something of which he always has wanted to be a part, but he doesn't consider it the best way to judge his ability as a player. A truer indication of his status, he says, is how young players seek him out to introduce themselves to him. It's something Anderson used to do to, and something he now considers an honor and sign of respect. ``The players, those are the toughest critics,'' Anderson said. ``Those are the ones whose opinion I value most. Yeah, it's nice to have the fans like you, but it's not a big deal if I don't get the attention. The media doesn't focus on me much either. That's OK, I don't mean that to be disrespectful dis·re·spect·ful adj. Having or exhibiting a lack of respect; rude and discourteous. dis  re·spect or in a bad way, I understand. I'm boring. I'm not the type of player that gets on a real hot streak or does anything exciting to write about. For me, it's nice, I can go about my job and don't have to explain myself everyday. ... ``I care more about what the guys in this clubhouse think of me. I know I'm appreciated around here.'' Opponents respect him, too. ``He's a great player,'' Dodgers outfielder Shawn Green Shawn David Green (born November 10, 1972, in Des Plaines, Illinois) is a 6' 4" left-handed Major League Baseball player. Green is the starting right fielder for the New York Mets.[1] Green was a 1st round draft pick, and has been a two-time major league All-Star. said. ``He's a very underrated guy. He's a great hitter. ``Guys that play him know what type of player he is. Teams that haven't played against him would be surprised at how good he is. You don't really hear him mentioned in a lot of circles, but he should be. He's so consistent. He's very underrated. He doesn't get a lot of recognition, but he probably deserves it more than some of the guys who do get it. There's just some guys that fall in under the radar This article is about the magazine. For other uses, see Under the Radar (disambiguation). Under the Radar is an American magazine that bills itself as "The solution to music pollution." It features interviews with accompanying photo-shoots. .'' MR. CONSISTENCY Angels outfielder Garret Anderson, a member of the American League All-Star team, has evolved into one of baseball's most productive hitters. He had a breakthrough season in 2000, put up comparable numbers last season and is on a similar pace this year. In 80 games, he has 15 homers and 60 RBI and is batting .298. A look: Year R 2B HR RBI Avg. 2000 92 40 35 117 .286 2001 83 39 28 123 .289 *-2002 109 58 30 122 .298 *-projected CAPTION(S): 2 photos, box Photo: (1 -- color) Angels outfielder Garret Anderson has emerged as one of the most consistent hitters in baseball, and he was named to his first All-Star team. (2) Garret Anderson, one of the most underrated players in the game, is on pace for 30 home runs and 122 RBI this season. These numbers do not seem to matter much to him, though. ``U dib;t thirst for the attention,'' he said. ``My drive is just putting up the best numbers I can and winning.'' Tina Burch/Staff Photographer Box: MR. CONSISTENCY (see text) |
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