ANGELS NOTEBOOK: GLAUS IS FEELING, FIELDING BETTER.

Byline: Gabe Lacques Staff Writer

SEATTLE - By hitting some 800 feet worth of home runs on Opening Day, Troy Glaus sent a noisy message to the Angels that he's healthy. But booming home runs aren't the only measure of production, and the Angels are expecting far more than power from their third baseman.

They would like to see the return of the player who seemed to be blossoming as an above-average fielder. And they would like to see the sluggish, error-prone defender from last season disappear.

``I think he's capable of being the best third baseman in the game,'' said first-base coach Alfredo Griffin, who works with the infielders. ``I think he had the same energy and enthusiasm as '02. But sometimes, it doesn't go the way you want it to and you need to sit down, get it together and put the bad year behind you.''

From a health and fitness standpoint, it appears Glaus has done that. His partially torn right rotator cuff has healed, and he appeared much firmer physically this spring.

But even before he fell on his shoulder last July 21 and saw his season end, Glaus didn't look right. Offseason foot surgery, he said, took its toll, and the usual ailments of a season piled up until he finally put himself out for the year.

At the time of his injury, Glaus' 16 errors in 91 games led American League third basemen.

``It's not an excuse. It was reality,'' Glaus said of his various ailments hurting his fielding. ``It's what was there. Was I at top, peak performance? No. Could I play? Yes. Now, I feel quick on my feet. My range is good, my hands are good. It's tough to be mobile when your legs hurt, your feet hurt. You just gotta deal with it.''

Entering his last season before free agency, and with no forthcoming contract extension proposal on the table, Glaus appears more focused than ever. He showed up in better shape, and Griffin said his work ethic was strong this spring.

``I don't think you'd say he was definitely out of shape,'' manager Mike Scioscia said, ``but he's tightened up considerably. And he worked incredibly hard with Alfredo Griffin to get over the bad habits that developed last year. He's in great shape.''

--Molina's pain: Catcher Bengie Molina acknowledged Wednesday that his left hamstring strain likely will limit him all season, but only when running the bases. Scioscia said the club doesn't plan on giving Molina extra days off to avoid inflaming the injury.

Molina and Scioscia both expressed confidence their starting catcher will return during the weekend series at Texas, and Molina said he hopes teammates understand his clogging of the basepaths is truly for the good of the team in the long run.

``They've got to be patient with me when I run the bases,'' he said. ``They've been good about it. It's just a little thing that needs to be fixed.''

Molina anticipates it will be fixed without any extra rest. For now, having to watch is punishment enough, so he's tried to remain engaged with teammates during games.

``It's so tough for me not to be in there,'' he said. ``I was just trying to pump everyone up. I wanted them to know I wanted to be out there, too.''

--Ratings surge: According to KCAL Channel 9, the station's 3.0 rating for Tuesday's broadcast of the Angels' 10-5 victory at Seattle was the largest audience for a weekday Angels day game on a Los Angeles station since 1997.

The 3.0 rating is the highest rating for a weekday Angels day game since July 10, 1997, when the club drew a 3.1 rating for a Thursday day game at Oakland.

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- Gabe Lacques