ANGELS NOTEBOOK: SCHOENEWEIS CONTENT WITH RELIEF ROLE FOR NOW.

Byline: Gabe Laques Staff Writer

TEMPE, Ariz. - Scott Schoeneweis made it clear Saturday that terms like ``brooding Angels relief pitcher'' or ``disgruntled former starting pitcher'' won't apply to him this season, even though his agent, Scott Boras, requested the Angels trade him to a team that would use him as a starter.

When the Angels said no, it meant Schoeneweis again will work out of the bullpen, unless Aaron Sele doesn't recover from shoulder surgery by the start of the season and Schoeneweis is tabbed to fill in.

Schoeneweis has made peace with his role - to a degree, of course.

``We felt that for my career (a trade) would be best for me,'' Schoeneweis said before the Angels pitchers' first workout at Tempe Diablo Stadium. ``But the moral of the story is, I'm not unhappy to be here. That being said, I still see myself as a starter, be it here, in April, in September.''

Schoeneweis again will have to balance his career objectives with the team's goals. It was clear his move to the bullpen last June made the Angels better; rookie replacement John Lackey won nine of his 18 starts and eventually won Game 7 of the World Series, and Schoeneweis flourished in his new role, posting a 1.71 ERA in his last 30 outings. He was 6-6 with a 5.38 ERA as a starter.

``Other than having the professionalism to not be a jerk about it, I saw our team going places,'' said Schoeneweis, who will make $1.425 million plus incentives this season. ``I had a lot invested in this (organization), being here six years. It was weighing the right thing, helping out a winning team, or making waves and forcing them to try to get me out of here.''

When Schoeneweis was starting, he needed a third pitch to go with his sinking fastball and slider. So he tinkered with a changeup. When he moved to the bullpen, he ditched the changeup because he was facing batters only once a game.

``I was getting comfortable with it and now I don't use it,'' he said. ``I'll try to work it in this year. In the bullpen, you do what you have to to get it done. If I have to throw 100 sinkers in a row to get it done, so be it.''

Schoeneweis' fate this spring is controlled by several factors, starting with Sele. If Sele's not ready, the Angels' decision to move Schoeneweis to the rotation might depend on whether they're comfortable using Rich Rodriguez, who turns 40 on March 1, as their only left-hander in the bullpen. Mickey Callaway and Matt Wise are two of the other candidates to fill a starting vacancy.

For now, Schoeneweis won't alter his usual spring routine.

``He'll be stretched out enough to have the ability to start,'' manager Mike Scioscia said. ``If he's throwing five pitches to a lefty, it's hard to get him to stretch out. Down here, we can stretch it out.''

--Sele's road back: The monotony of early spring training settled in Saturday as pitchers got in the first of their fielding drills and sprints. But for Sele, the workout was heaven compared to the drudgery of rehabilitating his shoulder in the offseason.

During the playoffs, Sele underwent shoulder surgery, a process, he said, that ``got a chunk of labrum out of there and cleaned up the (rotator) cuff.'' It was the first surgery of Sele's 10-year career, so he can't yet tell how his shoulder's responding.

``I don't know where I'm supposed to be,'' said Sele, entering the second year of a three-year, $24 million contract.

After giving up 11 earned runs in two late-August starts, a slight tear of his rotator cuff was discovered. If he had the surgery then, Sele probably would be close to 100 percent by now.

``I was pushing it last year, and I had reason to push it - we were going to the playoffs,'' he said. ``It was either rehab and ease back, or have surgery.''

Sele has yet to throw off a mound but said his arm feels better than it has in the past; it's just not strong enough to handle anything more severe than long tossing.

--Also: Relief pitcher Brendan Donnelly did not throw off a mound Saturday because of stiffness in his shoulder that he initially felt in November. Donnelly did not play winter ball this offseason for the first time in several years, so he anticipates it will take longer for him to loosen up this spring. Donnelly called not throwing ``being careful more than anything,'' and Scioscia said there's ``no concern that this will be anything to keep him from performing the way he did last year.''... Reliever Francisco Rodriguez is expected to arrive today from Venezuela, where political unrest has made travel unsafe.