MINOR-LEAGUE BASEBALL: IT'S ALL IN THE GAME : FORMER PARACLETE, AVC PITCHER O'GARA ENJOYING LIFE IN CAPE COD LEAGUE.

Byline: Gerry Gittelson Staff Writer

The prestigious Cape Cod League in Massachusetts is supposed to be a training ground for Major League Baseball, the ultimate arena for amateurs closing in on the glory of the big leagues.

But Dan O'Gara doesn't see it that way.

The former Paraclete High/Antelope Valley pitcher is constantly reminded that one of eight Cape Cod players eventually makes the majors, including Mo Vaughn, Frank Thomas, Albert Belle and more than 100 others on 1999 major-league rosters. In fact, the last four No. 1 draft choices in Major League Baseball played in the Cape Cod League.

O'Gara, a 21-year-old senior-to-be at Tulane, is good enough to make the starting rotation for the Brewster Whitecaps. However, the Lancaster-bred right-hander merely wants to enjoy a summer away from home before finishing college and entering law school.

``I'm not here so much to get ahead. I just want to have some fun and play baseball,'' O'Gara said by telephone on Tuesday. ``I'm 5-foot-11, and there aren't many 5-foot-11 pitchers in the major leagues. I know that.''

O'Gara, Paraclete's all-time career leader in wins (19) and strikeouts (222), is 2-1 with a 4.15 earned run average in three starts for the Whitecaps. He was 8-2 for Tulane last season, a big step up from his 1997 season at AVC, where he was 2-5 with a 7.16 ERA in 11 starts.

Cape Cod teams play a 44-game schedule, and there are no aluminum bats, a privilege for college pitchers accustomed to ducking line drives. Players in the Cape Cod League - which has been existence for 114 years - participate on an invitation-only basis. O'Gara's teammates include players from UCLA, Stanford, St. John's and Notre Dame.

``My coach at Tulane set me up here, and it's been real nice,'' O'Gara said. ``The weather is cool, and the parks are beautiful. It's just a nice place, not at all a bad way to spend the summer.''

O'Gara, 21, lives with a host family and pays $50 per week for lodging. He works mornings cutting fish at the local supermarket - ``I don't eat fish, but I hear it's pretty good out here,'' he said - then heads to the ballpark after lunch. Most games begin at 5 p.m. at one of 10 stadiums within a 60-mile radius.

The average attendance is 300, making for an interesting combination of intimacy and on-field talent.

A finesse pitcher who relies on ground-ball outs, O'Gara said the strategy is slightly different against hitters with wood bats; he's learning to use the inside corner. Even though O'Gara is almost sure this is the last summer he'll be playing baseball, he's bent on improvement. He wants to get better, and facing better competition than he did at Tulane is a good way to do so.

Brewster manager Bill Mosielo has seen many Cap Cod alums advance to the big leagues during his five-year tenure. Mosielo, downplaying O'Gara's lack of height, thinks O'Gara has good enough stuff to make the majors.

``Dan is doing a very solid job,'' Mosielo said. ``If you're in this league, it means you're one of the best college pitchers in the country. It's a great opportunity, and Dan is talented enough. We're (working) with special players here, and Dan is real good. He's very bright and a hard worker.''