SERIES WILL HAVE URGENT FEEL TEAMS SHOULDER BURDEN OF HISTORY AND EXPECTATIONS.

Byline: Gabe Lacques Staff Writer

ANAHEIM - Urgency is supposed to be the domain of the Boston Red Sox. With their Curse of the Bambino and New England's fanatic desire to exorcise those demons, rare is the Sox player who dons the jersey not realizing that stakes are different for the Olde Towne Team.

Here in the land of the beach ball, where a passive fan base became rejuvenated by the Angels' stunning 2002 World Series title, wins and losses aren't supposed to be life and death. But for the Angels, who open their AL Division Series here today against the Sox, the stakes were raised in the offseason.

New owner Arte Moreno scratched out $146 million for roster improvements. A win-or-else edict did not come with those acquisitions, but the message was clear:

Championship expectations are high for the Angels, too, with a franchise apparently committed to being a perennial contender.

The Angels responded. In winning seven of eight games spanning the end of September and early October, they stole the AL West title from Oakland, setting up this series featuring what many believe are the two best teams in the American League.

And they'd like to respond to the challenge Moreno laid out when he added Vladimir Guerrero, Bartolo Colon, Kelvim Escobar and the since-suspended Jose Guillen to the core of champions from '02.

``We felt the urgency to win because of what he did in the offseason for us,'' catcher Bengie Molina said. ``He pumped us up to be in the position we're in. It's a just present for him.''

Moreno was among the soggier Angels employees in the clubhouse champagne shindig Saturday, when the Angels won the West title in Oakland. The outpouring, first baseman Darin Erstad said, was indicative of the players' fondness for their owner and his desire to achieve.

``You know he's in it to win,'' Erstad said. ``You have someone supporting you, you can't help but want to dive through walls for him.''

The Red Sox have a wall to run through themselves. Their sad past turned almost macabre last October, when, five outs from beating the dreaded Yankees in Game 7 of the league championship series, ace Pedro Martinez coughed up a 5-2 lead, and they lost in 11 innings.

So while the Angels were assembling their all-star troupe last winter, Boston general manager Theo Epstein spent Thanksgiving weekend in Arizona, courting starter Curt Schilling, the co-MVP of the 2001 World Series, to join the Red Sox.

Never again, the Sox figured, would they be so reliant on the slender shoulders of Martinez.

``Most teams are dying for a No. 1 starter,'' first-year manager Terry Francona said Monday. ``I think what we did was try to accumulate two of them.''

So Schilling was acquired in a trade, given a two-year contract extension, and won 21 games for Boston this season. He helped pushthem to 98 victories and a wild-card slot.

But the real reason he is here are afternoons like today, with playoff pressure bubbling.

``When this happened last winter, I think the reasons behind it were all for what starts (today),'' Schilling said. ``These guys were in Game 7, five outs away from the World Series last year. Anything short of the World Series will mean that we fell short of where we should go.

``I would love to have the ball in October in Fenway Park and get a feel for that, and that's my goal. But there is a lot of work to be done to get to that point.''

In this best-of-five divisional series, the Angels must contend with Boston's slugging offense, driven by 94-RBI leadoff man Johnny Damon and revolving around Nos. 3-4 hitters Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz. They combined for 84 home runs and 269 RBI as Boston led the AL in runs, slugging and on-base percentage.

The Angels counter with Guerrero, who appears to have won MVP honors behind his .337 average, 39 home runs and 126 RBI, along with a virtuoso final-week performance that saw him hit six homers in six games.

But the series likely will come down to pitching. Schilling has been dominant the second half of the season, but Martinez has lost his last four starts, giving up 21 runs in 23 innings, which could add more pressure to Bronson Arroyo and Tim Wakefield, who will start Games 3 and 4.

The Angels? They won a World Series in '02 with withered Kevin Appier and rookie John Lackey in their playoff rotation. Anything is possible after pulling that off, especially with a more experienced Lackey and Jarrod Washburn (today's starter) joining power arms Colon and Escobar.

``In 2002, we had some well-pitched games, but weren't as consistent as we needed to be,'' Scioscia said. ``Right now, the way guys are throwing the ball, it's definitely a rotation that is championship caliber, and the type of look you need to give a team like Boston.''

With set-up man Scott Williamson ailing and iffy to make the series roster, a bullpen battle probably favors the Angels. But the acquisition of closer Keith Foulke, who can work multiple innings, shores up the Sox's weak spot from 2003.

Although the Sox steamrolled the Angels in a three-game September sweep, they're keenly aware of Guerrero's heroics and their late sprint to the finish.

That all goes out the window this afternoon, when the man Boston had to have climbs the mound and stares down the centerpiece of Moreno's dream.

``We will see,'' Schilling said when asked if he could pitch to Guerrero. ``We will see (today).''

Gabe Lacques, [phone]

gabe.lacques(at)sgvn.com

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Bartolo Colon will be paired against Pedro Martinez in Game 2 on Wednesday.

Ben Margot/Associated Press

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