SOMEONE TO BUILD WITH ERSTAD A SHRINING EXAMPLE.

Byline: KEVIN MODESTI

ANAHEIM - No time should be wasted in putting a statue of Darin Erstad out by the center-field wall here, to serve as inspiration to Angels players for decades after the man himself leaves the building, which could be very soon if the sad speculation is correct.

I know, you've watched Erstad run on that bad right ankle and he practically is a statue.

I'm trying to be serious, and you're making jokes.

The statue should go in the spot at Angel Stadium where the Wile E. Coyote scenery is now. There should be a first-baseman's glove on its right hand, an outfielder's glove tucked under the arm just in case.

There should be a brace on one knee, a brace on one ankle, a determined set to the jaw.

The Los Angeles-of-Anaheim baseball franchise has had better players, but none more inspirational, more grimly determined, more committed to the cause.

The latest evidence for this entirely subjective claim is the fact that since Erstad stepped back on the field after his latest long battle with injury, the Angels began the six-game winning streak that chopped three games off the Oakland Athletics' once-8 1/2-game lead in the division. The streak ended in a 2-1 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday night, as Erstad didn't play.

There's only one person at the park these days who's absolutely certain the timing of Erstad's return to competition a week ago and the win streak are coincidental.

That person is Erstad.

``Well, that's due to some pretty good pitching,'' Erstad said of the streak before Saturday's game. ``These guys have been playing all year, grinding it out, going through the battle. There's no quit in these guys. They're going to keep battling. I'm just trying to help them win.''

Erstad, at 32, has set out to help in a limited role that provides at best a different kind of fulfillment for a player who gave the Angels 10Opening Day starts, won Gold Glove awards at first and in center, and made himself the indispensable piece of the 2002 World Series-winning batting order.

The ankle cost him 102 games this season before he was reactivated Sept. 1. He got back on the field the following night in Detroit, entering the game as Howie Kendrick's defensive replacement at first base in the eighth inning.

In his first plate appearance since June, he came up after Juan Rivera's leadoff single in the 10th and laid down the sacrifice bunt that advanced Rivera, who wound up scoring the tiebreaking run in a 7-2 Angels victory.

Three nights later, a back-and-forth game against Baltimore defied Mike Scioscia's intent to restrict Erstad to defense. Erstad led off the ninth and ripped a line drive to the wall in right-center and made it to second base, teammates jumping off the bench to cheer his broken-gaited dash.

The Angels couldn't get pinch-runner Erick Aybar home in the ninth, but they won the game in the 10th 5-2.

``It's OK. It's all right,'' Erstad said when he was asked if the ankle hurt when he legged out the double.

That's a stoic's way of saying it hurt, but I'm not going to brag about it.

Erstad spoke while going through the multi-stepped process of dressing his right foot. The ankle is already taped, and the tape covered with a red sock. Now he was slipping on the white, hard-plastic brace that is hinged in such a way as to permit front-to-back movement but prevent side-to-side twisting.

Next would come another layer of red sock. Then the shoe that is stretched and tied loosely to make it all fit.

``It's pretty cumbersome,'' Erstad said. ``I've tried so many different things, and nothing seemed to help. It's not very easy to run in, but for just moving around first base it's pretty good.''

The sacrifice bunt and the double have been Erstad's only two times at bat, though he's been in every boxscore (usually Erstad 1B 0000) since he came back.

``(Scioscia) told me that he had a need. I'm trying to help out in that role (late-inning defense),'' Erstad said matter-of-factly.

``If I can do what he asks, I'm going to try to do it. That's all it is. I'm not capable of playing every day, and I'm not sure I could play a whole game. (The ankle) starts to get pretty angry after I've been on it for a while.''

Is there an award for Most Valuable Part-Time-Playing .228 hitter?

When Erstad isn't personifying the spirit of playing hurt -- at a time of year when everybody's playing a little hurt -- he's setting an example in the dugout. You can't lead from the disabled list, but you can lead from the bench.

``He's pacing after the first six innings, wondering when he's going to get in there,'' Scioscia said. ``I can tell you everybody's thrilled to have him back in the game. It's great to have him in the dugout, too, because with his focus he heightens everybody else's focus.''

The betting is against the Angels re-signing a beat-up Erstad. If this is how it ends for him in Anaheim, it's a weirdly fitting way for such a talismanic figure to go out. Doing whatever's asked, even if it hurts, even if it might make him look bad at times, even if the success of the venture is far from guaranteed.

He's something for the other Angels to emulate.

Or are they already doing it?

``You're going pretty deep with this,'' Erstad said of the ``inspiration'' angle.

``I'm just out here trying to help.''

Chisel that last bit on the base of the statue.

heymodesti(AT_SIGN)aol.com

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CAPTION(S):

2 photos, 7 boxes

Photo:

(1) Since Darin Erstad has come off the disabled list, the Angels have cut three games from the Oakland Athletics' American League West lead.

Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images

(2) no caption (Matt Smith)

Box:

(1) THEY SAID IT

(2) WHO'S HOT

(3) WHO'S COLD

(4) ROOKIE WATCH

(5) NOTES

(6) SERIES OF THE WEEK

(7) DAILY NEWS/CBS 2/KCAL 9 SPORTS CENTRAL POWER RANKINGS

- Matt McHale