BASEBALL DAILY REPORT

Angel reliever Lee Smith has been to enough of these All-Star games--this is his fifth consecutive and seventh overall--that you’d think he’d have the routine down.

But the 37-year-old right-hander made a rookie mistake. He forgot to pack his uniform pants.

Smith borrowed a pair from teammate Chuck Finley, who’s a little taller--and slimmer.

“These are a little snug,” Smith said. “Heck, they might make me look quicker.”

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Angel center fielder Jim Edmonds, an All-Star selection in only his second season, seemed awed by the surroundings and harried by a whirlwind day.

The Angel contingent--Edmonds, Smith, Finley and shortstop Gary DiSarcina--flew to Dallas from Orange County Monday morning and didn’t arrive at the park until minutes before batting practice.

“I was worried the whole time until we got here,” Edmonds said. “I don’t even know where I’m supposed to be right now, but I’m going to get a drink of water. It’s nasty [hot] out there.”

Edmonds sought input from Finley and teammates Chili Davis and Mark Langston before heading to Arlington, and all offered the same advice: Have fun.

“I don’t know what to expect, but I’m just going to try to enjoy myself,” Edmonds said, as he took his video camera to the dugout to film the home-run derby.

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Dodger outfielder Raul Mondesi, who predicted recently that he would win the home run derby, wasn’t even close Monday. He hit only two in the contest, which was won by Frank Thomas of the Chicago White Sox before an announced workout-day crowd of 47,697.

Thomas hit seven of the eight longest homers, including a 470-foot blast that was 10 feet shy of Jose Canseco’s record for the longest homer in the Rangers’ new park. Thomas beat Cleveland’s Albert Belle in the final round, three homers to two.

Mondesi was eliminated in the first round, but at least he didn’t pull a Mike Piazza. The Dodger catcher had no homers in 20 swings during the 1993 and ’94 home-run derbies.

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Minnesota outfielder Kirby Puckett did not hide his anger over his team’s decision last week to trade starting pitcher Scott Erickson to the Baltimore Orioles and closer Rick Aguilera to the Boston Red Sox.

“I don’t see how a team can win without its best players,” Puckett said. “How can you get better if you trade your best players?”

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It was almost a spring-training joke. Wherever Cleveland special assignment scout Ted Simmons went, he was looking for a closer, considered the Indians’ only weakness.

Finally, the Indians found one in a most surprising place, their own clubhouse.

Jose Mesa, who moved to the bullpen before the 1994 season but had only two saves last year, now has a major league-leading 21 saves and was selected to the AL team.

“I don’t think they’ll be looking for a closer now,” Mesa said.