Fernando Receives the Fans’ Seal of Approval

Let’s not kid ourselves, or Scott Lewis, anymore.

The trial of Fernando Valenzuela may continue--second act tonight in Jackson, Miss.--but you know and I know that the only way Fernando fails to pitch for the Angels now is if:

1) Richard Brown fires Dan O’Brien as general manager and replaces him with Fred Claire.

2) Fernando succumbs to years of political pressure and finally says yes to Mexico’s Draft Fernando presidential movement.

3) Fernando tears both rotator cuffs. Tear just the left and the Angels say, “Yeah, but the other one works just fine.”

By the time the Angels return from their upcoming seven-day trip to Chicago and Toronto, Fernando will be one of them. Pencil in that first Anaheim Stadium start now: June 6 against Boston or June 7 against Detroit. Pitching against the Red Sox would keep Fernando on his current once-every-fifth-day schedule, but pitching against the Tigers’ Fan Club--whiffmeisters Rob Deer, Cecil Fielder, Pete Incaviglia and Mickey Tettleton meet El Screwball--makes better baseball sense.

But baseball sense matters little here. From the instant the ink touched the dotted line, all Fernando needed to do was be better than Scott Lewis, the Angels’ under-seasoned and overmatched rookie starter. At the moment, Lewis sits 1-5 with a 6.75 earned-run average. Talk about simulated competition. Last season, Fernando had the worst ERA of his major league career--4.59--and that’s still two runs better than Lewis’ present predicament. The handwriting is on the wall, with handbills soon to follow. Lewis will miss his next start, which would have been tonight if not for a fortuitously placed off-day in the Angels’ schedule.

His start after that is set, tentatively, for Saturday in Toronto.

His start after that is set, probably, for Edmonton.

So that’s short-term future for Lewis. Canada. ‘Bye.

Fernando won the job with a single statistic last Wednesday night in Palm Springs. 5,188. That was the official attendance figure at overwhelmed Angels Stadium for Fernando’s return to professional activity. A brief chronology of the evening:

5 p.m.--Gates open.

7:05--First pitch.

7:15--Fences scaled by locked-out overflow fans.

7:45--Locked-out overflow fans seated on the outfield warning track.

9:20--Ticket stubs still being counted.

An hour before game time, Tony DeMarco, Fernando’s man of many hats (agent, spokesman, presenter, stage director), stood near the first-base dugout, recounting the great good awaiting the Angels as a reward for signing his client.

“Look,” DeMarco said as he grabbed a reporter’s arm and pointed to the bleachers down the right-field line. “Please notice.”

Every seat was filled.

DeMarco walked in front of the bleachers, dragging the reporter with him.

“Look.”

The Angels looked. They know about the real Freeway Series--the one that’s played from April through October and won at the turnstile. They know that one man can swing the race. They know that now they have him.

Speaking on behalf of the Hispanic community, above and below the border, DeMarco said, “There was a great sadness when the Dodgers released Fernando. There was sadness because Fernando was not going to be in the area, because they were losing him. ‘We are losing Fernando.’

“Now, the Angels have all of the opportunity. They will see how loyal the people are to Fernando. Everyone was elated when Fernando signed. I received congratulations by phone and telegram. Mexico is excited. . . .”

The Angels are poised to tap into a fan base they never imagined to be within their access.

The die-hard Dodger fan. Scorned.

“They say that they’re going to be Angel fans now,” DeMarco said. “They don’t have to stop being Dodger fans or stop going to games. They can come see Fernando pitch while the Dodgers are away.”

If Wednesday was the advance screening, the Angels will have until the first week of June to brace for the wide release. They have not experienced anything the size of Fernandomania. Wally World, the Jim Abbott rookie circus, the Nolan Ryan Rolling Thunder Revue--none of it has prepared them for the crush ahead.

Fernandomania is an angry mob being pacified only when it is seated on the playing field.

Fernandomania is DeMarco in the center of a growing crowd outside the ballpark, signing autographs.

Fernandomania is a post-outing news conference conducted like a Springsteen concert. Big auditorium. Huge crowd. Long delay. Great anticipation. The sound of backstage cameras firing and the ambient buzz: “He’s coming, he’s coming. . . . “

All Fernando needed were a few flicked cigarette lighters and a tight backup band.

Fernando is going to pitch in two more Texas League games--Jackson tonight, Little Rock on Saturday--but he’s going through the motions more than anything. Fernando Across America is merely a contractual obligation now. The roster spot is assured, but a clause is a clause, so Midland fans will get two tastes of Tex-Mex cooking this week.

Mind you, Fernando was far from a sensation on the mound in Round 1. He was sloppy, all over the place, and he labored with men on base all night. On the positive side, the Angels note that his left arm didn’t fall off.

The Angels aren’t asking for much. A few screwballs dancing in the strike zone. Five or six quality innings once a week. A bit of stability from the No. 5 slot in the starting rotation.

If Fernando can provide that, the rest will come.

To the tune of 40,000-plus per start.