CHICAGO -- During his rise up the corporate ladder, Michael Eisner must have been named executive of the year a time or two. But who would have believed Disney's ultimate grand marshall would merit a mention among major-league executives?

To understand the surprising nature of the Anaheim Angels' emergence as a playoff contender, you can't just go back to April 24, when they began digging themselves out from a 6-14 start. You have to go all the way back to some unconventional deal-making, and deal-breaking, in mid-December.

White Sox general manager Ken Williams and Angels GM Bill Stoneman had agreed to send Darin Erstad to the White Sox for pitcher Jon Garland, center fielder Chris Singleton and two pitching prospects. But the deal required ownership approval from both sides and fell apart when the Anaheim hierarchy balked.

	May Days
	The Angels' offense has picked up steam in May, helping the team to 13-3 record in the month. Here's how the nine regulars have fared in April and May, using OPS (on-base + slugging pct.)
	Player	April	May
	B. Molina	.733	.532
	S. Spiezio	.663	.878
	A. Kennedy	.609	.984
	T. Glaus	.915	.987
	D. Eckstein	.741	.711
	G. Anderson	.867	.655
	D. Erstad	,604	.891
	T. Salmon	.654	1.089
	B. Fullmer	.553	1.282

So when Erstad spent this past weekend at Comiskey Park, he was there with the Angels. His 8-for-15 performance helped Anaheim take two out of three and move four games behind Seattle in the American League West. His .386 batting average in May is among the reasons the Angels have won 18 of their last 21 games.

"It's good to see his swing where it is," manager Mike Scioscia said. "We just need him to play his game, not have a super-human year. He's an incredible keystone to this club." Given both impending free agency and the 97-point drop in his batting average from .355 in 2000 to .258 in 2001, Stoneman and his baseball staff were willing to sacrifice Erstad. The reversal by upper management was never explained, with then-president Tony Tavarez ducking comment. But White Sox staffers, including Williams, were told that the decision went all the way to Eisner's desk.

The most likely scenario is that with the franchise up for sale -- Alabama businessman Donald Watkins is the hot potential buyer at this moment -- Eisner feared attendance would fall if Erstad was traded for unproven quantities. This message was delivered to Stoneman -- albeit later than it should have been -- and he smartly reversed course and secured the pieces to help the Angels compete in baseball's deepest division.

Following management's veto of the Erstad trade, Stoneman traded first baseman Mo Vaughn to the Mets for workhorse Kevin Appier, signed Seattle discard Aaron Sele and added more salary to acquire designated hitter Brad Fullmer from Toronto. These moves were enough to prompt closer Troy Percival, another prospective free agent, to sign a deal that will keep him in Anaheim through 2004.

How much of that would have happened if Eisner had not killed the Erstad trade? Don't ask Scioscia. He's got enough to worry about without trying to understand the corporate manipulations of a media conglomerate.

Anaheim, which hasn't won more than 85 games since 1989, is suddenly on pace to win 95. Given the abundance of established arms -- the Angels were the only team in the majors entering the season with five pitchers who had 30 starts and at least 190 innings last year -- this is not as much of a shock as it would seem to us who wrote off Scioscia's team after the horrible start.

"We think we're playing to our potential," Scioscia said. "We're doing things that we thought we could do all along. The challenge is not to do it for a few weeks but for six months."

You don't need forensic evidence to identify the reason for the turnaround. It's as simple as the sound ringing from the Angels' bats.

In the first 20 games, Anaheim was shut out or limited to one run six times while averaging 3.6 runs per game. In the last 21 games, it has been shut out once, held to one run once and is averaging 7.7 runs. That total is inflated by a 21-2 romp over Cleveland and a 19-0 kicking of the White Sox; the impressive thing is that the Angels have averaged 5.8 even when you throw out those two games.

Tim Salmon, who hit just .227 last season, and Erstad started hitting at the same time.

Salmon may be the most important Angel over the long haul. He's signed through 2005 to a contract that makes him practically immovable. If he's slumping, he's a weight that can drag down both the lineup and the franchise's karma. Thus the rejoicing over his recent performance (.346, 15 RBIs in 52 at-bats in May).

Red flags went up over Salmon's .135 average in the first 15 games but Scioscia kept telling reporters that his strength and bat speed were much improved from a year ago. He moved him around in the lineup but never benched him for more than one game at a time.

"There were times when I was looking at him, thinking why are you playing me?" Salmon said. "But that was me getting down on myself. That's a negative attitude. ... I can appreciate some of the things he does to keep me motivated. When you've got a player you're counting on and he's not producing, I can understand the frustration. From that standpoint I would say he's hung in there with me. There were managers who would have put you in the doghouse."

Shortstop David Eckstein has been more than just a table-setter (three homers, 24 RBIs). Troy Glaus (.290, 40 RBI) and Garret Anderson (.287, 27 RBI) are providing their usual production.

Scioscia has kept his starting rotation in order since Opening Day. Jarrod Washburn, Appier, Sele, Scott Schoeneweis and Ramon Ortiz have worked five-plus innings in 38 of 41 games, including 22 straight.

There were questions about the bullpen behind Percival, but import Dennis Cook and holdovers Al Levine and Lou Pote have pitched. That trio is 1-1 with four saves and a 2.29 ERA over 47 appearances. Including Percival, they've allowed 36 hits in 65 2/3 innings. Impressive.

The calendar says it's still too early to draw conclusions but here's one about the Angels: This Disney-generated storyline doesn't need special effects or computer enhancement. And it can expect a long run at the box office.

Spotlight: Erubiel Durazo, 1B, Diamondbacks
Look out for Arizona. The Diamondbacks have found a reliable bat to put behind Luis Gonzalez, which should have a major impact in their run production.

	Erubiel Durazo First Base Arizona Diamondbacks Profile
	2002 SEASON STATISTICS GM HR RBI R OPS AVG 3 4 11 4 2.434 .545

Erubiel Durazo, who has replaced Mark Grace as Bob Brenly's regular first baseman, racked up 20 total bases in his first three games after coming off the disabled list. That's as many as Grace has in his last 17 games.

Durazo exploded against the Phillies last Friday, pounding out three homers and a double in five at-bats. "He had a good week and a half in one night," Gonzalez said.

If not for injuries that limited him to 67 games in 2000, Durazo would have made his presence felt long ago. Since hitting .329 with a 1.016 OPS as a rookie in '99, he hasn't been a secret. Because of health questions, the Diamondbacks opted to sign Grace before the 2001 season. That move paid off when Grace singled to start the ninth-inning rally against the Yankees in Game 7 of the World Series. But everyone -- Grace included -- knows it is time for the veteran to take a back seat to 28-year-old Durazo.

"When I got my chance, Leon Durham had to step aside," Grace said. "I got my opportunity and I ran with it and played well. That was the beginning of a pretty good career. The time has come where they need to find out about Ruby." Durazo, like Grace a left-handed hitter, was the hottest hitter in Arizona in spring training before breaking a bone in his right wrist on March 20.

"The way Ruby played this spring and the way he played on his rehab, it is very apparent it is his time to show what he can do," Brenly said. "Ruby is a cleanup hitter. That's where he belongs in the lineup. Hopefully that will solidify the batting order a little bit. We've kind of been searching for a cleanup hitter since the season began."

Arizona had tried seven different cleanup hitters, who combined to hit .214 with seven homers and 21 RBIs. With Durazo locked into that spot, it's going to be tougher for teams to work around Gonzalez. The Giants won't have to wait long to feel that impact as the two NL West leaders play six times in the next 10 days.

Team to watch: Texas Rangers
After spending the last 179 games trying to get back to .500 (with the exception of the most recent Opening Day), Texas was poised to reach the break-even mark. But after winning 13 of 18, it dropped two of three in Chicago and was swept in Detroit, falling back to five games below .500.

This doesn't tickle owner Tom Hicks and his $106 million payroll. Hicks lost a report $31 million last season and could lose $40 million or more this season.

No wonder he didn't break a sweat over the players' threatened strike. "We'd lost about the same amount of money we are by playing baseball," Hicks said.

He says he's taking a vow of fiscal responsibility. "I'm not doing it anymore," he said of his reckless approach to spending. "This is my last year of doing it. We're going to play within our means from now on. At least break even. Break even is at least a start, and has got to happen."

This isn't great news for agent Jeff Moorad, who would like to negotiate a contract extension for catcher Pudge Rodriguez. The future Hall of Famer is currently sidelined with a herniated disc in his back. The injury is not responding to treatment, leaving surgery -- perhaps of the season-ending nature -- as an option.

With crowds at The Ballpark in Arlington down 12 percent from the same time last year, it's also possible the Rangers will be major sellers before the trade deadline. Among eight veterans making at least $6 million a year, Kenny Rogers, Carl Everett (club option) and Pudge are the only ones unsigned beyond 2002. Those three are making almost $26 million this year.

New face: Tigers SS Ramon Santiago
Having seen his team allow a majors-worst 30 unearned runs, Detroit GM Dave Dombrowski moved to improve a leaky left side of the infield. He traded for third baseman Chris Truby and promoted 22-year-old shortstop Ramon Santiago from Triple-A Toledo, where he'd been less than two weeks.

"If we don't give him an opportunity, we're never going to know," said manager Luis Pujols, who had seen enough of Shane Halter at short. "The way we're playing, might as well go ahead and see what he's got."

After all, Santiago's no kid anymore. The Tigers had listed him as a 20-year-old before spring training, when his real age was discovered.

Santiago, considered a better fielder than hitter, was ranked behind Omar Infante in the organization's pecking order at shortstop. But an injury to Infante got him promoted from Double-A Erie to Toledo. He made the most of his opportunity, hitting .429 in nine games with the Mud Hens.

He didn't cool off. In the Tigers' weekend sweep of the Rangers, Santiago went 4-for-8 with two doubles, one triple and two RBIs. "I like what I see," said Pujols.

Phil Rogers is the national baseball writer for the Chicago Tribune, which has a web site at www.chicagosports.com.