The uniforms aren't all that's new in Anaheim. The Angels actually are winning and trail the Seattle Mariners by just 3½ games in the AL West. Anaheim won only 75 games last year -- 41 games behind the record-setting Mariners -- so that's definitely something new.

	Anaheim manager Mike Scioscia has been giving the Angels, winners of 19 of 22, all the right signs lately.

In 2001, Anaheim looked like a real contender out West but faltered and had a dismal season. This year, the Angels traded Mo Vaughn to the New York Mets for Kevin Appier. They also acquired Aaron Sele, a mainstay on the 2001 Mariners.

In their first 20 games, the Angels had a bleak 6-14 record, including a six-game losing streak. But since then they've gone 19-3. True to the form of a solid ballclub, they've proven they can sustain momentum via a couple of eight-game winning streaks in their recent run.

The best player on the Angels isn't active but is very well-schooled. Anaheim manager Mike Scioscia, a former All-Star and teammate of mine, leads this bunch of go-getters.

The former Dodger great brings more to the table than just baseball knowledge. He brings that Dodger swagger, which means when these guys put on their uniforms, they're putting on more than just work clothes -- they're dressing in years of excellence and tradition rivaled by few.

Scioscia may no longer be wearing a Dodger uniform, but his team is every bit as tough, fundamentally sound, unselfish and pitching-strong as any LA team I ever played against. When Scioscia was hired, I had a feeling things would change in Anaheim. And they certainly have.

The new Angels are a force to be reckoned with. They feature such All-Stars as Troy Glaus, Darin Erstad and Troy Percival (one of the nastiest closers in the game). The starters (Appier, Sele, Jarrod Washburn, Ramon Ortiz, Scott Schoeneweis) need to go only seven innings, and then Al Levine and Dennis Cook get it to "Troy Time."

When Scioscia was hired, I had a feeling things would change in Anaheim.

The Angels haven't exactly displayed Yankee-like home-run power. In fact, New York has hit more than twice as many homers as Anaheim (72, tops in the AL, to 34).

But the Angels score their share of runs: 240 overall (5.7 per game), good for fifth-best in the AL; Seattle is first with 256. They're third in the AL in hitting (.282) and hold opponents to a .253 average.

The Angels can compete in every offensive category: stolen bases (third in AL), RBI (fifth), batting average with runners in scoring position (fourth). The pitchers have a 3.87 ERA. Everyone contributes.

Opponents no longer think they can go to Anaheim and take three out of four. In fact, these days they're lucky to take one.