Fuentes on intensity of closer's job-OC Register

"Brian Fuentes knows how you feel – and he sympathizes. "I know everybody's nervous. I make myself nervous," the Angels closer said of the nail-biting and hair-pulling that his role causes among fans. "It's a one-run game, you get one guy on – it's an intense moment.

• "I'm aware of that – that people get nervous when the closer comes out there. I don't imagine there's any closer who doesn't get that. Maybe there's (Yankees closer Mariano) Rivera. Nobody bad-mouths him. But it's an intense situation and I don't think everyone understands that. It's an intense job."...

Fuentes said he doesn't know what caused the loss of velocity last season but he has a possible theory. During his free agent winter a year ago, he hired a personal trainer to supervise his workouts. It was the first time he had done that and it's possible the workout regimen robbed him of some flexibility and affected what is one of the funkier deliveries in the game. This winter, Fuentes said he went back to his own self-guided workouts....

• Though Scioscia would never admit it would be a factor in his decisions, the Angels do have some monetary incentive to limit Fuentes' ninth-inning workload this season. He is in the second year of his two-year, $17.5 million contract but the deal includes a $9 million option for a third season if he finishes 55 games this season (a number Fuentes has matched or exceeded three times in the past five seasons including last year).

Notes

For the third consecutive day, rain forced the Angels to abbreviate their workout Monday. ... Most position players have reported and the team is scheduled to hold its first full-squad workout on Tuesday (when the weather is expected to improve). Scioscia said Kendry Morales (visa issues) and Bobby Abreu (a personal matter) have been given permission to miss the workout if necessary."

• from Orange County Register by Bill Plunkett, "Fuentes says anxiety comes with job," 2/22/10

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