NOTEBOOK From Anaheim



Champagne toast: Jackie Autry was soaked in champagne in the Angels' jubilant clubhouse. "Wherever he is, my husband is smiling down at these ballplayers and he's having a wonderful time watching me get drowned in champagne," she said Sunday night. "I know what heartbreak means and I know the emotional experiences and the heartbreak that many of these teams that have played for Gene Autry went through. But right now I'm so exuberant, and I wish that every one of the men who worked for him over the other 41 years were here tonight." Gene Autry, Hollywood's "Singing Cowboy," died in 1998 at 91. He turned the money he made in movies and music recordings into a broadcast media empire. He then brought the expansion Angels into the major leagues in 1961. He sold controlling minority interest to the Walt Disney Co. in 1996, with Disney getting the rest of the interest when he died. None of his teams so much as won a playoff series, much less make it to the World Series.
Wait rewarded: Brendan Donnelly spent a decade in the minors before getting his chance to pitch this season in the majors. The 31-year-old Anaheim reliever was spectacular in the World Series, pitching 7 2-3 scoreless innings in five appearances. It was the most shutout innings by a reliever in the World Series since Tom Hall worked 8 1/3 innings during four appearances for Cincinnati in 1972. Donnelly allowed one hit in two scoreless innings in the Angels' 4-1 victory in Game 7. In the minors, Donnelly never dared to dream of pitching in the World Series, much less in the deciding game. "Maybe I thought about pitching in a championship game in Triple-A," he said. "But never anything like this."
-- Associated Press

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