ANAHEIM -- The disparities between the uber-rookie and the rookie are as vast as they are inconsequential. One man towers four inches above the other, his shaggy brunette mane a stark contrast to the blonde crewcut of his older, more seasoned associate. Though they each speak with a tinge of Southern verbiage, their respective home towns in Georgia and Oklahoma are separated by nearly 1,000 miles. But for all of their differences, the first career starts for Angels outfielders Terry Evans and Reggie Willits each yielded the same positive reception from the Halos faithful. The pair, both called up from Triple-A Salt Lake to make the trek to Angel Stadium, accounted for the go-ahead run in each of their first starts. After crushing a two-run home run to left for his first Major League hit, Evans drew a walk to load the bases. He was later sent home for the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly to help lift the Angels to an 8-4, come-from-behind win against Houston on Wednesday. On July 22, 2006, Willits lined a 10th-inning, RBI single in a come-from-behind, 4-3 win over Kansas City. In the time since that fateful Saturday afternoon almost a year ago, Willits has emerged as a fundamental component in one of baseball's most dangerous lineups. He shares a team-best .337 average with shortstop Orlando Cabrera and leads the club in stolen bases (20) while manning the left-field post. The Angels are now in the midst of a comfortable six-game lead in the American League West. With Evans being called up Sunday and responding with a similar offensive flair, Willits recalled his own experiences as a prospect suddenly thrust into a starting role for a professional ballclub. His advice for Evans, though minimal, was drawn from those experiences. "He knows how to play baseball. I joked around with him about his first at-bat the other day and asked him if he was nervous," Willits said of an eighth-inning strikeout at Dodger Stadium on Sunday. "I remember when I had my first at-bat. I couldn't keep my hand from shaking, I was so nervous. It's just a time when there's going to be an adjustment period because he's used to playing every day, and then now he's coming in and not playing every day. "I give him advice on what helped me out. He's just got to find something that works for him in those situations and he'll be fine." Willits' own maturation is as much a testament to his own resolve as it is to the tutelage of career Angel Tim Salmon. The former Halos right fielder, the 1993 American League Rookie of the Year and franchise leader in home runs (299), runs scored (983), walks (965) and slugging percentage (.499), helped guide the young Willits before retiring last year. "The biggest thing he told me was, you can't worry about going up there and getting a hit," Willits said. "When you're playing once a week, you got to go up there and try to put together quality at-bats. That helped me a lot." Salmon also stressed the importance of preparation, encouraging Willits to trade sedentary dugout stints for drill participation during games. Willits said these drills would "keep my mind in the game" and "helped me stay sharper" should he be granted access to the diamond. The routine included bunting drills during the first inning, soft-toss exercises in the second and third to develop balance and timing in his swing and batting practice with a pitching machine during the latter innings while preparing himself mentally should his services be requested. With this attention to detail clearly paying its dividends nightly for Willits, the rookie sensation just might match his mentor, Salmon, in garnering Rookie of the Year honors. --

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