I remember talking to Angels manager Mike Scioscia during spring training. At the time, he said, "We have (Kevin) Appier and (Aaron) Sele. These guys will help get us to where we want to go. We are going to have a good club, and nobody believes it."

People believe it now that Anaheim is tied for first place with Oakland in the AL West. But instead of saying, "I told you so," Scioscia simply says, "Hey, I believed in this club in the beginning, and we are about where I thought we would be."

If I were voting for Manager of the Year in the American League, Scioscia would be my choice. Not to take anything away from Art Howe in Oakland, Joe Torre in New York or Ron Gardenhire in Minnesota, but Scioscia's team -- on paper -- is the fourth-best among the team's heading to the playoffs. Yet Scioscia has the Angels hanging with the A's, playing an aggressive brand of baseball.

Bochy's boys

When the Padres went to the World Series in 1998, our team was a complete reflection of manager Bruce Bochy. We picked up Kevin Brown and felt like it would be the only year we would have a chance. We had a number of players who were going to be free agents after the season. Bochy had a big hand in our success. As a older, veteran bunch, he had us focused on getting the job done. And he just let us play. In that way, he was a lot like Mike Scioscia is now. We also played an aggressive style, something he talked about. He pointed us in the right direction and got us within striking distance of a world championship. -- Tony Gwynn

When he played catcher for the Dodgers, Scioscia was a gamer. In 1993, the Padres signed him, but he tore his rotator cuff and had to end his career. But when I talked to him about baseball, I was amazed at how much he knew. I knew one day he would be a manager; it was just a matter of time.

All of the Angels' success is a reflection of Scioscia. While they don't match up with the A's or the Yankees, the Angels have a strong belief in what they do and know the game is played between the white lines. Scioscia believes in everybody, and he gets contributions from all 25 players.

Last year, the Angels were 41 games out of first place. Now, they are tied with a team that won 20 straight games. And the Angels, other than adding Appier and Sele, made few changes in the offseason. When they needed a first baseman after Mo Vaughn left, they went with Scott Spiezio, who has had a solid season.

I love their style of play and how they challenge teams. As a player, Scioscia couldn't run well, but he would go from first to third and try to stretch a single into a double. Likewise, the Angels run the bases aggressively, always trying to pick up another 90 feet. As soon as the ball is hit, they are out of the box quickly.

Defensively, they don't make many mistakes. Thanks also to pitching coach Bud Black, the pitchers throw inside and throw strikes. Catcher Bengie Molina calls a good game and blocks the plate. They cut balls off in the gap and hit the cutoff man. They do the little things and don't beat themselves.

In the dugout, Scioscia remains composed. He doesn't show much emotion. He just goes about his business, and so does the team. Scioscia is the ultimate team player. He won't criticize anyone. He will keep everything positive. The Angels players know they have a man pulling for them like they are pulling for themselves.

The postseason will be a new experience for most of the Angels, but not for Scioscia, who played on the Dodgers' World Series championship teams in 1981 and 1988. Scioscia will tell the players about how the postseason is different from the regular season and how the execution needs to be better.

I'm sure he will tell them how nobody but the Dodgers believed they could win in '88, when they were heavy underdogs, and then went on to beat the A's in the World Series. And with Scioscia orchestrating the Angels, I'm sure they believe they can do the same thing.

Future Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, who is the new head baseball coach at San Diego State, is also a baseball analyst for ESPN.