July 8, 2005, 1:24AM

RETURN TO HOUSTON
And you can quote him on that
Still producing big numbers at 37, Jeff Kent is happy to be a
Dodger. But he would have liked to remain an Astro
By DAVID BARRON
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle

Jeff Kent was playing first base — which tells you a lot about the
2005 Los Angeles Dodgers as they prepare to play the Astros at
Minute Maid Park today through Sunday — when he had a chronological
epiphany last week.


"I looked around, and I don't think I saw anybody (in the Dodgers
lineup) over 30 but me, and I'm seven years over," he said.

It was a moment outside the routine, and Jeff Kent isn't wild about
such things. Affinity for carefully measured preparation has served
him well in a 14-year career that includes an MVP award and starting
roles at second base in the All-Star Game for three teams — the San
Francisco Giants, Astros and, for next week's game in Detroit, the
Dodgers.

Kent also prides himself on hardheaded pragmatism. After two
standout seasons in Houston, capped by one of the most memorable
moments in team history, he examined the chances of a repeat playoff
trip in 2005, saw what he perceived as an organization creeping
toward disarray and got out, signing with Los Angeles as a free
agent.

His instincts, thus far, appear to have been correct. Since the last
time Astros fans saw Kent at Minute Maid Park — Oct. 18, 2004, when
his walkoff home run gave Houston a 3-0 win in Game 5 of the
National League Champion-ship Series — the Astros have gone from the
brink of the World Series to fifth place in the wild-card race.

Oddly enough, the Dodgers are struggling, too. After winning the
National League West last season, L.A. approaches the break five
games below .500 with a roster cobbled together from chewing gum,
baling wire and career minor leaguers. Of 13 position players on the
active roster, seven have played in fewer than 125 major-league
games.

Fifteen L.A. players have been on the disabled list this season. A
few days after Kent noticed the relative youth of his teammates
during his relief stint at first, the Dodgers lost another bat when
J.D. Drew was hit on the wrist by a pitch and suffered broken bones
that will sideline him for six to seven weeks. Shortstop Cesar
Izturis, the team's only other All-Star, will accompany Kent to
Detroit but won't play because of a tight hamstring that landed him
on the DL this week.


Hamstrung by injury
Tuesday, Kent left the Dodgers' game at Colorado with a strained
hamstring and sat out Wednesday. He didn't play Thursday either but
was available to pinch hit and "possibly could play" tonight against
the Astros, according to manager Jim Tracy.

With Kent on the bench, the only player in the lineup Thursday with
more than three years of major-league service was journeyman
infielder Olmedo Saenz. The senior member of Wednesday's lineup was
catcher Jason Phillips at two years and change.


Had he stayed in Houston, Kent would have been a few games closer
to .500. But with the Dodgers within 5 1/2 games of the NL West lead
and chasing the Padres, not the Cardinals, he thinks he made the
right move in leaving the Astros for his native Southern California.

"I've been fortunate enough in the last few years of my career, I've
been able to pick and choose where I want to play," he said. "People
might criticize me for that. But I want to be in a World Series. I
don't really care what color uniform I'm wearing. I want to be on a
good team with a good group of guys that gets in the World Series.

"Last year I was wearing black and orange, and this year I'm wearing
blue and white, and it doesn't matter. I'm in a good city with a
good team. This is the path I've chosen. The Astros haven't done so
well, and I've got a better chance in the West.

"It's a smart decision. It's a good business choice I'm making in
the game of baseball. We've got a good team in a weaker division. I
didn't think it was going to be this weak. But we've got that
chance."


GM change plays role
That's not to say Kent wouldn't have enjoyed having another chance
in Houston. He wanted to come back to the Astros, but that option
slipped away in the wake of general manager Gerry Hunsicker's
departure after the 2004 season.

"Gerry was one of the biggest reasons I was there in Houston," Kent
said. "I wanted to come back, and with Gerry leaving, there were a
lot of circumstances that weren't in place for me to come back, and
it's kind of disappointing for me."

First, the Astros declined to pick up their $9 million, one-year
option on Kent for 2005. Contract talks fell to Hunsicker's
replacement, Tim Purpura, who according to sources first offered a
one-year, $4.5 million deal, then offered $6 million a year and
eventually $7 million with an option for 2006.

The Astros eventually declined to offer Kent arbitration, and he
left for L.A.

By the way, Kent won't confirm any numbers from his talks with the
Astros, and he's not pleased the team's offer was publicized.

"I never divulged any of the negotiations," he said. "The general
manager at the time did, and that shows you the unprofessionalism of
him. That's something that's not done in the game.

"When you have a veteran player and you're dealing with a brand new
general manager replacing one who has just departed for unknown
reasons, that probably starts the ball rolling ... it puts questions
in your mind if you want to stay and if you can do what you want to
accomplish.

"I don't think the general manager really knew who I was at the
time. I don't think they had a good idea about where they were
going, and I think most of it stemmed from the fact that Gerry
departed right at the time that they needed to start signing and
taking care of their free agents. There were just a lot of things
going on at the time, and for Gerry to step away made for some
serious confusion."

Purpura, who described Kent as a "vital part" of the 2004 club, said
Thursday he believed he was passing on relevant information when he
disclosed the nature of contract talks with Kent.

"The way I try to do my job is to be straightforward, and when asked
a question I think is relevant, I try to give an answer. If I feel I
can't, or if it com-promises the club, I will say I can't comment,"
Purpura said. "In this circumstance, I was asked what the final
offer was and thought it was pertinent that I divulge the
information."

Conventional wisdom has Hunsicker stepping away because of
frustration with Astros owner Drayton McLane. Kent acknowledges the
owner has to bear the ultimate responsibility for his departure, but
he still speaks highly of McLane.

"I guess it would be ultimately his fault because he's the leader of
the team. You don't have a bunch of owners to look at — you've just
got Drayton," Kent said. "That's what makes him so good and unique,
and that is why he takes all the blame.

"He sits in the front row behind home plate, he's there every day,
he loves to talk to media, he's part of the program that he's
building over there, and the guy at the top of the teepee is always
going to hit first. I know he understands that, and that is the risk
you take when you're an owner-operator.

"Drayton is a good man. I really liked and respected him and his
ability to be patient with the team and do all he could do in the
two years I was there to get where we were. I was grateful for that."


Fond memories
So call it a no-fault sep-aration with no fingers, in Kent's mind,
extended in blame. His departure certainly hasn't affected his
affection for his former teammates or for Houston.

"I've got a lot of good feelings toward a lot of those players," he
said. "I'm concerned with Adam Everett and Jason Lane and (Brad)
Ausmus. I'm worried about (Jeff) Bagwell's shoulder, and I'm
watching (Craig) Biggio finishing up his career. There's a lot of
guys over there that I really enjoyed playing with."

Kent's capacity for enjoyment has become a point of interest in Los
Angeles. His philosophy of baseball as business drew the attention
of T.J. Simers, the amiably acerbic Page 2 columnist of the Los
Angeles Times, who dubbed Kent "Mr. Chuckles."

"People say I don't have a whole lot of fun in the game of
baseball," Kent said. "It is a business. You sacrifice four months
of the offseason to get ready to play for eight months. Why waste
that opportunity? We'll retire before we're 40. We'll have time to
live life and have fun later. There's too much at stake."

That attitude has been essential for Tracy.

"He has been a Rock of Gibraltar for this team," Tracy said. "He
doesn't have a whole lot to say, but that's immaterial to me.

"When you write up a lineup card, you know exactly what you're going
to get when Jeff Kent comes through the clubhouse doors. If you're a
young guy and you observe that kind of consistency and the
gamesmanship he shows you coming in here at age 37 and playing like
he's 25 or 26, what other message do you need?"


A hitting machine
Only two hits shy of 2,000 for his career, Kent leads the Dodgers in
games (81), hits (88), runs (50), doubles (19), homers (15, tied
with Drew) and RBIs (59). Before a mini-slump in the past week, he
was leading the National League in hitting with runners in scoring
position at .424 (now at .389).

Despite Kent's production, the Dodgers come to Houston having lost
16 of their last 23 games.

Still, Kent said earlier, "This is a young team, a talented team.
Because of our division, because of our talent, we are going to have
to have some patience. It's going to be fun. Come late September,
there will be some games that will be meaningful."

Meanwhile, he'll take some time during batting practice today to
contemplate his stint in Houston.

"During the short time I played there, there's not a city I fell in
love with more than Houston, other than maybe San Francisco," he
said. "I think I have the same passionate, respectful feeling toward
the fans and the team in two years that I did in six years in San
Francisco, and that means a lot to me."

Kent said he has still has an "incomplete" feeling about 2004 that
probably won't be resolved until he takes the field tonight.

"Thinking about it now, my initial impression is that I'll be
emotional and be taken aback," he said. "When we won that (Game 5),
we still had more work to do, so I didn't have a chance to enjoy the
moment. Going back, I'll probably have a chance to do that."

david.barron@...