Trapper keeps his patience

      He stands 6-feet-2 and carries on his frame 230 pounds of chiseled muscle.
      His biceps are as big as some people's thighs, and his thighs are as thick as tree trunks.
      To put it bluntly, Patrick Lennon is an awesome specimen, so prodigious he makes Arnold Schwarzenegger look like Pee Wee Herman.
      Quite simply, this is one professional baseball player you would not want to upset.
      Yet if anyone has reason to be angry, it's Lennon. Actually, he has reason to be downright furious.
      That's because for the second consecutive year, Lennon put up spring training numbers as monstrous as himself. And for the second consecutive year, Lennon was relegated to the minor leagues.
      So instead of being with the Oakland Athletics, with whom he batted .349 with six homers and 20 RBIs this spring, Lennon is at Cashman Field standing outside the locker room of the A's Triple-A affiliate, the Edmonton Trappers ... and he's holding a sledgehammer.
      Not to worry, though; the sledgehammer is for pregame workout purposes only. Yes, there is a bit of disappointment in his situation, but you will see no fury in Patrick Lennon.
      Considering where the 28-year-old once was, he knows things could be worse. Much, much worse.
      "You can't help but be a little frustrated," said Lennon, who went 1-for-4 Saturday night in the Trappers' 6-5 loss to the Stars at Cashman. "Angry? No. ... That's not to say I won't get angry. But at the same time, you have to try to find a place to put that anger, because it does you no good; it serves you no purpose. You may get a little frustrated, but that serves you no purpose, either. So you try to find a way to put this stuff behind you and move on in life.
      ''Yeah, it's difficult. But the biggest thing for me as a Christian is giving (my life) to God, to know that no matter what happens and how things start off, that the best things are going to happen for Patrick Lennon. Yeah, I'm starting off here in Triple-A, but that doesn't mean things can't turn around."
      Certainly, no one understands that more than Lennon.
      After graduating in 1986 from Whiteville (N.C.) High School, where he was voted North Carolina's Prep Athlete of the Year, Lennon, then an infielder, was drafted in the first-round by the Seattle Mariners.
      Following three average and injury-plagued seasons in the low minors, Lennon was shipped in 1989 to Seattle's Double-A affiliate in Williamsport, Pa. And that's where his life turned ugly.
      According to reports, Lennon was drinking at a nightclub one July night when a fight broke out in the bar. At some point during the melee, Lennon pulled out his gun and fired.
      Nobody was shot, but Lennon was arrested and spent two months in a Pennsylvania prison.
      He was lucky. Had a bullet hit someone, Lennon could have been tried for attempted murder or worse, and he might still be in prison.
      At the time, however, Lennon apparently didn't grasp his good fortune.
      Following his prison release, Lennon's baseball career took off -- he hit .329 at Triple-A Calgary in 1991 and finished the year playing nine games with the Mariners. But his life fell apart, the result of heavy drinking.
      After a torn tendon in his left wrist limited him to just 14 games in '92 -- 13 with Calgary and one with Seattle -- Lennon signed a free-agent contract with the Colorado Rockies. But the Rockies released him at the end of spring training in '93.
      Then came the awakening.
      Driving from the Rockies' Tucson camp toward Phoenix, a distraught Lennon pulled off the highway. At that moment he realized he had to change his ways, and he looked toward a spiritual source for guidance.
      "I look back sometimes, and I don't quite grasp how I got through it," Lennon said. "All I know is that I put my trust in a higher being, and that has been the tool for my strength, and my family, too."
      Although Lennon committed to reforming his life, it didn't get him a full-time job in the majors. In fact, since his release from Colorado, Lennon has been with five organizations.
      One was the Kansas City Royals, who last year put Lennon on their opening-day roster after the outfielder hit .388 with three homers and 12 RBIs in spring training. With the Royals, Lennon batted .233 in 14 games and was released on April 29.
      Disappointed and confused, Lennon took six weeks off to regroup. He signed with the A's and reported to Edmonton, where he hit .327 with 12 homers and 42 RBIs in 68 games.
      Another stellar spring followed this year, but Oakland is loaded with power-hitting outfielders, so the A's sent Lennon to Edmonton.
      Still, Lennon hangs on to the hope that someday soon his perilous past will give way to a fabulous future in the big leagues. At least one person thinks that will be the case.
      "His abilities are huge," said Stars manager Jerry Royster. "The things that he's capable of doing might be unlimited. ... He's also a changed man. I think he's really found himself, and I think that's going to take him a long way."
      Said Lennon: "Even though I am content with where I'm at and that I feel fortunate to be here, I know there's better things out there and that there's better things for Patrick Lennon.
      ''I'm just one chance away, where somebody can finally look past all this stuff that has happened in the past and look at me for who I am now and look at me for the ability I have and say `Now is the time.' And that will all come when the Lord says it's time."
      -- NOTES -- Stars shortstop Jorge Velandia went 2-for-4 and scored the winning run in the sixth inning as Las Vegas edged the Trappers for its second straight victory. Velandia was one of five Stars with two hits, and he had one of his team's five doubles. Jim Bruske (1-0) earned the victory with two innings of scoreless relief, and Todd Schmitt picked up his first save by getting Lennon to fly to right field for the final out. Edmonton left-hander Steve Wojciechowski (0-1) took the loss. ... Las Vegas outfielder Trey Beamon continued his hot hitting, going 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored. He's 8-for-14 this season. ... The Stars had 12 hits, giving them 25 in the past two games. ... Five Las Vegas pitchers struck out eight batters, running the team's total to 32 strikeouts in three games. ... Las Vegas has left 30 runners on base in three games. ... The Stars and Trappers conclude their four-game series today at 1:05 p.m. Right-hander Brad Kaufman of Las Vegas is scheduled to face Edmonton righty Aaron Small.