Posted on 05/23/2003 10:01:38 AM PDT by Eric Esot
Moreno becomes new Angels' owner
Thursday May 22, 2003
By KEN PETERS
AP Sports Writer
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) The Angels' new owner grinned, opened the big gift box and helped manager Mike Scioscia and general manager Bill Stoneman put on huge red sombreros.
Arturo Moreno was introduced Thursday as the third owner of the Angels in their 43-year history after completing his $184 million purchase from The Walt Disney Co.
``This is what I got for that,'' he said, laughing and holding up two keys to the stadium.
Moreno wants to be called Arte and started off his tenure by giving the hats to top team officials. He already has spent time wandering around the stands and chatting with fans, and plans one immediate change.
``Beer in the bleachers is $8.50. I can go around the corner and get one for a buck-and-half,'' Moreno said. Asked if he was thinking about lowering the price, he said, ``I'm not thinking about it. I'm going to do it.''
He smiled and turned to vice president Kevin Uhlich and said, ``I can do that, can't I?''
Uhlich chuckled and replied that Moreno can do most anything he wants.
The 56-year-old Moreno, a native of Tucson, Ariz., made a fortune in outdoor advertising. He is a private man who doesn't particularly like the spotlight.
But he was gracious, forthcoming and humorous when he was introduced to the Southern California media on Thursday at the Edison International Field.
``This is sort of like living the American dream,'' Moreno said. ``You get to come the ballpark and get a free beer.''
He emphasized that he plans no significant moves in the World Series champion Angels, and that he will give freedom to Stoneman to run the player personnel side of the operation and to Uhlich to run the business side the price of beer an exception.
``Anytime you make a transition, you want it to be as seamless as possible,'' Moreno said.
He laughed and said, ``I asked Bill, `What do you need?' I asked Kevin, `Where can we cut?'''
Scioscia, noting that the new owner politely corrected him when he tried to call him ``Mr. Moreno,'' obviously is impressed.
``There's a buzz in the clubhouse and we'll definitely feed off it,'' Scioscia said. ``Hopefully we'll do what we did last year for a couple more years.''
Moreno introduced himself to each player in the Angels' clubhouse and spoke briefly to the group before they took the field against Baltimore.
``He has cards from the original Angels team in 1961, and each one of us, too. That was kind of neat,'' Scott Spiezio said. ``He's a baseball fan, and he's a smart businessman and, obviously, that's a pretty good combination.
``Disney was ready to go in a new direction and get rid of the team, and I think to get an owner that's a baseball fan is very exciting for us.''
Scott Schoeneweis also was impressed.
``I thought he was a very genuine, down-to-earth guy and that makes for an easy transition. He just seems like a really good guy, and it's easy not to be when you have that kind of money,'' said Schoeneweis, the team's player representative.
Moreno, a fourth-generation American who has 10 siblings and grew up working in his parents' print shop in Tucson, is the first major league controlling owner of Hispanic background.
``Obviously, being Mexican-American, I'd like to reach out to the Mexican-American community, but also to everybody,'' he said. ``When people come here, we want it to be a great experience.''
He said he had met some people in the stadium gift shop from Culiacan, Mexico, and invited them to be his guests at a game.
``Carole and I have been talking with fans in the bleachers and it made me feel at home. Every night, I'll take a lap to talk with our fans and see what's going on,'' said Moreno, who along with his wife were presented matching Angels jerseys with their names and the numeral 1 on them.
``I thought Bengie Molina was No. 1,'' Moreno joked.
Asked what he feels he can bring to the team, Moreno said, ``I'd like to say I'm a left-hander with a 95 mph fastball and a great cutter, but I'm right-handed and I'm slow.''
His first foray into team ownership came when he and several of his softball-playing friends decided to buy the Triple-A team in Salt Lake in 1986, which they still own. He later held a minority interest in the Arizona Diamondbacks, which he has given up.
Although many major league teams are losing money, Moreno saw the Angels as a sound investment.
``Businesses go through up and down cycles, and I think it was a good time to buy,'' he said. ``I think it will be a great long-term investment.''
Movie cowboy Gene Autry was the original owner of the Angels, and Moreno said Autry's widow, Jackie, will be involved with the team as long as she wants.
Moreno said he certainly wants to do a good job as the owner, ``Or they might send me down to Rancho Cucamonga.''
I like this guy already. Maybe Mike Illitch can learn from him.
I think he was referring to himself getting 'free' beer.
Four generations (I'm only 3rd)? He is an American, period.
Moreno is using his heritage as a sales tool -- Cool.
He's going to use himself to grab hispanic fans and get them to the ballpark, plus milk this for publicity. The guy is smart, maybe smarter then MLB realized.
That's frickin' insane.
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