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Monday, November 29, 2004

Moreno speaks

Arte Moreno appeared on TJ Simers' radio show yesterday to discuss a wide range of topics, including the proposed name change, Carlos Beltran, the NFL in Anaheim, and his plan for the Angels franchise.

On the name change:
"We are still looking at all our angles," Moreno said. "Eventually, we'll sit down with the city of Anaheim and try to resolve the issue."

[snip]

"I come from the school that any reaction is a good reaction," Moreno said, "and local people are talking about the Angels and baseball in the marketplace."
Is it all a publicity stunt? It's entirely possible, but I'm not sure the old axiom of "all publicity is good publicity" applies here. Moreno has created an intensely negative focus on himself - not the club. He lowered beer prices, brought in Vlad, and was considered a god by many fans. Now a lot of people are beginning to rethink their opinion of the man.

Of course, Moreno continues to insist it's a move intended to increase revenues:
He said the World Series champion Boston Red Sox generated $120 million more in revenue than the Angels last season. The Red Sox spent $27 million more than the Angels on their season-opening player payroll.

The Angels, who set a club record last season by selling 3.4 million tickets, sold out more than half of their games.

"If you [could] put another million people in our stadium, it would only bring you Randy Johnson at $16 million," Moreno said.
That's all well and good, but explain how the name "Los Angeles" does anything to increase revenues? As a business plan this is strikingly similar to South Park's "Underpants Gnomes". "Step one: Collect underpants. Step two: ... Step three: Profit!"

On Carlos Beltran:
[W]hen Simers asked whether the Angels are considering signing center fielder Carlos Beltran, who is regarded as the top prize in free agency, Moreno said yes.

"We would be doing a disservice to our fans not to look at the opportunity," he said.
c At this point I don't care how much they pay for his services - the Angels need Carlos Beltran. This lineup is looking very ugly at the moment, and there's not a whole lot of areas the Angels can add a bat. A big hitter in centerfield is going to be required if the Angels are going to have any hope of repeating as AL West champs.

On the NFL in Anaheim, and possible ownership:
Moreno said he is intrigued by the NFL's interest in Anaheim — the city has proposed building a football stadium next to Angel Stadium — but said he is not interested in NFL ownership at this time.

"I'm not going to go so far as to say that," he said. "Right now, I'm economically committed to the Angels."
I'm not surprised - the duel ownership rules for the NFL are ridiculous. I don't know what Moreno's finances look like, but if Malcom Glazer was precluded from buying the Dodgers, I doubt Moreno could make duel ownership work.

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