Albert Pujols' 10-year, $254M deal "gives the Angels the kind of star power to challenge the Dodgers, who are struggling on and off the field, as the region's premier baseball franchise," according to Wharton & DiGiovanna of the L.A. TIMES. The "tug-of-war for Southern California baseball fans has heated up considerably since Arte Moreno purchased the Angels in 2003 for $183 million ... and changed their name to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim." The Angels "won plenty of supporters when Moreno assumed control almost eight years ago, cutting ticket and beer prices." But the team "failed to reach the playoffs in each of the last two seasons and Moreno had been criticized some for not adding needed pieces to the team." Sports business experts said that by signing Pujols, Moreno "has a chance to make substantial headway with the Dodgers losing on the field and mired in bankruptcy proceedings and an impending sale." Pujols' Dominican roots "should also boost his new team's marketability." San Diego State Univ. Sports Management professor George Belch: "It gives them an opportunity to connect even deeper with the Hispanic community and increase attendance that way" (L.A. TIMES, 12/9). The Angels said that information "about sales Thursday was not immediately available, but it was clear that more than jerseys were being sold after fans became aware the team had signed" Pujols and P C.J. Wilson. In L.A., Diane Pucin notes long lines "at the counters indicated tickets were going fast as well" (L.A. TIMES, 12/9).
CITY OF ANGELS: In L.A., Bill Plaschke in a front-page piece notes the Angels' deals Thursday are "improvements that could change the local sports landscape forever." Thursday was a "potential monument day for Moreno, as the Angels may erect a statue of him if these moves finally push them into national prominence and, even more important, out of the local shadow of the Dodgers." Before Thursday, the Angels "barely owned a piece" of the Southern California market, and now they are "attempting to grab a ravine full of it" (L.A. TIMES, 12/9). The GLOBE & MAIL's Jeff Blair wrote Pujols "becomes a thermonuclear weapon in the Battle for Los Angeles, as the Angels not only stake a claim to a return to the playoffs but buttress themselves for a day when the Los Angeles Dodgers are out from under the muddled ownership of Frank McCourt" (THEGLOBEANDMAIL.com, 12/8). ESPN's Jim Rome said, "The Angels just cold-cocked the boys in blue, who were already stumbling around the ring and out on their feet.” Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy said, the Angels “own this town now,” because it is a “complete knockout” ("Jim Rome Is Burning," ESPN, 12/8). SportsNet N.Y.'s Meredith Marakovits said, "The Dodgers are no longer a factor. People are driving and going to an Angels game. The Dodgers are completely out of this thing" ("The WheelHouse," SportsNet N.Y., 12/8). N.Y. Daily News columnist Tim Smith said the Angels "take the L.A. Dodgers out of the picture in terms of trying to have popularity in L.A." Smith: "The Dodgers are down now in terms of where they are with the franchise and everything. This was a smart move on (Moreno's) point to just get them to having some respectability and being talked about” ("Daily News Live," SportsNet N.Y., 12/8). ESPN's Michael Smith said the Pujols deal "looks great now and it's going to be great for the long-term, the opportunity to take over Los Angeles with the decline of the Dodgers" ("Numbers Never Lie," ESPN2, 12/8). In Denver, Troy Renck writes, "This was about winning, cementing a brand, fully escaping the Dodgers' shadow" (DENVER POST, 12/9).
NOW IS THE TIME: SI.com's Tom Verducci noted Moreno last offseason "decried the illogic of high-stakes free agency for a team already carrying a $121 million payroll then." However, 12 months later -- his "payroll swollen to $141 million -- Moreno went all in at the biggest baccarat table in free agency." Verducci noted one of the reasons for the philosophy change is that the Dodgers "are now an awakening giant." Somebody "with money -- lots of it, considering a sale price that might exceed $1 billion -- is going to buy the team," and that kind of "well-funded shark is not going to forfeit any more ground." The Dodgers "quickly will become a threat" (SI.com, 12/8). SI’s Jon Heyman said, "This is the right time to take advantage of the Dodger situation, to go out there now and make that move because in a year from now they'll have a different owner and certainly a better owner." Heyman: "Nobody wanted to buy the Dodgers seven years ago. Now they're a hot item. I don't know what Frank McCourt did to improve the value of that team, I can’t imagine. This was the time for the Angels to pass because right now the Dodgers are down a little bit” (“Yankees Baseball Daily,” YES Network, 12/8).
OUTSIDE THE LINES: In L.A., Vincent Bonsignore notes off the field, the Pujols signing "will pay off in increased media rights and corporate sponsorships." The Angels "can now go to any potential sponsor armed with a sensational superstar and one of the classiest gentlemen in all of sports to sell as the face of the franchise, and there's no doubt he'll appeal to the wide, multi-cultured audience of Southern California." The Angels "didn't just add a great player to the fold; they added a transcendent, marketable superstar in the prime of an iconic career" (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 12/9). In S.F., Gwen Knapp writes the Dodgers franchise "will rise again, but while it dusts itself off, the Angels have an opening that few businesses ever see." They can "advance on an industry icon, and possibly overtake it in the marketplace." Pujols, in particular, gives Moreno "a big selling point in negotiations for a new local TV deal and an unprecedented lure for corporate sponsorship" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 12/9). ESPN.com's Jayson Stark wrote for the Angels, the Pujols deal "is more than merely a baseball contract." It is a "decision based not just on what Pujols is about to do for them on the field," but also on "what he's about to do for the franchise." Mets GM Sandy Alderson said, "There's no question that the television dynamic is probably a factor" (ESPN.com, 12/8).
FORECASTING THE FUTURE: YAHOO SPORTS' Jeff Passan noted the Angels and Marlins over the last four days "have emulated drunks spending money like it's their last night on earth." Passan: "It was a bender they'll feel for years." While the "genesis of the Angels’ binge will reveal itself in the coming days, what struck most was Moreno’s forceful renunciation of his abhorrence for high-dollar, long-term deals -- or, as one official put it, 'He’s such a hypocrite'" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 12/8). The S.F. CHRONICLE's Knapp notes, "Buyer's remorse could be a few years away, but it will hit at least one of them, probably as hard as a tumbling boulder" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 12/9). In California, Jeff Miller writes, "Here's hoping the Angels win another title or two -- or three -- in the next six years, because, after that, there's a good chance this contract will cripple their chances of doing so" (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 12/9). In Toronto, Bob Elliott writes under the header, "Will Pujols Deal Backfire?" (TORONTO SUN, 12/9). The Chicago Tribune’s Teddy Greenstein said of the Pujols deal, “If you don’t offer 10 years, you don’t get to sign the player. So these teams just now basically assume that they’re going to be screwed in the last couple of years. But if you don’t go crazy, then you don’t have Albert Pujols” (“Chicago Tribune Live,” Comcast SportsNet Chicago, 12/8).
WORTH THE RISK: ESPN's Rome said, “If you think you're just a player away, and a once in a generation player comes free and clear, and you have to overpay to get that guy, then you do it. Especially since the Yankees and the Red Sox are not what they once were.” The Boston Globe's Shaughnessy: "I’m not going to worry about years seven, eight, nine, 10. For the next five to six or seven, this is great for them” ("Jim Rome Is Burning," ESPN2, 12/8). Denver Post columnist Woody Paige noted that near the end of the contract, the Angels are “going to get value out of him because he’s going to be making a run at the all-time home run crown and a real one, an authentic one. That’s going to keep his value alive” ("Around The Horn," ESPN, 12/8).
GOOD FOR THE SPORT: ESPN's Karl Ravech said of the Pujols signing: “I think, with all due respect to Cardinals fans, this was a big win for Major League Baseball” (“Baseball Tonight,” ESPN, 12/9). MLB Network’s Greg Amsinger said, “St. Louis Cardinals baseball is always going to be outstanding, and now a superstar is going to go make the Angels brand even bigger. And that’s good for the sport” ("Hot Stove Live," MLB Network, 12/8).
