Menu
Franchises

Arte Moreno Makes Influence Felt In Angels' Hiring Of Joe Maddon

Moreno's investment in hiring Maddon gives the franchise some needed credibility getty images

The Angels have hired Joe Maddon as their next manager, and from "every indication, Owner Arte Moreno drove the hiring of Maddon, and by doing so, undercut" GM Billy Eppler, according to Ken Rosenthal of THE ATHLETIC. The move shows that the Angels have "serious chain-of-command issues." Eppler is only under contract through next season, so the Angels "must decide: Is Eppler their guy?" Moreno can "answer that question in due course." The hiring of Maddon, who previously spent 31 years within the Angels organization, "at least allows for a sliver of sunshine, with the possibility of brighter days ahead" (THEATHLETIC.com, 10/16). MLB Network's Chris Russo noted it was Moreno's "call" to hire Maddon, and said, "This is not Billy Eppler. Moreno took over, he made the decision to fire (Brad) Ausmus and he wanted Maddon and he got him." MLB Network's Bruce Schein said with Eppler entering the final year of his contract, the Angels are "going to be players" in free agency. Schein: "They are not cheap by any stretch of the imagination. You bring in a Joe Maddon. ... This is going to be a big, interesting winter for the Angels" ("High Heat," MLB Network, 10/16). In DC, Dave Sheinin writes the hiring of Maddon "represents a significant investment" by Moreno that is "designed to give the franchise some needed credibility on the eve of an important offseason talent market" (WASHINGTON POST, 10/17).

DO SIMPLE BETTER: In L.A., Bill Plaschke writes Maddon's hiring "should calm a few nerves, restore a little hope, and at least temporarily slow the ugliest of narratives" for the Angels. A "team in turmoil has hired the epitome of calm." Maddon "embraces cutting-edge analytics, preaches hardball philosophy, and pushes fun." But through all his "frivolity, there has been a common theme, and it is winning." However, Maddon's "most important impact on the Angels will not be as a strategist, but as the new folksy face of their franchise." Since the death of Tyler Skaggs, the organization has been a "plunged into a spiral of revelations and accusations that could eventually shake the franchise to its core." Maddon will be the "one charged with changing the public narrative of an organization in crisis" (L.A. TIMES, 10/17). YAHOO SPORTS' Tim Brown wrote for the Angels, there "would be only one man for the job" and Maddon is the "right man." Still, he is a "small part of the reconstruction" of the team (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 10/16).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2019/10/17/Franchises/Angels.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2019/10/17/Franchises/Angels.aspx

CLOSE