Not even mad. Just sad.
I was already on the fence about my personal attendance at games this year but this pretty much settles it. If the owner isn’t committed to winning, then I’m not financially committing to the team. I’ll still be a fan, but sadly don’t see myself attending any games in the future.
Coward owner.
Mid-October 1960, a crisp cool October afternoon in Pittsburg, 7th game of world series, scored tied 9-9. Mazeroski strolls to plate and drills a fastball over Yogi Berra and the left field wall, a walk off homer for the ages. When baseball was truly the national pastime, king of the sports world. The only film that existed of that game was found in a dusty safe in Bing Crosby’s basement. (Bing was part owner of the Pirates). It took over 100,000 repairs on the tape to bring it back to its spendid glory.
RIP Maz, you have left an amazing legacy.
On behalf of my 1950s Yankee fan dad (RIP) booo!!
I am very curious about who conducted the surveys and how they were conducted. Was it an actual marketing research firm or did the Angels hand out a short questionnaire to fans which were filled out and dropped off in a box?
I suspect it’s actually very poor research. How was this asked? Did it list items? Was winning the first item or somewhere down that list? Or were they asked something like “what are your priorities in your enjoyment of the stadium experience ?” which would lead people to name things like comfort, safety, food, bathrooms and so on.
Probably the same research firm that said Putin has a 99% favoribility rating in Russian. The Home Team Survey company.
I took the survey 3yrs ago. Waste of time, asked me about: parking, how far I live, access ability in/out of parking lot, how many games I attend, food quality, service…….and blah blah. Nothing about players, or how management is doing. All questions related to marketing.
By the way, great article Jeff. Well done!
Thank you.
Well, it looks like we have a remake of the film “Major League,” a terrible owner not caring if the team tanks. This time, it’s more of a tragedy than comedy. This is terrible communication from any owner, in any business, the “We don’t have to be any good, as long as people are entertained/pacified.” Such as an automaker saying: “we can make crappy cars, as long as they are fun to drive.” (Which actually happens, but not admitted publicly.). Imagine how Arte’s statement went over in the clubhouse. Ohtani must be laughing his arse off while polishing his world series rings.
If Angels attendance dives to 1.5 mill, that would be the best comeuppance for the dear leader.
Yes. It explains all the bobbleheads and other giveaways. Has nothing to do with baseball but part of the entertainment. The circus is in town in Anaheim.
Is the big A now the big Amusement park or the big Apathy?
The Big Top!
Winning is not in halos fans top 5?! Halos are the NY Jets of the MLB. Straight up just said winning doesn’t matter.
Paging Stan Kroenke. How about adding a storied MLB franchise to your myriad of sports franchises. At least he gives a sh*t and wants to win at all costs.
Great article JJ; I can’t believe Moreno actually came out with those comments, he basically sh*t on his own image as an owner. Almost gives fans zero motivation to watch televised games let alone pay for it. But I will still attend my usual 10-15 games this yr. WHY?, 2 reasons. First, I love the live game. Make no mistake, Arte ain’t making $ off me: the $20 I pay for parking I see as my price to tailgate, get my fill on beer in the lot, bring my own sushi-peanuts-water into the stadium, buy my fan gear from EBay/New Era, discounted tickets on Stubhub. Second more importantly I will attend is cause I’m a dedicated Angels fan and always will be, despite Moreno. Been thru the pitch that killed Donnie Moore, 2002 miracle, up til this current playoff drought. I’m a fan way before Moreno got here, and will be when he finally leaves. Dedicated to the big A, which stands for Angels, not ‘Arte’
I’ll be there about a dozen games. StubHub tickets.
He’ll get a little concession money from me but not much. My son and I love helmet sundaes.
Don’t allow him to rob you of joy even if he doesn’t deserve your money.
I just died a bit inside reading that he has no plans to sell. The problem is that a majority of people attending games are clueless and there for the experience. We fanatics are in the minority, so “hitting him in the wallet” isn’t a strategy that will work. There just isn’t enough of us to make this effective.
“we’ll look into it”
one day, last spring training on the backfields was pretty typical chill but one thing happened I never relayed to CtPG I don’t think. it was again, very typical chill experience everyday I’ve seen at a ST site for decades. An Arte siting, but I usually see him about three times each spring: that’s been typical. In the past (no years recently), he could be approached by fans and they’d have a pleasant chat (i had several myself – but they were all a decade ago). No much recent fan experience on Arte interacting with fans.
Anyway, one guy last year on a quiet midweek morning for the first time I’ve seen actually went off verbally on Arte for about 30 seconds, basically the same points posted daily here about how poorly the franchise was being run. Akward moment, the guy was hostile. You can imagine. The guy said his piece, security became immediately more prominent and it ended with Arte’s response was: “we’ll look into it”
Yeah, sir, that’s the way I feel about my interest in your team right now. Heading out to Diablo like I have the past twenty years for a few hours? buying tickets to game?
I’ll look into it.
Brewers v. A’s at Hohokam Tuesday!
Folks – what Arte said is the equivalent of dropping a shit bomb on the franchise. In many ways, I have felt in my bones what Arte finally confirmed. The focus of this Org is marketing and entertainment and not running a baseball organization and has been for a long time.
So all this “competitive” bullshit was just lip service except as it relates to the fact that a competitive club may arguably be more entertaining and marketable. It had nothing to do with the actual fan definition which means being good enough to have a chance to compete for championships.
Folks – you’ve been sold a bill of goods. Arte is PT Barnum and you’ve been going to the circus – not to baseball games.
It fully explains not trading Shohei when it made sense from a baseball perspective. From a marketing and entertainment perspective keeping your main attraction made perfect sense.
The ONLY thing to do if this bothers you as much as it bothers me is to stop paying the ringmaster now that he has made it clear this is not a baseball organization. If you like the circus and don’t care about winning – then by all means spend your hard earned cash. Eat peanuts and watch the clown show. But if a well run BASEBALL team means anything to you – you are not getting that here as long as Arte is the owner.
One other related thought- what free agent (except the absolutely most desperate with no other options) would want to play for an Org that doesn’t view winning as even a top 5 priority?!
Anthony Rendon and Josh Hamilton are two
Also – That was before the shift that many of us have perceived.
I absolutely agree that having a shitty leader that doesn’t care about success is a huge problem, it doesn’t absolve everyone else. As a long time public school teacher and high school coach, I’ve seen my share of shitty leaders that don’t invest into their product. But that’s never changed my desire to have students be the best and play with the “big boys” (and girls) both academically and athletically. Now I play in the bottom division and lowest income sandbox but you still have a professional duty to raise the floor. So while I acknowledge that Arte sucks, this doesn’t affect Perry’s ability to sign the right marginal FAs, putting Tim Anderson in the 5-whole, development in the minors, swinging at every first pitch for a HR, being a mental head case like Detmers and O’Hoppe.
Yes it does affect Perry because free agents have freedom of choice. Why would they want to play for an Org that doesn’t care about winning? Only the most desperate dregs of free agents would agree to play for this Org.
I wonder if being tone deaf comes with age or if one is born tone deaf. Winning not being in the top five is so dumb to say. Even the “casual” fan, by whatever definition Arte wants to use, wants to see their team win more often than not.
The hilarious part comes when he thinks that Perry should be concerned about wins. Astoundingly hypocritical and completely tone deaf. He has no idea that he just acknowledged that being GM of this team is a complete waste of time. So there is no one better than Perry who will want this GM job and every player with a no trade clause just made sure the Angels are on that list. Arte is so out of touch he thinks that mom doesn’t want her kids to see a winning team.
And good call out by Jeff of Arte’s two numb nut friends who have actively participated in this destruction of an entire organization.
And there is no one better than Minasian at being a bad GM.
Yep, no gaslighting anymore, whether by owner, GM or self-infliction. Moreno made it completely explicit: winning is not among the ‘top five priorities’, he has no plans to spend to win, and he’s focusing on the ballpark experience, not building a competitive team. And he has no plans to sell.
If you come to baseball for a theme park experience, if you view it as one piece of the SoCal hospitality industry, Arte and you are on the same page. But don’t expect excellence, and don’t expect an owner who builds and strategizes for game outcomes. He’s come to disabuse you of the notion that winning is the objective.
If Arte needs to raise money – some Arte Moreno Dart Boards would be a big seller.
That quote is a breath of fresh air. We finally got confirmation to what we’ve all been saying for a loooooong time now.
I have to admit – thinking about what Arte said made me madder than what Rendon said. Now that we know, from the horse’s mouth, he’s about entertainment and not winning – that changes everything. I get that the TV deal changed their revenue picture – but he’s now trying to polish the turd of an owner that says fans don’t really care about winning. You can’t put lipstick on a pig Arte. WE ARE ON TO YOU. Now the OC Register and LA Times needs some cajones to call him out too. Amazing job Jeff.
I would love for this article to go viral Jeff. Let the dude feel it in the wallet where the unknowing fan understands what they are buying. Going to a game would seem like going to Medeival Times to most fans in Arte’s eyes. It’s not for actual competition – it’s for entertainment.
Thank you.
What’s entertaining about this losing team. Cue up Yakkety Sack and watch the boys bumble and fumble way games. I guess that’s entertaining if you’re a fan of any other team playing them.
Thanks Jeff for saying what needed to be said. No amount of Hopium changes the reality confronting Angels fans that want a winner:
Arte doesn’t care.
Arte and his Minions remain committed to doing the absolute minimum to attract people who apparently want to spend money to be safe, eat concession food, pay for parking, while watching marginally skilled “athletes” exert energy for a few hours. This kind of reminds me, for example, of the coastal crowd who move to Montana for the cowboy lifestyle and rural experience, only to hate the smell of livestock and look down on those who make their living farming. It’s all about the show, not substance.
Many still defend Arte and his stewardship of the franchise…and consider themselves “fans”. Arte explained yet again that he’s fine exploiting their misplaced loyalty.
Thank you.
Thank you Jeff. Looks like you won’t be getting an interview with Arte anytime soon. Your definitely not getting a Christmas card. Thanks for not using lube.
Thanks.
You have now heard directly from Arte. Winning is not in the top 5 of the priorities. So is supporting that with your money in your top 5 priorities? If so – that’s your choice. But I just can’t see it.
All true – and sad. Needed to be said in a cohesive manner. And you did that. Great article Jeff even though it’s a huge bummer
Thank you.
I Eviscerated Arte On SI
Read and enjoy.
I also have a new social media manager putting out my pieces.
X: @angels_on_SI
Bluesky: @angelsonsibsky.social
IG: @Angels_on_SI