Matthews’ silence is a sore subject for Angels’ Moreno

SO HOW does it feel, Arte Moreno, to be a baseball fan these days?

You’re ticked, aren’t you?

“Steroids. HGH. Performance-enhancing drugs.” I’ll bet you’re sick of hearing that.

Well, join the rest of us. And now you’ve allegedly got one batting lead off, making him the first hitter Angels fans will see every game this season. It will be interesting to see how he does, all right, but not for the same reason we’ve watched Angels hitters in the past.

Now I know how much you enjoy that walk through the stands before most home games to hear what the fans have to say. The nice thing about that this season, Arte, misery will find company.

WHEN YOU think of Moreno, you think first of a real baseball fan -- unless maybe you’re an Anaheim politician. He lowered the cost of beer, slashed the prices on Angels baseball caps so every kid could afford to wear one and added Vladimir Guerrero to the payroll after the payroll had already been set.

And like any baseball fan, he wants to talk baseball, Howie Kendrick, a pain-free Garret Anderson and the progress Bartolo Colon is making.

But “instead of people stopping me to say, ‘Hey, Arte, how’s the team looking in spring training?’ the first thing everybody wants to know is, ‘What about Gary Matthews?’ ”

How does it feel, Arte, to be talking baseball, only to spend most of the time chatting about illegal substances?

Did you ask your new center fielder if the allegations were true, and he obtained an illegal prescription for human growth hormone over the Internet three years ago? Did you ask him if there’s anything you have to worry about? Did you just let him have it, Arte?

“No,” Moreno said, “but I told him I wanted him to make a statement because the fans deserve to know what’s going on, and if he didn’t make a statement, I would.”

When Matthews didn’t explain himself in a statement, Moreno did. And much like an irritated emotional baseball fan -- making him not much different than most of you -- he said, “It’s going to be resolved by opening day -- one way or the other, I promise you that.”

How many baseball fans out there would like the chance to walk up to Barry Bonds or others accused of enhanced performances and demand they come clean?

AS FOR getting an answer -- it would be far easier to obtain HGH, and how frustrating does that continue to be for everybody? Just think back to Mark McGwire sitting before Congress.

How about being a fan and also the guy who has agreed to pay one of these accused enhanced performers $50 million over the next five years? Now I would imagine just about every Angels fan is pleased to see you holding your players accountable, Arte, but what makes you think you’re going to be treated any differently than the rest of us?

“Arte, you’re powerless,” I suggested, just like every other baseball fan who would like to know what’s going on with Matthews.

“I’m not powerless,” Moreno said.

“There’s going to be no quick resolve here, Arte, so there goes your promise to have it resolved by opening day,” I said.

“That’s your opinion,” Moreno said. “I made my statement. I’m very unhappy and I want it resolved. The ball is in his court, and I’m not going to make a new decision every day. Eventually, I’m going to have to make a decision, taking the best information I have into account, and then make that call.”

“What does that mean?”

“I don’t want to get into any kind of negotiation in the paper,” he said. “I’m not going to answer that question.”

Moreno made it clear, though, very clear that he will not be speaking to Matthews’ attorney, or to Matthews’ agent, or to the crisis management team Matthews has hired. Matthews is hitting .154, but no word on whether he’s also hired a hitting instructor. Or talked to a pharmacist.

THE ANGELS are putting pressure on Matthews to explain himself. It’s refreshing. I imagine most teams would react differently, urging the public to wait for the legal process to run its course while shielding the accused from the media.

Baseball fan to baseball player, though, Moreno told Matthews that when a fan buys a ticket, “he’s making an investment in that game or team” and Matthews owes it to the fans to tell them what’s going on.

Nice speech, Arte, but O.J.’s attorney told Matthews to clam up, and right now he’s listening to his attorney rather than the guy paying his salary. And come on, Arte, how many players really care what the fans think?

“I’m unhappy,” Moreno said. “Everyone knows I’m unhappy. I just want to get this resolved. The fans deserve to know what’s going on here.”

Get in line, buster.

WHEN THE NBA suspended Kobe Bryant for throwing his arm into the nose of Manu Ginobili, The Times reported Bryant “was stunned by the news.” He was also “blown away” and “shocked,” and called it an unintentional elbow.

Lakers fans were upset, too, claiming he’d never do such a thing on purpose.

“It’s basketball,” The Times quoted Bryant as saying. “It happens.”

It’s happening with Bryant because drawing a foul has become as important to his game sometimes as shooting a jump shot. And in drawing or making contact, it’s become obvious that Bryant is not opposed to inflicting some punishment -- throwing his arm into the nose of Marko Jaric on Tuesday night, and getting suspended again.

I know, I know -- he’s innocent. It’s just basketball, but he’s lucky the NBA didn’t smack him with a four-game suspension.

GIVEN JOE Beimel’s history with the Dodgers, hurting himself in a bar and not being able to pitch in the playoffs, when you hear he’s experiencing “elbow irritation,” it makes you wonder if he’s been bending his elbow too much again.

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T.J. Simers can be reached at t.j.simers@latimes.com. To read previous columns by Simers, go to latimes.com/simers.