Autry Reduces Port’s Role With the Angels : Baseball: After a disappointing season, owner names Richard M. Brown president and chief executive officer.

Less than 24 hours after the end of a disappointing season, the Angels restructured their front office Thursday by appointing Richard M. Brown as the club’s president and chief executive officer.

The move significantly reduces the role of Mike Port, executive vice president and general manager. Port, who will report to Brown, remains in charge of baseball operations, but he will no longer be the chief operating officer.

In hiring Brown, owner Gene Autry relinquished a portion of his responsibilities. Autry had been president and chairman of the board.

Thursday, Autry said he and his wife, Jackie, the club’s executive vice president, had interviewed several candidates for the position before deciding on Brown, who has been on the Angels’ board of directors since 1986 and the club’s legal counsel since 1981.

Brown will oversee the entire organization and report to Autry, who remains chairman of the board. Brown is expected to assume his new duties on Nov. 1.

“I will be taking over the corporate responsibilities, the promotions, the ticket sales and television contracts,” Brown said. “Mike is still the general manager and is responsible for baseball operations. He will still be handling the scouting and player personnel.

“My responsibilities will include a portion of the demands previously handled by Mr. and Mrs. Autry and a portion of the corporate administrative duties handled by Mike (Port).”

Dan O’Brien (senior vice president for baseball operations), Bill Bavasi (director of minor league operations) and Bob Fontaine Jr. (director of scouting) will continue to operate in those capacities, but their decisions will be approved by Brown, not Port.

Port will now have to clear all trades and other transactions through Brown.

“It’s not a demotion,” said Stan Schneider, a member of the board of directors who was involved in selecting Brown as president.

Port has been general manager since 1984 and was promoted to vice president and chief operating officer in 1988. He also is on the board of directors.

“With my corporate responsibilities, I have sometimes been stretched thin,” Port said. “The baseball end hasn’t suffered, but sometimes the administrative end has. My background is in baseball. I will now be responsible for only the product on the field.”

The Angels, who contended for the American League West Division title in 1989, finished fourth this season, 23 games behind the Oakland Athletics.

Much of the blame for that reversal was placed on Port.

Port’s only significant move during the off-season was the signing of free agent pitcher Mark Langston. Even that backfired; Langston finished with a 10-17 record.

When the Angels got off to a poor start this season, Port did make deals for outfielders Luis Polonia and Dave Winfield. However, he was criticized for allowing Willie McGee of the St. Louis Cardinals to clear waivers.

McGee, who won the National League batting title, went to the Athletics.

Tom Reich, agent for Lance Parrish, Brian Downing and three other Angel players, said he had been hearing rumors that more dire consequences were in store for Port and O’Brien.

“There’s been some heat directed at Port by the Autrys,” Reich said. “This is a big corporation and the baseball team is just a part of the corporation, and I think the nature of running a baseball team in this era requires the exclusive attention of guys like Mike (Port) and Dan (O’Brien).

“If the reduction of his authority is a product of the Langston deal specifically or the disappointing year of the team generally, then I think it’s unfortunate.”

Player agent Alan Meersand also expects the Angels’ front office shuffle to have little effect on contract talks involving his clients, pitcher Bob McClure and infielder Kent Anderson.

“It remains to be seen why it’s been done,” Meersand said. “I don’t know Richard Brown from Governor Brown. I don’t know what he’s going to do and I don’t know how it’s going to change Mike Port’s role.

“I don’t have any problem with that as long as he (Brown) knows something about baseball.”

Brown said Port will still be responsible for player transactions, trades and contract negotiations.

“I may ask Mike to fill a need on the team, but he will be the one making the deals,” Brown said. “He will then bring it to me. Myself and the Autrys will make the final decision.”

Thursday’s announcement was the Angels’ second front office move in the past month. On Sept. 12, Michael Schreter resigned from the board of directors to join a private investment and consultant company.

Schneider said Schreter’s resignation was not related to Thursday’s action.

Brown, 47, said he hoped to improve communications within the organization. He also said he wanted to strengthen the Angels’ farm system and expanded the club’s scouting system to Latin America.

Manager Doug Rader said much the same thing two weeks ago, when he agreed to a two-year contract extension.

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