Langston Chased, but Not From Mound

Will the Walt Disney Co.’s decision to back out of a deal to purchase the Angels have an affect on the team? “Yeah,” Angel shortstop Gary DiSarcina said with a smirk. “We’re going to have to listen to four guys moan about their multiyear deals for a while.”

There was sarcasm aplenty in the Angel clubhouse Thursday morning, much of it flung by reliever Troy Percival and first baseman J.T. Snow, who, along with outfielder Jim Edmonds, had come to terms on long-term contracts that were contingent on Disney buying a controlling interest in the team.

But Snow, who was anticipating a three-year, $6-million deal, Edmonds (four-year, $9-million) and Percival (four-year, $4-million) will likely settle for the one-year deals they signed Monday. Outfielder Garret Anderson was also hoping to sign a multiyear contract after the transition.

“Guess you can’t buy that mansion on the hill,” Snow said to Percival. “Yeah,” Percival said, “Looks like I’m back to eating at McDonald’s.”

Beyond the one-liners, neither Snow nor Percival seemed genuinely upset. “To tell you the truth, I’ve got a decent [$330,000] one-year deal,” Percival said. “I didn’t really believe I was getting that [$4-million] deal anyway. It seemed too good to be true.”