AL West Isn’t the Only Division on His Agenda

In his first visit to the Angels’ spring training home Sunday, Paul Pressler got a personal tour of the complex from Manager Mike Scioscia and General Manager Bill Stoneman, watched an exhibition game dressed in his shiny red team jacket and joked about whether Disney Chairman Michael Eisner might allow him to devote all his energies to running the Angels and Mighty Ducks.

“I keep asking Michael if I can do this for my full-time job,” said Pressler, chairman of Disney’s parks and resorts division and the man temporarily entrusted with operating the company teams.

While it might be fun for a corporate executive accustomed to running theme parks, hotels and cruise ships to sit in on trade talks--halting a proposed trade that would have sent outfielder Darin Erstad to the Chicago White Sox for prospects, and directing Stoneman to play to win this year--the Angels and Ducks are highly visible but financially minuscule parts of Pressler’s empire.

Pressler’s division accounted for $7 billion of Disney’s revenue last year. The Angels and Ducks accounted for about $150 million, roughly two cents of each of those dollars.

With the recession and the aftermath of Sept. 11 compelling Disney to forecast declining attendance at its theme parks and the hotels surrounding them, whatever Pressler can do to reverse those trends is far more significant to the company then whether he can turn the Angels and Ducks into winners. Pressler flew here for the afternoon Sunday and flies to Paris next week for the opening of a second theme park there.

“It’s a huge portfolio of businesses I’m responsible for,” he said. “Ultimately, the teams deserve someone dedicated to them day-to-day.”

Pressler decided last week that he would hire three senior sports executives--a president to run both teams, replacing Tony Tavares, who resigned Jan. 4, and a vice president of business administration for each team. Pressler has promoted Kevin Uhlich, a longtime club employee, to fill the vice president’s position for the Angels and will fill the other two positions from outside the current staff.

Pressler said he wants the new president to live in Orange County and immerse himself in the community, have previous experience in pro sports management--Tavares did not--and be “fiercely competitive.” In the meantime, Stoneman and Duck General Manager Pierre Gauthier will address trades and other player issues directly with Pressler.

Under Pressler’s direction, the Angels kept Erstad and added pitchers Kevin Appier and Aaron Sele and designated hitter Brad Fullmer. They also signed all-star closer Troy Percival, who had asked for a trade and vowed not to sign a contract extension with the club, to a two-year extension.

“The organization really made an adjustment and went after winning,” Percival said. “If this organization is going after winning, this is where I want to be. Once Mr. Pressler stepped in and made it known they wanted me back, that was where my focus was at.

“I just wanted to go to a winner. I did.”

Said Pressler: “These fellows are really pleased with the way the clubhouse has come together, not just with the talent that has been assembled but with the spirit and camaraderie. Part of being a winning team is having that sense of purpose. We feel like we’ve got a team to go out and win every day.

“Obviously, our fans are excited with the players we’ve put out there. Ultimately, it will take a bunch of wins for them to feel great about coming out every single day.”

The Angels expect to sell roughly the same number of season tickets as last year--about 13,000, fairly impressive given the slumping economy and last season’s finish of 41 games out of first place. On the first day individual game tickets went on sale, the Angels sold 5,000 more tickets than on the same day last year.

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Third baseman Troy Glaus, slowed last week by a jammed right ankle, made his Cactus League debut Sunday and doubled in an 11-1 loss to Oakland.