Expectations Await Latino Owner

The Walt Disney Co. has long encouraged the Latinos that live in the neighborhoods surrounding Edison Field to call the Angels their home team. The company might have made the most significant step in that direction Tuesday, agreeing in principle to sell the Angels to Arturo Moreno, a Phoenix businessman who would become the first Latino to own a Major League Baseball team.

Disney targeted a largely untapped fan base in Anaheim and Santa Ana with such initiatives as bilingual signs and ticket windows at Edison Field, Spanish-language ad drives, special ticket programs and the return of Spanish broadcasts. At the rally that followed the Angels’ World Series championship parade last October, some of the loudest ovations were awarded to Puerto Rican catcher Bengie Molina, Dominican pitcher Ramon Ortiz and Venezuelan pitcher Francisco Rodriguez, all of whom spoke to the crowd in Spanish.

Molina, active in the Angels’ efforts within the Latino community, said he looks forward to meeting the new Latino owner.

“It’s going to be interesting to see what he’s going to do in the community and to the team,” Molina said. “I don’t know what to expect out of him, because I don’t know him ... He’ll make a big impact on Latino players, hopefully.”

David Hayes-Bautista, a UCLA professor and director of the school’s Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture, said he expected Moreno to renew efforts to enliven a Latino fan base.

“He’ll probably be a little more sensitive about how to go about doing this,” Hayes-Bautista said. “But basically the owner has got to ensure a good baseball team so that it can be competitive. And an owner who doesn’t do that is just not being a good owner, not being a good steward for the team.”

Staff writer Ben Bolch contributed to this report.