Opener Was a Work of Arte

Multiple stars, varied talents, endless hopes, a single color.

As the Angel home opener vividly displayed Tuesday, Arte Moreno has indeed painted the town, well, you know.

Red, in the voice of Garret Anderson, who began the night by signing a four-year contract extension without even thinking about pursuing the exotic flirtations of free agency.

“It’s all about loyalty,” he said. “This organization gave me a chance. This is where I want to be.”

Red, in the 43,443-person embrace of owner Moreno, who received a prolonged standing ovation while throwing out the first pitch, his first reported earnings.

“We think we made great decisions,” Moreno said. “But I’ll tell you in October.”

Red, too, in the eyes of Scott Spiezio, the Angel-turned-Mariner who was stunned with two standing ovations on separate occasions by fans who will never forget that dizzying night known as Game 6.

“This has become a great place to play baseball,” Tim Salmon said.

Fire-engine, stop-sign, ketchup-bottle great.

There was red glowing from the new “A” over the new left-field scoreboard, red glittering from the new video boards that wrap the stadium facades like a shiny new belt, red on the backs of every other fan.

There was red in the hot-dog ads, the Hooters ads, the organic milk ads. There was red in nearly every bit of Angel Stadium signage except, most notably, the giant newspaper marquee that looms above the new right-field scoreboard.

It’s the L.A. Times, and our color is blue.

“But if we get to the playoffs, we already have permission to paint it red,” said a team executive with a grin.

And, oh yes, there was also some red on the bases, the Angels rebounding from a 4-0 deficit to score seven runs in three innings and carve a 7-5 victory with Moreno’s green.

New guy Vladimir Guerrero?

In the fifth, he golfed a seemingly perfect 2-and-0 slider into the left-field bullpen for a two-run homer that left pitcher Joel Pineiro throwing up his arms and shaking his head even before the ball left the park. Not in frustration, but disbelief.

In the seventh, Guerrero knocked a foul ball into Moreno’s luxury box -- $70-million souvenir, Arte? -- before shooting a single down the right-field line to keep alive what became the game-winning rally.

A single that sounded louder than the homer.

“I don’t think we’ve scratched the surface on how he can awe us,” said Salmon of Guerrero.

New guy Jose Guillen?

With Darin Erstad and Guerrero on base in the seventh, he lined the first pitch from Julio Mateo into the left-field corner for a bases-clearing double to give the Angels their first lead.

Yeah, Guerrero scored all the way from first base on the hit, sprinting around the diamond like a kid before walking back to the dugout in his usual old-man gait.

“Before I came to the plate, I told G.A. [Anderson] that it’s time we start having some fun,” said Guillen.

New guy Kelvim Escobar?

With first base open in the first inning, he foolishly tried to sneak a fastball past nemesis Edgar Martinez, the old guy clubbing it into a two-run homer.

But after that, he gave up only four singles, a bunt hit and a bloop double in surviving six innings without his best stuff.

With this sort of Angel offense, that sort of survival will sometimes be enough.

It is any wonder that afterward fans congregated beneath Moreno’s box and tossed balls and caps for him to sign.

“I don’t want to be the story, I want this team to be the story,” Moreno said, but too late for that.

Some old faces also showed up, and we’re not talking about the sixth-inning season premiere of a rally monkey whose skills hardly seemed needed.

There was Bengie Molina, moments after being presented with his second consecutive Gold Glove, throwing out Ichiro Suzuki as he attempted to steal third with none out in the first.

There was Adam Kennedy, reenergized by the newcomers and finally gaining respect as a good second baseman, saving a hit with a diving stop in the sixth before singling and scoring in the bottom of the inning.

And -- surprise, surprise -- there was Salmon playing right field, yet playing as smart as ever, throwing out a runner at third.

Finally, fittingly, there was closer Troy Percival, no longer squinting but just as scary.

Bret Boone angrily tossed his bat after a pop-out on a 1-and-2 fastball. Martinez broke his bat on a groundout. Raul Ibanez lost a foul-ball battle and lined to left to end it.

The color of the fireworks? What else?

The Angels may need more depth at starting pitching.

They certainly need the return of reliever Brendan Donnelly. They can’t count on seven-run rallies every game.

“I’m on a honeymoon now, but the bomb will drop eventually,” Moreno said before the game. “I’ll take a wrong turn somewhere.”

Indeed he will. Certainly, they will. But not on this night, the grandest of openings in any shade.

Bill Plaschke can be reached at bill.plaschke@latimes.com. For previous columns by Plaschke, go to latimes.com/plaschke.