Moreno isn’t ready to duck his responsibility

The baseball meetings are going on in Florida right now, which I figured was probably news to the Angels, so I put a call in to team owner Arte Moreno.

As you recall, the Angels were a huge disappointment last season and the last we heard from Moreno he was telling everyone, “I guarantee we’re going to do something major this off-season.”

That hasn’t happened yet, and although the Angels hold out hope they will still land a power-hitting first or third baseman, Moreno has already told his wife he might have to “eat duck.”

When told that most people would expect him to eat crow, Moreno said, “If you make a mistake, you make a mistake. I knew as soon as the words came out of my mouth, my foot was going in there.

“For four years I’ve been telling my baseball people they will make the baseball decisions, and then I go and say something like that. But I don’t eat crow; duck maybe with a bottle of wine, but not crow.”

Moreno has spent $50 million to shore up the defense in center field with the signing of Gary Matthews Jr. and another $18 million to improve depth in the bullpen with the acquisition of Justin Speier. But like last season, and the season before that, the Angels continue to lack the power hitter to protect Vladimir Guerrero and take advantage of his skills.

“I’m an optimistic person, and so I’d like to think we’ll still get a call to make something like that happen,” Moreno said. “But listen, I think we can win 90 games next season with the team we have right now -- and win our division.”

Don’t worry, I informed him on your behalf that he’s nuts.

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“DON’T FRY us yet,” Moreno said. “I’ll write a letter of apology or do whatever people want if I’m wrong.

“In fact I will give money back to anyone who bought season tickets and doesn’t believe we have a good team,” Moreno said, while pointing out his UCLA furniture store-like offer must be accepted before the season begins. “I’ve always believed in refunding the tickets if someone doesn’t believe we’re giving them good service and that applies here.”

The Angels might have the personnel to hang tough down the stretch in the American League West, but even Moreno admitted, “We think we’re one player away” from being a serious World Series contender.

The Angels thought they could solve their problems by signing Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez, but Ramirez elected to stay in Chicago at the free-agent deadline. They made a seven-year offer to free agent Alfonso Soriano for $115 million, only to watch him sign with the Cubs for $136 million.

“I never thought I’d get outbid by $21 million,” said Moreno, who was under the impression the Tribune Co., which owns the Cubs and The Times, was having financial problems and was about to be sold.

For $136 million, “I might as well have just given him the franchise,” said Moreno, who bought the Angels four years ago for $180 million. “I had to make the decision to eat duck or try to maintain some kind of sanity. If you sign a player like that and he gets hurt, he can ruin your franchise.”

Although the free-agent market remains open, Moreno said, “It’s like shopping on Dec. 24; it’s pretty picked over.”

The Angels have discussed a number of trades and have one deal on the table that might still come to fruition, but as Moreno said, “Basically the question is do we give up young pitching -- not just one, but a young starter and reliever -- for a hitter?

“We won 89 games last year and gave away three or four early on when we weren’t playing well. Our problem wasn’t hitting as much as it was defense. Historically, teams with good pitching are the ones who have done best in baseball. Move two pitchers, and that’s the $64,000 question -- does it make you a better team?

“Our people right now say, ‘No,’ ” which explains why the Angels have nothing to crow about so far.

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SOMETHING CALLED “Baseball America” named the Dodgers the “Organization of the Year” on Monday.

“The honor,” according to a Dodgers press release, “the first time Baseball America has bestowed its Organization of the Year on the Dodgers in the 25 years of the award, comes on the heels of the club’s second postseason appearance in the past three years.”

Apparently it’s not important for the Organization of the Year to win a playoff game.

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WHAT A nice surprise. Instead of opening a letter to find Page 2 shredded into pieces, I found a $500 check from Tom Denne made out to the benefit of Mattel Children’s Hospital at UCLA. More toys to buy to keep Santa Claus, a.k.a, Tom Lasorda, passing them out at next Tuesday’s Christmas party for the kids. B. Fernandez also passed along a very generous money order, and now I’m beginning to worry Santa Claus might never get a break.

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DON’T KNOW if there is an employee of the year at Staples Center, but there would appear to be a leader in the arena. Usher Stella Padilla found a money clip this weekend containing someone’s name -- and 17 $100 bills. Padilla took the $1,700 to her supervisor, Chuck Loth, and together they got it back to the owner.

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TODAY’S LAST word comes in e-mail from Tammie Haller:

“The visual is killing me. Now my Jets-loving husband asked how come we never shower together and when was I going to cook breakfast for him? I told him that I would think about it when the Jets win the Super Bowl.”

Be careful -- the wife told me, “You can turn on the water the day Georgia Frontiere holds up the Lombardi Trophy.” The visual is still killing me.