Artie Moreno

Okay, so if you haven't noticed, it's baseball season again. Sort of, it's actually Spring Training time. I'm sitting here at the computer listening to the Angels play the White Sox. The color man, Rex Hudler, mentioned early in the game that the Angels owner, Artie Moreno, was sitting in the bleachers right behind home plate enjoying the game with his wife. A few innings later, Moreno is sitting in the radio booth talking away with the announcers.
No matter what you may think, this truly is a big deal. I have always admired Moreno for his accessibility, especially to the fans. As he said today, whether he likes it or not, the fans are more than willing to talk to him and tell him what they think. And the best part? He listens!
I cannot think of any other team owner that actually sits with the fans during any game, Spring Training or regular season game. They are hiding in their little glass enclosed booths, hiding from the people that pay to see their teams play ball which is truly a shame. Maybe they are afraid to hear what these fans will tell them, but if they are, maybe they shouldn't be running a team!
Moreno has done a wonderful job of running the Angels, and listening to the fans and taking note of what is going on with the world. Today he talked at length about the bad economy and how they are working hard to figure out how to make things cheaper and easier for families to actually be able to afford to come out and see a game. Yes, the man is in this as a business, but still, he is very human and knows that people are getting poorer by the day. Gotta admire the man for that too :)
Think about your favorite team, no matter what the sport. How many games have you attended where the owner of that team was sitting somewhere surrounded by the fans and listening to their praises and their disappointments. You probably have never seen that owner in the stands with the regular folks.