ANGELS NOTEBOOK: ANGELS ARE `BIG-MARKET'.

Byline: Gabe Lacques Staff Writer

TEMPE, Ariz. - Angels owner Arte Moreno said Friday he'd like to see a basic agreement in baseball that includes salary floors and ceilings, but he did not vilify the New York Yankees for their free-spending ways, lauding them for making a ``great deal'' to land shortstop Alex Rodriguez.

And in a stark departure from comments made a decade ago by Jackie Autry, Moreno said the Angels should look the Yankees in the eye, because they too are an elite franchise with big-revenue potential.

``We are a big-market team. We ought to act like a big-market team,'' Moreno said. ``I shouldn't be here as an owner if I can't do my best to bring a competitive team to the Angels.''

Autry, the widow of original club owner Gene Autry, once characterized the Angels as a mid-market team. Moreno, citing Southern California's population base of 16.2 million, begs to differ.

He said there's no reason the club can't draw 3 million fans every year, and while the club's $146 million spending spree this offseason cast him as a wild-eyed spender in a climate of payroll regression, he said it still dovetails with his plans for profitability.

``We have a business plan. It's not just written on the back of a napkin,'' he said. ``There's absolutely no reason we shouldn't bring a championship-caliber club here every year.''

Moreno gained control of the team in May, but Friday had the feel of his first day on the job. He sat in on the team meeting before the first workout for pitchers and catchers, then sauntered down to the fields and stood nearby while pitchers conducted fielding drills.

Later, clutching a baseball with Commissioner Bud Selig's signature on it, he vowed to make the 10-mile trip from his Phoenix home to camp ``as much as I can'' while overseeing the business end of turning the Angels into revenue juggernauts.

--No rest for K-Rod: After throwing 86 innings in his rookie season with the Angels, reliever Francisco Rodriguez threw 45 more innings in Venezuela and in the Caribbean Series, which went against the original wishes of general manager Bill Stoneman.

But manager Mike Scioscia said Rodriguez getting extra work could prove beneficial, and that if the club weren't comfortable with it, ``he wouldn't pitch down there.''

--News and notes: Ervin Santana, the Angels' top pitching prospect, reported tightness in his right shoulder and was examined by Dr. Lewis Yocum. Santana threw long toss and said he will be ready to pitch in two weeks. Santana missed two starts at Double-A Arkansas last year because of concern over his pitching elbow. He said he did not pitch in the Dominican Republic this winter.

Gabe Lacques, [phone]

gabe.lacques(at)sgvn.com