ANGELS ON THE MONEY; FINLEY STOPS HIGH-SALARIED YANKEES ATTACK : ANGELS 4, N.Y. YANKEES 1.

Byline: Joe Haakenson San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Score it 1 for the little guys, 0 for Big Bad George.

The Angels, with a paltry payroll of $40 million, opened up the 1998 season with a 4-1 victory over George Steinbrenner's New York Yankees before a sellout crowd of 43,311 Wednesday night at Edison Field.

Steinbrenner will pay his players about $70 million in salary this season, which is enough to make Michael Eisner, chairman and CEO of the Walt Disney Co., frown.

Believe it or not, Eisner says he's a fan of the underdog. He doesn't want to see anybody buy a championship, like the Florida Marlins did last year and like the Yankees are trying to do this year.

``I think the idea you can buy a championship is unattractive,'' Eisner said before the Angels and Yankees opened the season after a 56-minute rain delay. ``On one end of the spectrum, you have college basketball, which as we just saw is exciting as can be. Nobody gets paid anything. But if you get completely to the other side, where only economics are involved, the fans will become disenchanted. I don't think you can do it.''

The Angels got their money's worth from starter Chuck Finley, who struggled with his control but stuck around for seven innings. He made 110 pitches, struck out seven and gave up only four hits.

It was his 11th consecutive win going back to last season, a club record.

The Angels scored all four runs in the fourth inning off Yankees starter Andy Pettitte. Cecil Fielder got the inning started with a single, his first hit as an Angel.

One out later, another new Angel got into the act. Norberto Martin doubled Fielder to third, then Matt Walbeck tripled to drive in both baserunners for a 2-0 Angels lead. Walbeck also played well defensively, throwing out two would-be base stealers.

Gary DiSarcina followed with an RBI double, and Darin Erstad drove in DiSarcina for a 4-0 lead.

Mike Holtz took over for Finley and pitched a scoreless eighth inning, and Troy Percival pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for the save.

Last season on Opening Day, Percival blew a 5-2 lead in the ninth in a 6-5 Angels loss to the Red Sox.

For one night anyway, Eisner got his wish. The team with the smaller payroll won. Eisner said it would be good for the game if all teams could compete economically on the same playing field.

The first step towards economic parity in baseball?

``When we get a commissioner, that would be a good first step,'' he said. ``I think some of the other sports have better systems, but it's evolutionary. Baseball's been around a long time, so it takes a long time to move in a certain direction.

``Everybody understands the problem, now it's a matter of dealing with it.''

The Angels unveiled Edison Field to the world Wednesday via ESPN - which also happens to be owned by Disney - and Eisner said he believes Disney's method of creating a new ballpark should be copied.

``Maybe what we accomplished is showing other cities they don't have to build a new stadium, you can renovate an old one,'' he said, adding that the like-new ballpark will help end the trend of declining attendance in Anaheim. ``I think we'll see a growing and evolving acceptance of the team.''

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PHOTO (Color) With simulated boulders as a backdrop, Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte works against the Angels.

Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press