BASEBALL IN STORE FOR MOORE EX-UCLA, HART QB MAKES SWITCH.

Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer

Closing time was 9 p.m., but Matt Moore typically stayed at the batting cages for hours beyond. The pitching machine spat baseballs, and Moore fluidly knocked them around the complex.

Even after three years of trying to pick apart football defenses and not touching a bat, his smooth, left-handed swing felt natural.

Folks at the Line Drive Baseball Academy in Valencia began to notice, including former major leaguer Rene Gonzalez. Phone calls were made, tryouts followed, a stint in a glorified Sunday beer league was next and then came more tryouts.

And after six months of wondering what the future would hold, Moore unexpectedly found his had nothing to do with football.

He left UCLA amid questions of his relationship with coach Karl Dorrell, spent six months searching for a new football home and never imagined his last pass would be an interception at Washington State.

But a day after being drafted in the 22nd round by the Angels, Moore said he was done with football and ready to pursue a baseball career.

He leaves football after a successful career at Hart High of Newhall and two trying, often frustrating seasons with the Bruins.

``I'm going to look at baseball now as my job because I don't see how you can be successful without doing it like that,'' Moore said Wednesday.

Moore's farewell to football caps a strange saga for the 19-year-old, who left the Bruins football team after its regular-season finale against USC. He last played baseball in 2001, when he batted .378 with four homers as a junior at Hart.

``Right off the bat, we're not expecting much,'' Angels scouting director Eddie Bane said. ``He's going to be out there facing a Latino right-hander that's been pitching (steadily) since he was 10 years old, and this is a guy that didn't play his senior year at Hart. But some of those fighters like that, that find their way to the top, they're not going to accept failure so they'll do anything to battle it.''

Moore said the switch came unexpectedly. As recently as two weeks ago, Moore, who was working out at College of Canyons to prepare for his football future, said he believed he was transferring to Colorado State, although details of whether he would walk-on or receive a scholarship were unsettled.

``I haven't really been looking at football negatively, but I haven't really been looking at it positively, either,'' the 6-foot-4, 194-pound Moore said. ``It just kind of happened a few months ago. I started working out with baseball, got a couple of looks and a couple of good responses back, and then the Angels drafted me. It was late, but still, it's the opportunity of a lifetime. I'm so pumped.''

Moore said his turbulent sophomore season at UCLA wasn't the reason he left football, but it did sting.

After winning the starting job in training camp, Moore was injured in the first quarter of the 2003 season opener. He didn't return to his starting spot for seven weeks, about two more than he believed he needed.

It got worse for Moore when he was yanked in back-to-back games at Stanford and Washington State, then stood on the sideline while Drew Olson took all the snaps in blowout losses to Oregon and USC.

``It opened my feelings a little bit, but I wouldn't say I lost the desire (to play) because it's a great game and I loved it,'' said Moore, who threw for 967 yards and four touchdowns in parts of two seasons at UCLA. ``This is just something I want to try and do it.''

Moore spent Tuesday in Anaheim watching part of the Angels' 1-0 loss to Milwaukee in 17 innings. He was heading down the Golden State (5) Freeway again Wednesday to meet with team executives, is hopeful of signing a contract by week's end and reporting to rookie camp in Mesa, Ariz., next week.

``He's so talented,'' said Jim Ozella, Moore's baseball coach at Hart. ``He's got abilities that are very evident. He's got an outstanding arm, he can pick it. All the things the pros look for at third base: tall, rangy, quickness. If his ability shines and starts to come out, he's got some skills. He's got a great looking swing.

``His only problem is he hasn't played baseball for three years. He has to get the rust off.''

This path started because Moore needed money for gas and hanging out with friends while on hiatus from school.

He left UCLA before the humiliating loss to Fresno State in the Silicon Valley bowl. Despite feelers from San Diego State, Nebraska, Hawaii, UNLV and others as well a scholarship offer from Division I-AA Montana, he never found a school.

So he took a job at Line Drive and one night starting messing around in the batting cage. He said it was the first time since his junior season at Hart he swung a bat.

``We would hit every night and I started getting back into it,'' Moore said. ``Then I was hitting during hours and somebody saw me and was like, 'Wow, we need to get you a tryout.' That's how it all started.''

Moore said he worked out for at least 18 teams and a scouting bureau. He also played in the Victory Adult Baseball League to get some live action.

Moore added his father, Don, who played in the St. Louis Cardinals organization, would help with the baseball contract. Moore said the family would look into protecting his collegiate eligibility in case ``I regret doing this and want to play football when I'm in (Single-A) or something.''

And Moore, who batted .316 with four homers as sophomore at Hart, is anticipating a maddening amount of rustiness once he begins playing.

``It's going to be hard for me because I'm impatient and get frustrated, so when I go up there and suck it will (tick) me off,'' Moore said. ``At the same time, I have to rely on the skills and I have to perform.''

Brian Dohn, [phone]

brian.dohn(at)dailynews.com