DISNEY SHELLS OUT FOR LEADER.

Byline: BOB KEISSER

On the day the Angels made their most significant transaction of the '90s, that which was missing seemed as important as what one could see.

The Angels Wednesday signed All-Star first baseman Mo Vaughn to a massive six-year, $80 million contract Wednesday, and the press conference attendees included two Vaughn representatives, two Angels lawyers, Angels general manager Bill Bavasi and Mo via satellite.

No one from the top floor of Disney Sports could be found. Team president Tony Tavares was not there to elaborate on his now-infamous comment that no player is worth $10 million a year. Michael Eisner did not drop by to digress about brand-name identity.

On the day before Thanksgiving, the Angels let their baseball people make two bold moves with one swing - sign Vaughn and give the organization some much-needed credibility among its peers.

Without question, Vaughn fits in the Angels lineup and clubhouse. He's a power-hitting left-hander whose commitment to winning separates him from a lot of other well-paid baseball players. But no one should overlook the credibility issue.

The Angels' last major free-agent acquisition before Wednesday was pitcher Mark Langston in 1991. In the years since, the Angels earned a reputation as a small-market team with small-market goals. Their boldest move between Langston in 1991 and Vaughn in late 1998 was convincing players like Tim Salmon to trade short-term free-agent money for long-term security.

Disney's arrival, with its flinty bottom-line reputation, only reaffirmed the image of the Angels guarding their wallet like a tourist in Central Park.

``I'd hope people would take us a little differently now,'' said Bavasi at the press conference. ``I think people would be making a mistake if they think that we're done.''

The Angels are still in the hunt for Randy Johnson, and the Vaughn signing might lead to a large trade.

``But this is a change in action. It's not necessarily a change in philosophy,'' Bavasi continued. ``We're not trying to make a statement as much as making the ballclub better.

``There are more people who believe players are not worth $10 million a year than those who do. But the market is what it is. Disney is not afraid to get in. It just wants to be careful.''

Most observers of the '98 Angels would agree the team needs pitching help. But the view from inside focused on the team's need for a leader, a player who can make a difference in all of those intangible areas. The Angels' clubhouse last September was determined but inert. In the last weeks of the season, there was no one around capable of seizing the moment from within. It is not a criticism in the least to say that Salmon, Darin Erstad and Gary DiSarcina are not emotional, kick-butt types of leaders.

Vaughn brings Kirk Gibson-like qualities to the Angels in addition to his .304 average and 230 home runs.

``We have some (players who are leaders),'' Bavasi said. ``But after the season, I talked with (coach) George Hendricks, and he felt we needed to get a guy who is willing and able to say, `Get on my back and let's go.'

``From his first season, Mo was a guy who took a leadership role on a team and in a city where there is a lot of pressure. When I first met with Adam Katz (Vaughn's agent), I told him that. We said upfront that we wanted Mo to take a leadership role.''

And those were words Vaughn wanted to hear. In Boston, he watched the Red Sox let Roger Clemens walk away and suffer through several managerial debacles.

The Angels conveyed the right message: We want to win and we want you to lead us. That might be as much of an ego stroke as anything else in sports, but it's preferable to those free agents who view the system as their personal lottery, or those who sulk because they can't feel the love.

The Angels will love Vaughn to the tune of $13.3 million a year. In return, they expect a new warmth in the clubhouse. If he loves them back just a little, Disney's team, not Disneyland, might be the happiest place on earth.