Arte Moreno injects Angels into Manny Ramirez buzz

Angels owner Arte Moreno casually mentioned during a conversation with AM 830 radio host Roger Lodge on Wednesday that there are many things to like about free agent Manny Ramirez.

Boom. Talk radio hosts around the country and baseball-centric Internet message boards started filling up with talk of Manny being an Angel instead of a Dodger.

It was a George Steinbrenner moment. For the bombastic New York Yankees owner, the goal always was to co-opt the tabloid newspaper back pages. From firing a manager to signing (or pretending to sign) a superstar, Steinbrenner was genius at making it all about the Yankees all the time.

And with a few minutes of air time, Moreno did just that for the Angels and seized the sports day.

Until Moreno went on 830 -- a station he owns -- USC's football team had been dominating local sports media coverage.

That is, when it hasn't been about Manny. Will the Dodgers re-sign Manny? Can Manny survive on $30 million? Does Manny need $60 million? Can't Manny simply be happy in sunny Southern California?

There has been a little room for the runaway Lakers as well. Even Brian Burke stepping down as Ducks' general manager got some coverage.

UCLA and USC starting basketball season, more news.

Angels, no news.

Until Moreno sat down with Lodge and said that Manny was a very good hitter and that the Angels need a very good hitter and, well, who knows?

Moreno is a smart man.

He made his millions in outdoor billboards and he used billboards prominently when he renamed his team the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Moreno knows billboards. So he went on the air and spoke enthusiastically of Ramirez. Better than a billboard.

"He single-handedly took L.A. to the promised land," Moreno said. "He did a heck of a job, he hit great, he was a fan favorite, he did a great job with their young players. At the end of the day, you want people who can hit, and he may be one of the top right-handed hitters ever."

After the interview, Lodge said he was surprised.

"When Arte and I do the show, 98% of the time I know what Arte is going to say," Lodge said. "Not in this particular case. Arte just started talking about Manny being one of the best right-handed hitters he's ever seen."

So as teams today get set to start signing free agents, Moreno has put the Angels in the news. Maybe Moreno really wants Ramirez. Maybe he will help drive up Ramirez's price. But Moreno got the discussion started on a station he owns. Even Steinbrenner couldn't do that.