Mr. Eisner, Meet Your $80-Million Man

If you were the head of a major corporation and were about to commit $80 million over six years to a prospective employee, wouldn’t you want to meet or at least talk to that person before you made the hire?

Not Walt Disney Co. Chairman Michael Eisner, who approved a massive investment in Angel first baseman Mo Vaughn this past winter without saying so much as a word to the former Boston Red Sox slugger.

“They were nice enough to call me [before we signed him], though,” said Eisner, whose company owns the Angels. “I have a lot of faith in the people making those decisions, and I ask thousands of questions.”

Eisner and Vaughn finally met and chatted for the first time Friday before the Angels’ 17-4 loss to the Oakland Athletics in the Cactus League opener at Tempe Diablo Stadium.

The groundwork for this get-together was laid last summer.

“Signing Mo was not an accident,” Eisner said. “We sat down last summer and talked about a strategy for the Angels. We could either cut back and not be competitive, stay in the middle, where we weren’t competitive but we weren’t an embarrassment, or we could be really competitive, step it up and try to put people in seats so we could justify [such a large investment].”

Disney swung for the fences, and the result, Eisner believes, put a stamp of legitimacy on an entertainment giant whose professional sports motives have been questioned ever since Disney bought into the NHL by starting the Mighty Ducks in 1993 and purchased the Angels in 1996.

“I think people finally realize we’re not going to do short-term things, that we’re in for the long haul,” Eisner said. “We’re going to be fiscally responsible, but not cheap.”

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Vaughn had two hits, including a bases-loaded single in the first inning, in three at-bats Friday, after going hitless in three intrasquad games and an exhibition against Arizona State.

Tim Salmon also had two hits, but the A’s bombed Angel pitchers Steve Sparks (five runs, six hits, three innings), Jason Dickson (eight runs, six hits, 1 2/3 innings) and Jarrod Washburn (four runs, five hits, 2 1/3 innings). Dave Hollins, who is battling Troy Glaus for the third base job, didn’t help himself with a throwing error and a fielding error in the fourth inning.

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Chuck Finley felt a little stiffness in his upper back after throwing off the mound Thursday and was scratched from today’s scheduled Cactus League start against Oakland. Omar Olivares will start today, and Manager Terry Collins said Finley probably will pitch Sunday.