Sunday, July 04, 2004 |
The Outer (City) Limits
And, for a while longer, of the Angels.
Oh, sure, Arte's made a fuss about the Angels being "LA's team" in the ads, but it doesn't mean he can't think big, can't think about rebranding his club after the greater metropolitan area. And that's -- no doubt -- Los Angeles.
Now, as Frank McCourt and his new Dodger management team prepare for their first winter marketing campaign, the Angel owner might fire another shot at the Dodgers. After stripping "Anaheim" from the team's uniforms, schedules, tickets and website last fall, Moreno might try to reclaim the original franchise name and call his team the Los Angeles Angels.It's almost certain Arte wanted this from the moment he first conceived of buying the team.Moreno has discussed the possible change with Commissioner Bud Selig, according to a high-ranking baseball official. Moreno declined to comment, as did Selig. If Moreno decided to proceed, McCourt would be powerless to stop him. The city of Anaheim, however, might not be.
...
Team executives smile each time [the Los Angeles Times sign on the centerfield scoreboard] appears on television, beaming the words "Los Angeles" to every audience watching the Angels.
The smiles are not as wide at City Hall in Anaheim. In the spring, after watching the word "Anaheim" virtually disappear at Angel Stadium, the city sent a letter to Moreno, reminding him that the stadium lease requires the team to be called the Anaheim Angels. The city attached that stipulation to its $30-million contribution toward the 1997 stadium renovation.
Would I miss "Anaheim" in the name? Probably. That team won the World Series, not the Los Angeles Angels. The Anaheim Angels were as anonymous as, say, the 2000 Twins. The LA Angels played their last game in Chavez Ravine back in 1966. Would the name change help market the Angels? Sure.
But it wouldn't be the same team.
Maybe that's for the best; if Arte can put together a great club by mixing the farm and quality, top-drawer free agents like Vlad, while convincing everyone here the Angels are LA's team, great. If that means three million attendance every year, same as the Dodgers, great.
But if all it does is let the team buy more guys like Colon, that's a problem. And that attendence will be a little less than three mil. Maybe a lot less. Just ask the Mets and O's: just because you can afford expensive free agents doesn't mean you'll make the team a winner.
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