Arte Moreno is a fcuker. http://anaheim.angels.mlb.com/NASAp...50103&content_id=926747&vkey=pr_ana&fext=.jsp
The only reason for the delay was to allow their lawyers the chance to make absolutely certain they were on solid legal footing... Whatever, it should be a fun season. I'm particularly excited about the prospects of my Gaslamp District Padres of San Diego. I think this is their year!
I would be paying more attention to my Foxboro Patriots of New England, but the hot stove has kept me engrossed with the Back Bay Red Sox of Boston.
You should be happy that you don't like the New York Giants of East Rutherford New Jersey, like I do.
From the ESPN article: The city of Anaheim will file a lawsuit to block the name change and hopes to obtain a temporary restraining order in place this week, city spokesman John Nicoletti said. Anaheim officials believe the change violates the terms of the team's 33-year lease with the city. It's geographically confusing and absurd," Nicoletti said. "No other professional sports franchise that I know of has two different cities in its names." http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1958082 Heheh, well there was the New York-New Jersey MetroStars...
Boo. Hiss. A better analogy would be if the O'Malleys had wanted to get more fans in from the rest of New York by naming the team the Manhattan Dodgers of Brooklyn. Orange County isn't LA. It's not LA County. It's in the greater LA MSA, but that's about it. This move won't bring in any Angelenos, but it's sure as hell going to piss people off on the other side of the Orange Curtain.
What's the big deal prof? I've actually read some other Angels fans are upset too? I dont understand. Is there a reason? From where I sit in NJ, there's no difference between Anaheim and Los Angeles. It's all the same metro area isnt it?
a better analogy would be if he had named them the New York Dodgers. I can see if they went from being the Anaheim Angels to the Bel Air Angels. I just dont see what the big deal is. Of course, take that with a grain of salt because I have never been to Southern California. What I can tell you is this. 99% of the people outside of California consider Anaheim and Los Angeles one in the same. Heck, until now, I always thought Anaheim was just the name of a Los Angeles neighborhood
I could be wrong but I believe Anaheim and LA are two seperate cities. Aren't they like an hour's drive away from each other?
I was just doing some reading on a baseball board and you're correct. They are completely seprate cities and counties. I never knew that. Also, they're about 45 minutes apart
That's without traffic and since we always have that, expect about a 2 hour commute. I'm not into baseball but this is dumb. Having Anaheim in their name made them distinct from Los Angeles. With the Angels, Anaheim was not just home of Disneyland. Mr. Moreno, lowering the price of beer was cool on your part, but this move is rather dumb.
Though Orange and LA are close to each other and connected through urbanization, they have their own fairly distinct nodes of activity. There are about 2.5 to 3 million people in Orange County. I think this name change is geared more toward television marketing than increasing attendence from LA. At the end of next season the Angels local TV deal expires. I think the name change is an attempt to lure LA-type dollars for the next TV contract, whether it will work, I don't know. From what I have read, the Dodgers TV contract is about 3 times biggers than the LAAAs.
And I can tell you that 99% of the people in metropolitan New York aren't aware that there's a great big wide world out there west of the Delaware river What you're saying makes sense, except for that whole "he's trying to win more Californian fans" part. Believe me. I've lived in metro New York for 20-something years and Southern California for the last 10. Anaheim is no more a part of LA than Brooklyn is a part of Manhattan. Furthermore, OC residents are just as protective of their region's individual identity as Brooklynites. Perhaps an even better analogy would be if the Nets or Devils changed their name to "The New York Nets of the East Rutherford" or "The New York Devils of the Meadowlands". The football Giants and the Jets both started out in New York, (OK, and the Angels started in LA, but only for a handful of seasons) and never changed their names to reflect their new surroundings, which is why their example isn't analogous.
Would this name change really draw more sponsors and fans? It seems like they're just generalizing their market segment, especially with a market that's had a team for nearly 50 years. I don't see how this could do much for the team. Hell, if anything it seems like it'll just piss off the Angels fans. Going back to being the California Angels seems more logical than Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Actually, calling them the United States of America Angels sounds more logical than Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
That's what Arte Moreno is hoping for. He thinks that having Los Angeles in the name could lead to a better TV contract and higher ratings fans that live in the Inland Empire (San Bernardino/Riverside Counties) as well as OC and LA. I've a snese that the Inland Empire wants to distinguish themselves from LA as well so having LA in the name might not be appealing.
Yeah, I'm wondering "Why LA?" You're targeting a market where you'll always be #2 to the Dodgers and lowering your brand positioning, while somewhat alienating fans in surrounding areas. Why not go with something less city-specific like Southern California Angels of Anaheim? Yeah, it's a horrible name, but at least it covers the territory without the baggage. There's a reason you don't have New York Devils of East Rutherford or Boston Patriots of Foxboro or San Francisco Warriors of Oakland.