The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

[NickHoya215]

WHAT ARE THEY THINKING!!!
That's the stupidist name i've ever heard!!
Watch out Hoya fans Georgetown's new name could become "Georgetown Hoyas of Washignton DC"

[DFW HOYA]

It's a clever (or sneaky, depending on how you look at it) way of getting around a clause in its contract with the city which required the franchise to use the word "Anaheim" in the team's name. They just didn't spell out how they would use the name.

Arte Moreno (the new Angels owner) feels that adding "Los Angeles" broadens his marketing base beyond Orange County. And, in a trivia note, the franchise's original name actually was the Los Angeles Angels when it played at Wrigley Field (the LA one, not the Chicago one) and Dodger Stadium.

www.ballparks.com/baseball/american/wrigla.htm

But it's not the worst name among pro leagues. Here are the three worst:

1. The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim;
2. The Capital Bullets (now known as the Washington Wizards); and
3. The Bay State Patriots (New England Patriots)

Honorable mention goes to the Spirits of St. Louis (ABA), part of one of the greatest deals in sports history. As told at remembertheaba.com:

"After it became apparent that the NBA would only allow four ABA teams to join the NBA, St. Louis owners Ozzie and Dan Silna reached a famous agreement with the other remaining ABA owners. In return for folding their team, the Spirits' owners obtained the right to 1/7 of any future television money received by the surviving ABA teams (Denver, Indiana, New York and San Antonio) -- in perpetuity. In the late 1970's, the NBA's contract with CBS was modest in scope. But as the NBA's popularity exploded in the 1980's and 1990's, the league's television rights were sold to CBS (and then NBC), plus the TNT and TBS cable networks, for hundreds of millions of dollars. Over the past 25 years, the Silnas have collected approximately $100 million from the NBA, despite the fact that the Spirits never played an NBA game."

More on the legacy of the Spirits:
espn.go.com/nba/s/2001/1213/1295194.html

[TBird41]

That was an amazing deal for the Silnas. Do they have any connection to Georgetown? I mean, I'm sure they could help fix the endowment problem, maybe give the University 1/7 of their TV rights?

[hoyarooter]

I beg to differ, DFW. Of course, it's all a matter of taste, but my view is that the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim is far worse than any of the names you cited. And by the way, no one out here refers to the Ducks as the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. It's the Anaheim Mighty Ducks (named for the movie, of course).

It will be interesting to see if Moreno gets away with this. My money is on the city.

[SFHoya99]

It's brilliant. No one is going to say LA Angels of Anaheim...

They are going to say LA Angels. They are going to abbreviate it LAA.

[Cambridge]

or

LAAA

[Hank Scorpio]

I am friends with a couple of Angels from the OC...the natives are Editeded. this ny times article sheds a little light as to why.

www.nytimes.com/2005/01/06/national/06angels.html?oref=login&oref=login

i think people will still refer to them as the anaheim angels, though. until their logos/uniforms reflect the name change, the big A on their hats means Anaheim to me.

i still can't believe mike scoscia brought in jarrod washburn to face ortiz in game 3. how does troy percival not pitch an inning that series?!!?

- still not over the sox being reigning champs...

SFHoya99 said:

It's brilliant. No one is going to say LA Angels of Anaheim...

They are going to say LA Angels. They are going to abbreviate it LAA.

[Cambridge]

burns a little bit doesn't it...well thank you're lucky stars you don't live in Boston, because with the Bruins locked out NESN is entirely devoted to reliving the season 24/7. It's wicked. ;D

[Hank Scorpio]

i was at games 1, 6 and 7... nothing will ever burn worse than the damon grand slam on vazquez's first pitch - the world series was a mere formality after that. i wasn't so mad that the Yanks lost - i didn't expect to win coming in - but that we didn't even give the series a proper dramatic ending. i'd have much preferred games 6 and 7 be reversed, clark whiffing as the winning run vs Foulke.... make em use their closer or something! the biggest joke was when they brought in mo to protect a 7 run deficit, enter sandman blaring from the stadium speakers.

bruins? what's this "hockey" you speak of?

- 2005 can't possibly top the last 2 years...can it?

PS - i maintain that the 2003 ALCS was a superior series - every game was tight, the rocket/pedro brawl going down in game 3, great comeback by the sox in game 6 to force 7, and of course, game 7. i know it ended in our favor, but it was better baseball.

CambridgeHoya said:

burns a little bit doesn't it...well thank you're lucky stars you don't live in Boston, because with the Bruins locked out NESN is entirely devoted to reliving the season 24/7. It's wicked. ;D

[Cambridge]

yes and no on the 2003 vs 2004

better baseball - yeah
better drama - push
better result - not a chance