Orange County Register: 10 years later, how big of a deal was Angels' name change?

[Brandon]

The only thing to come of this was a lot of money for Arte and godawful jokes that kept coming 10 years later.

If you want to ever know who's not funny or had a bad sense of humor, listen to the regurgitated LA/Anaheim jokes.

[CaliAngel]

LA County is closer to the stadium than the Brea Mall or Irvine Auto Center.

 

Yeah, and Orange County is closer to Dodger Stadium than Long Beach or Valencia, what's your point?

 

The Los Angeles name means more for nationwide marketing than regional.

 

Ask folks back East about Los Angeles -- everyone knows LA - ask about Anaheim and they may not be able to place it in California, This is particularly true since Disney World was built in Orlando, Fla.

 

I have no clue where Kansas City is in Missouri. No idea where Baltimore is, where The Bronx is. It really doesn't matter if anyone "knows" where the location is. Instead of sucking off LA's teet, why not create and build up the Angels presence throughout Orange County and grow the market independently? Not to mention the team has markets like Riverside, Corona, Tustin, Irvine, and many more to branch out to,

 

The name change to me was more about NOT being associated with that dumpy bum stench city of LA and differentiating to fans that there IS a market for baseball in Orange County.  Not to mention it created the annoying repetitiveness of commentators who screw up the name, who still to this day make a laughingstock of the team name, or the rival fans who continue to mock it.

 

 

For anyone whos fimilar with both, you would know that Anaheim/LA are ENTIRELY DIFFERENT places. They are like different planets when you compare them.

 

---------

 

They really aren't.

 

Maybe only people who've lived in Southern California can tell that there are VAST differences between LA and OC. One of the most glaring differences being the people and the way they live. There are other big differences like the layout of the cities, the quality of living, the amount of trash, the amount of stench, the crappiness of the roads/freeways, old abandoned buildings falling apart, slums that are literally named Skid Road. LA may be popular, and it has it's perks and unique culture with dining, clubs, and things to do, but it's a f***ing dump and I know Arte's marketing purposes behind it, it just hurts to have to be associated with that crap-hole city when IMHO the quality of life in OC is vastly superior in almost every way.

 

Everything is nicer down here, and people in Orange County like it that way and want to keep it that way. So much so that it deserves to have a baseball team named after the city name it's located in. I thought Anaheim Angels was great and liked how it put the city on the spot, just as much as I liked "Anaheim" on their away uniforms with the Halo over the A.

[Vegas Halo Fan]

Nobody ever complained about Anaheim not being in the name when the Rams were in town.

 

Because the name wasn't changed and then changed back.

 

I'm not from the area, and I'm a relative newcomer to Angels' fandom (1998), so maybe there are things I don't understand. One is that most people's preferred name is California Angels - which to me makes little sense in a state with five MLB teams. I like for a team's name to give me some idea of where they play their home games - and state names don't do that.

[YouthofToday]

So why name a team after a city no one takes seriously?

As a former employee of the city of Los Angeles I am not sure why anybody would take that government body seriously.

[QuinlansMinion]

Yeah, and Orange County is closer to Dodger Stadium than Long Beach or Valencia, what's your point?

 

 

I have no clue where Kansas City is in Missouri. No idea where Baltimore is, where The Bronx is. It really doesn't matter if anyone "knows" where the location is. Instead of sucking off LA's teet, why not create and build up the Angels presence throughout Orange County and grow the market independently? Not to mention the team has markets like Riverside, Corona, Tustin, Irvine, and many more to branch out to,

 

The name change to me was more about NOT being associated with that dumpy bum stench city of LA and differentiating to fans that there IS a market for baseball in Orange County.  Not to mention it created the annoying repetitiveness of commentators who screw up the name, who still to this day make a laughingstock of the team name, or the rival fans who continue to mock it.

 

 

 

Maybe only people who've lived in Southern California can tell that there are VAST differences between LA and OC. One of the most glaring differences being the people and the way they live. There are other big differences like the layout of the cities, the quality of living, the amount of trash, the amount of stench, the crappiness of the roads/freeways, old abandoned buildings falling apart, slums that are literally named Skid Road. LA may be popular, and it has it's perks and unique culture with dining, clubs, and things to do, but it's a f***ing dump and I know Arte's marketing purposes behind it, it just hurts to have to be associated with that crap-hole city when IMHO the quality of life in OC is vastly superior in almost every way.

 

Everything is nicer down here, and people in Orange County like it that way and want to keep it that way. So much so that it deserves to have a baseball team named after the city name it's located in. I thought Anaheim Angels was great and liked how it put the city on the spot, just as much as I liked "Anaheim" on their away uniforms with the Halo over the A.

Thats basically my whole point without typing all that out.  You forgot to mention the roads in Orange County compared to LA, the roads here are so much nicer and cleaner.  Theres less traffic, its easier to find parking anywhere you go, and like you said the overall cleanliness is ten times better in Orange County.

 

You were right about LA culture, theres definitely a ton of interesting places.  But the quality of life is sooooo much different in Orange County.  Anyone who actually thinks the two counties have something in common might as well go bandwagon some other team, because you clearly have no idea what Southern California is like.

[Lou]

Santa Ana is pretty sweet

[QuinlansMinion]

Santa Ana is pretty sweet

So is skid row

[Lou]

i wouldn't know

[AngelsSurfer]

To many it was a big deal.  As long as the team name "Angels" was retained, Arte could have chosen the "Intergalactic Angels" and I would sleep just as well.

 

That's pretty much my feeling on it, too. The team's referred to just as the Angels, regardless. I grew up in NYC where the New York Nets, Jets and Giants all played across the river in New Jersey, so the geographic discrepancies in the name don't really bother me...

 

And as for Los Angeles being different from OC, absolutely. However, there are a LOT of different parts of LA, with a lot of different cultures and ways of life. It's very diverse, and to say that it's all a cesspool is a little misguided, IMHO. I mean, Bel Air, Playa del Rey, Brentwood, Westwood and the Hollywood Hills are all technically and legally part of the city of Los Angeles. 

 

And if you look at LA County as a whole you've got Marina del Rey, Malibu, Culver City, Santa Monica, Manhattan Beach, Torrance, El Segundo (which is known as Mayberry...), Beverly Hills, etc. etc. etc...there are a lot of places there that are absolutely wonderful.

 

If we look at the OC there are huge differences in how people live, too - not everyone in OC lives well. There's probably a huge difference in the quality of life for someone living in the parts of Anaheim with gang activity vs. Languna Beach.

Edited January 8, 2015 by AngelsSurfer

[Inside Pitch]

Is it any worse than "The 5" or "The 91"?

 

Considering I grew up in that area, those are just as insipid....  Never heard anyone refer to OC as anything other than OC outside of posers.

[yk9001]

The only thing to come of this was a lot of money for Arte and godawful jokes that kept coming 10 years later.

If you want to ever know who's not funny or had a bad sense of humor, listen to the regurgitated LA/Anaheim jokes.

 

 

The "of Anaheim" past was always the worst. I read the "of" stupid jokes to this day.  Today in fact.  Its going to be the lasting legacy and it sucks.

When does that frigging thing go away?

[halofanfare]

The "of Anaheim" past was always the worst. I read the "of" stupid jokes to this day.  Today in fact.  Its going to be the lasting legacy and it sucks.

When does that frigging thing go away?

 

I think it'll b dropped whenever the new stadium lease is renegotiated

[disarcina]

wow -- some folks need to speak with some folks back East.

 

perhaps years of social media and stuff have changed things --perhaps -- but when asked about California, most folks - not from the West -- relate to TWO cities as if there are ONLY two cities in California...........San Francisco and Los Angeles.

 

Watch the national network news and when there's breaking news anywhere in California -- let's say San Diego or Redding or some place like that -- let's break to our correspondent in our Los Angeles bureau.......(maybe SF).

 

reminds me of an NBA draft some years back -- can't remember which player was drafted -- might have been Chris Webber -- perhaps not, for the story here it doesn't matter.

 

The guy gets drafted -- top pick of the Sacramento Kings.........gets congratulated - 'hey, you're going to California"  -- the draft pick's response "I'm not going to California, I'm going to Sacramento!"

 

exactly how folks from back East, not from here -- view California.

 

The Los Angeles Angels name has benefitted the franchise's visibility, recognition nationwide and in doing so, helped the bottom line.

 

Good move by Arte. He properly regained exactly the franchise that was granted to Gene Autry and the Angels by MLB back in 1961.

[QuinlansMinion]

wow -- some folks need to speak with some folks back East.

 

perhaps years of social media and stuff have changed things --perhaps -- but when asked about California, most folks - not from the West -- relate to TWO cities as if there are ONLY two cities in California...........San Francisco and Los Angeles.

 

Watch the national network news and when there's breaking news anywhere in California -- let's say San Diego or Redding or some place like that -- let's break to our correspondent in our Los Angeles bureau.......(maybe SF).

 

reminds me of an NBA draft some years back -- can't remember which player was drafted -- might have been Chris Webber -- perhaps not, for the story here it doesn't matter.

 

The guy gets drafted -- top pick of the Sacramento Kings.........gets congratulated - 'hey, you're going to California"  -- the draft pick's response "I'm not going to California, I'm going to Sacramento!"

 

exactly how folks from back East, not from here -- view California.

 

The Los Angeles Angels name has benefitted the franchise's visibility, recognition nationwide and in doing so, helped the bottom line.

 

Good move by Arte. He properly regained exactly the franchise that was granted to Gene Autry and the Angels by MLB back in 1961.

We gained visibility because 

 

1) Mike Trout

 

2) We signed big names like Vlad, Pujols, and Hamilton

 

3) We consistently won our division

 

Theres no reason you cant gain nationwide recognition without having Los Angeles in your name.  The Anaheim Ducks seem to doing fine to me.   

[Stradling]

The Ducks have one of the top TV contracts in hockey despite having one of the lowest viewer ratings, I had no idea.

[disarcina]

winning certainly helps (and the Ducks had that Cup run) but everything helps.

 

Los Angeles helps nationwide marketing more than Anaheim does..........such are the facts, such is life.

 

of course you can attempt to sing "I love Anaheim" cue up Randy Newman.........

[halofanfare]

winning certainly helps (and the Ducks had that Cup run) but everything helps.

 

Los Angeles helps nationwide marketing more than Anaheim does..........such are the facts, such is life.

 

of course you can attempt to sing "I love Anaheim" cue up Randy Newman.........

 

Well technically the song would be "I love A" since the song is I love LA and not I love Los Angeles.

 

Katella Avenue! (We love it!)

Gene Autry Way! (WE LOVE IT!)

WE LOVE A!

[disarcina]

I'd settle for Arte regaining the LA franchise that was initially awarded to Gene Autry and that Autry paid Walter O' Malley dearly for during those early seasons at Dodger Stadium.

 

oh well.

 

cue up "Back in the Saddle Again"

[Blarg]

reminds me of an NBA draft some years back -- can't remember which player was drafted -- might have been Chris Webber -- perhaps not, for the story here it doesn't matter.

 

The guy gets drafted -- top pick of the Sacramento Kings.........gets congratulated - 'hey, you're going to California"  -- the draft pick's response "I'm not going to California, I'm going to Sacramento!"

 

 

I think he had a better idea of where he was going than you think.

[halobob]

Moving the team from Anaheim to LA would be one of the stupidest moves.  The Angels have built up a fantastic fan base here in Orange County.  As far as I know, they do very well in ticket sales.  At least every time I go to a game, they are well over 40k in attendance.  

Nobody would support the team if they moved to the real LA.  LA is a Dodgers town, especially if the Dodgers are doing well.  The Angels would be just like the Clippers if they moved to LA, a fun team to watch for some people but not a team anyone genuinely cares about.  

I believe number of tickets sold has been down year over since 2009.

[Lou]

I believe number of tickets sold has been down year over since 2009.

 

from 2012 to 2013 attendance increased by roughly 830,000

 

it then increased in 2014 by  about 75,000

[Spirit]

from 2012 to 2013 attendance increased by roughly 830,000

 

it then increased in 2014 by  about 75,000

 

Yeah ... but other than that.

[Stradling]

from 2012 to 2013 attendance increased by roughly 830,000

it then increased in 2014 by about 75,000

Lou that isn't accurate. I think you mean 2002-2013, or you mean 83,000. There's no way it increased 830,000 in one year, a bad year.

[Tank]

You've never been there if you think Anaheim/LA are not entirely different.  

 

the distinction between the two was lost in the 90s when the strongly republican orange county elected liberal democrat loretta sanchez to congress. any difference between the two was destroyed at that point.

[Tank]

i went to college in norcal. when kids up there would ask me where i lived, i told them the south bay (torrance, hawthorne, redondo beach area). UNIVERSALLY, they all responded by saying "oh, down by vallejo?" numbskulls for sure, but even people in norcal are geographically challenged about our own state.

 

it made perfect marketing sense for arte to change the name. i just wish now (as i wished then) that the "of anaheim" part didn't sound so dorky. unfortunately, that hasn't changed.