L.A. Angels, Washington Nationals?

[Bomber]

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1918726

Apparently, there are rumors the Angels will change their name to the Los Angeles Angels without moving.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35293-2004Nov8.html

In other news, the Washington baseball team will supposedly be called the Nationals, but it could be changed once new ownership is found.

[WSUCougar]

Apparently, there are rumors the Angels will change their name to the Los Angeles Angels without moving.
Back to their origins, I might add.

[Bomber]

Back to their origins, I might add.

Well, as the article notes, they were the LA Angels when they played in LA, then the California Angels when they first moved to Anaheim, and the Anaheim Angels since 1997.

[rkmsuf]

Washington Nationals is so generic.

[Warhammer]

The Angels need to go back to being either the California or L.A. Angels, screw this Anaheim crap. Farking Disney...

[fantastic flying froggies]

Washington Nationals is so generic.
Whatever happened to the Grays? it seems as if all that talk has quieted down, hasn't it ?

[Suicane75]

I refuse to recognize them as anything other than the California Angels.

[WSUCougar]

I like the Washington Scandals myself.

You could even have Patty Smythe sing the National Anthem, God Bless America, and Take Me Out To the Ball Game.

"And the rockets red glare! The bombs bursting in air - BANG! BANG! We were the warriors! Yes, we were the warriors, and victory was ourrrrrrrrs!"

[Bomber]

Whatever happened to the Grays? it seems as if all that talk has quieted down, hasn't it ?

The article says there was a poll done by the Post were the Senators were the most popular name, followed by the Nationals, and then the Grays.

[rkmsuf]

The article says there was a poll done by the Post were the Senators were the most popular name, followed by the Nationals, and then the Grays.

stupid washington fans. "Generals" is clearly the choice.

[cuervo72]

The rate things are going, we're going to be lucky if the DC city council doesn't screw things up.

[WSUCougar]

How about the Washington Snowmen?

Mascot:
http://www.law.harvard.edu/students/orgs/forum/barry.JPG

[CHEMICAL SOLDIER]

It should be called The Washington Washintonians.

[Hates_Cakesniffers]

How about the Washington Snowmen?


"Bitch set me up" should be the motto on DC license plates.

[Samdari]

The rate things are going, we're going to be lucky if the DC city council doesn't screw things up.

It's actually the mayor who screwed things up - he negotiated everything with MLB for the site and financing plan for the stadium - despite him not having the authority to issue bonds or implement the taxes necesary for the city to pay back the bond (on a stadium the mayor's office is telling everyone is not publicly financed).

In any case its a mess - and the city council will now delay the vote until it is too late for baseball to do anything else with the team, or until the new council sits and Marion Berry scuttles any stadium plan.

The Dulles Commuters anyone? Gridlock? Corridors?

[Ramzavail]

What about the Washington Freedom?

[cuervo72]

It's actually the mayor who screwed things up - he negotiated everything with MLB for the site and financing plan for the stadium - despite him not having the authority to issue bonds or implement the taxes necesary for the city to pay back the bond (on a stadium the mayor's office is telling everyone is not publicly financed).

In any case its a mess - and the city council will now delay the vote until it is too late for baseball to do anything else with the team, or until the new council sits and Marion Berry scuttles any stadium plan.

The Dulles Commuters anyone? Gridlock? Corridors?

Yeah, I suppose Williams may have jumped the gun a little bit. It is interesting to hear the council members though - one was on John Thompson yesterday, and it sounded like they're of the mind of just wanting to squeeze a little bit more out of the deal. I'm not sure if that is a great idea or how far MLB is willing to bend. They could always threaten NoVa, or even Vegas.

I've also been wondering if MLB would consider threatening to sue the city for breaching any agreement that may have been reached (legitimately or not).

[Samdari]

Well, I am certain Williams told them he was negotiating on behalf of the city but that everything was subject to approval by the city council. Fairly standard stuff there. I almost wonder how much of this is territorial marking by the council president - like, I am the one who needs to approve, I should have been involved in the talks with MLB all along, etc.

[Draft Dodger]

LA Angels is the dumbest thing I've heard. Anaheim I can deal with, California I think is better.

[rkmsuf]

LA Riots

[Cringer]

Orange County Angels and the Washington Spinsters........

[rkmsuf]

Washington Monuments!

[Desnudo]

LA Angels is the dumbest thing I've heard. Anaheim I can deal with, California I think is better.

Especially considering they aren't in Los Angeles.

[Samdari]

Especially considering they aren't in Los Angeles.

So, any team in the suburbs should not be named after the major city they are near? This would change the geographical designations of at least half of pro sports teams in the US.

[Desnudo]

So, any team in the suburbs should not be named after the major city they are near? This would change the geographical designations of at least half of pro sports teams in the US.

They aren't in the suburbs.

[Franklinnoble]

So, any team in the suburbs should not be named after the major city they are near? This would change the geographical designations of at least half of pro sports teams in the US.

Landover Redskins
Irving Cowboys
East Rutherford Giants

Hmm... has a nice ring to it...

[cuervo72]

LA Riots

Yep, did a helmet for that one.

[Chief Rum]

It's tough to say whether the Angels are in the suburbs anymore really, depending on what you mean by suburbs. I think Orange County certainly began as suburbs for LA, and of course, it's all a part of the metropolitan area surrounding LA. But Orange County is like night and day to Los Angeles. We really have our own identity now. Anaheim is itself a very large city, and downtown LA is 40 minutes away by car (excluding traffic, which turns it into two hours). The fan base is pretty much all in Orange County, with LA County backing the Dodgers.

And as Desnudo noted, they aren't in LA city or county or really, anywhere neither either.

Obviously, there are a lot of stories going around about this here. The city and from what I have heard the general fan base are NOT happy with this. The reaction was poor in July when it was first rumored in the papers, too. Everyone noted that Arte Moreno had removed Anaheim from the uniforms, the PRs and the advertisements.

Personally, nothing could stop me from rooting for the Angels, whatever they are called, but I would hate to have them called the LA Angels as well. Anaheim or California I would accept. Orange County Angels? That just sounds stupid.

Anaheim contributed $30 M to the stadium renovations in 1997 and agreed to other developmental stipulations and "bend overs" for the club (then under the control of Disney, of course) in order to get that name change, so I am pretty sure the Angels will have a huge legal fight on their hands if they try and change that name (and especially to LA).

CR

[Samdari]

They aren't in the suburbs.

Uh, OK. They are not in Los Angeles, and they are considered to be part of the LA metro area. Kind of thought that defined suburb.

EDIT: Guys, metropolitan areas are huge now - and Anaheim/Orange County is most definitely part of greater LA.

CR, in one part of your post you say LA is 40 minutes from Anaheim, in another, you say it is nowhere near. Forty minutes is most definitely not far enough away to say that Orange County is its own metro area separate from LA, especially since it is reasonable to say that the primary reason it grew to be so large is its proximity to LA.

An area that originates and grows solely because it is geographically next to a major city is a suburb. It will always be a suburb, no matter how big it gets, or how many characteristics of a major city it acquires.

[Desnudo]

Uh, OK. They are not in Los Angeles, and they are considered to be part of the LA metro area. Kind of thought that defined suburb.

EDIT: Guys, metropolitan areas are huge now - and Anaheim/Orange County is most definitely part of greater LA.

CR, in one part of your post you say LA is 40 minutes from Anaheim, in another, you say it is nowhere near. Forty minutes is most definitely not far enough away to say that Orange County is its own metro area separate from LA, especially since it is reasonable to say that the primary reason it grew to be so large is its proximity to LA.

An area that originates and grows solely because it is geographically next to a major city is a suburb. It will always be a suburb, no matter how big it gets, or how many characteristics of a major city it acquires.

So San Jose and Oakland are part of metro San Francisco? Orange County has evolved into its own metropolitan area. Just because it says something on a map or in a book doesn't make it reality. If you ask someone from Costa Mesa where they are from they aren't going to say LA, they'll say Orange County. The Dodgers are in suburb of LA.

[Chief Rum]

Uh, OK. They are not in Los Angeles, and they are considered to be part of the LA metro area. Kind of thought that defined suburb.

EDIT: Guys, metropolitan areas are huge now - and Anaheim/Orange County is most definitely part of greater LA.

CR, in one part of your post you say LA is 40 minutes from Anaheim, in another, you say it is nowhere near. Forty minutes is most definitely not far enough away to say that Orange County is its own metro area separate from LA, especially since it is reasonable to say that the primary reason it grew to be so large is its proximity to LA.

An area that originates and grows solely because it is geographically next to a major city is a suburb. It will always be a suburb, no matter how big it gets, or how many characteristics of a major city it acquires.

Of course it's part of Greater LA. Santa Barbara, hell, even San Diego, could be part of "Greater LA". Even as far east as Palm Springs.

That doesn't mean they are truly suburbs.

Obviously, you have never been out here (or not long enough to know the difference between OC and LA counties).

Orange County is quite distinctly different from the large bulk of LA and certainly has its own identity around here.

Just because you in (where, New Jersey?) says otherwise doesn't make it so.

CR

[Desnudo]

Orange County Angels and the Washington Spinsters........

My vote would be for Orange County Implants.

[Samdari]

San Jose and Oakland are definitely part of metro San Francisco.

You don't have to like it, but you do need to look at the definition of a suburb.

FYI - the government actually defines these things, and all of the examples you guys mention ARE part of the greater metro areas. None of the reasons you are giving (different identity, etc.) mean they are not suburbs. Umm, guys, every suburb has a different identity, or feel, from the actual city it is linked to. DC proper is the murder capital of the country, but the surrounding counties are (in addition to being more populous) extraordinarily safe. They're still suburbs, whether the residents like it or not.

[Desnudo]

San Jose and Oakland are definitely part of metro San Francisco.

You don't have to like it, but you do need to look at the definition of a suburb.

FYI - the government actually defines these things, and all of the examples you guys mention ARE part of the greater metro areas. None of the reasons you are giving (different identity, etc.) mean they are not suburbs. Umm, guys, every suburb has a different identity, or feel, from the actual city it is linked to. DC proper is the murder capital of the country, but the surrounding counties are (in addition to being more populous) extraordinarily safe. They're still suburbs, whether the residents like it or not.

Fine they are officially documented as a suburb. You can have that point. LA Angels is still a ridiculous name since no one, in reality, not in government documentation, that lives near the team identifies themselves as being from LA. And I guess we'll be seeing the San Francisco Sharks and San Francisco Raiders in the not too distant future.

[Chief Rum]

Exactly. I'm not sure how nailing down the broad definition of a suburb has anything whatsoever to do with the appropriateness of changing the name of the team.

CR

[zums]

dude... orange county has their own tv show... they have offically made it - la angels is stupid

-zums

[stevew]

They should call them the Golden State Angels.

[Cringer]

They should call them the Golden State Angels.

No team would want to be linked to the Warriors... :)

[kcchief19]

I think they should just move to the next step in the corporate-sponsorship-ization of American sports and be either the Edison Angels, Anaheim Edison or Edison Anaheim. Those freakin' soccer hooligans don't seem to mind that.

[fantastic flying froggies]

Yep, did a helmet for that one.

do you actually have a collection of all the helmets and logos you did? I would love to see it!

I am still proudly wearing your Vampire logo in the CFL...

[vtbub]

I never got used to Anaheim being the team name, always seemed too Disney.

Put the halo back on the crown of the hat and call them the California Angels.

(I actually don't mind if they call them the Los Angeles Angels, maybe they can move back to Dodger Stadium too ;) )

[cuervo72]

do you actually have a collection of all the helmets and logos you did? I would love to see it!

I am still proudly wearing your Vampire logo in the CFL...



A lot of them are probably on RendeR's server still actually. Any that were attachments were lost to the board, but I should have most everything on my computer.

[Young Drachma]

Jayson Stark reported this about the name change for the Washington team:

So the club will be renamed the Nationals, even though there was big support in the polling to name them the Grays, in honor of the old Negro League’s Homestead Grays. But MLB opted to go with something more generic, on the theory that once the team is finally sold, the new owners may want to change the name again when it moves into the new ballpark. And the blander the initial name is, the easier it will be to change.

Apparently, Senators was more popular in their fan polling, but because Anthony Williams, Mayor of D.C. did most of the heavy lifting to make the team moving there a possibility and went on record saying the name would NOT be Senators, supposedly MLB and Selig didn't want to contradict him.

But conventional wisdom said the polls were 1) Senators 2) Grays 3) Nationals

I guess the idea is a windfall in a few years in terms of merchandise and all.