Will The Angels Strike A Marketing Coup with "El Hombre?"
by Canard on Dec 16, 2011 2:46 PM PST
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PrintA consistent marketing identity has seemingly always eluded the Los Angeles/California/Anaheim Angels of Los Angeles/Anaheim. It didn't have to be this way, but the inconstancy is what it is. The resulting disconnect between the Angels' on the field performance, especially in the Mike Scioscia era, its regional TV ratings (second worst in the majors), media market size, (Number 2 Designated Market Area), and MLB merchandising popularity, (abysmal given the media market they hail from), all combine to make the Angels a sleeping giant as far as mass or national popularity goes. the Angels seem to be stuck as a distinctly regional brand with no larger footprint outside of its home market.
The signing of Albert Pujols creates an opportunity to change the perception of the Angels from a marketing standpoint. The question is, how? More importantly, will the Angels do what it takes to become more popular? More thoughts on that after the jump.
For 2010 here were your MLB merchandising leaders:
- New York Yankees
- Boston Red Sox
- Los Angeles Dodgers
- Philadelphia Phillies
- Chicago Cubs
- St. Louis Cardinals
- Chicago White Sox
- Atlanta Braves
- Minnesota Twins
- Detroit Tigers
The Angels, though not actually in Los Angeles, are in that television market. Should they not be on this list somewhere in the neighborhood of the Dodgers, as the White Sox are to the Cubs? One would think so. But look at what other major market "second" team is missing from this list—the Mets.
One can say that by signing Albert Pujols, the Angels have started their way onto this list already. That would be because placement on this list is substantially boosted by authentic and replica jersey sales, which are far more lucrative than moving mere loads of authentic and replica ball caps. For instance, Joe Mauer single handedly puts the Twins in the top ten. Last year, Albert Pujols had the sixth best selling jersey and if his popularity holds, the Angels could be on this list next year. If his performance as an elite player holds for all or nearly all of his contract, and the team makes deep runs into the playoffs, the Angels will be multi-year entrants on this list.
But are the Angels more like the Mets, an afterthought in their own region, or can they strive to become more like the White Sox, who have managed to carve out their own distinct die hard fan base in the Windy City, and who sell merchandise no matter who is on the current team? The Angels shouldn't be relying merely upon star power from a once in a generation player to live up to their marketing potential.
Since 2003, the season following the Angels' sole World Series Championship, the club has averaged the fifth best attendance in Major League Baseball. In several of those years, the Angels were the second best American League home draw behind the Yankees.
However, the Angels were also the worst road draw in the American League for 2011. Given that they were in a divisional race for the best part of the season, this disparate home/road split is somewhat inexplicable except that all of the AL West teams were relatively poor road draws. Still, what could explain the Angels being the worst?
Look at last year's team. It lacked star power. While sporting an excellent pitching rotation, it's offense that sells tickets as a road draw in a division as spread out as is the AL West. What 2011 Angels offense there was, and there wasn't a great amount, was mostly provided by a who's who of has-beens and young guys who haven't yet made a name for themselves for the most part. With the imbalanced schedule and with the A's and Mariners not even drawing flies, being a bad road draw with no star power is totally explicable.
Why would it matter at all if the Angels are a decent road draw? It's all about national mind share—and the Pujols signing should help in that regard, Pujols can draw the casual fan to a road ball park. It's a chance for the American League circuit to see one of the all time greats in an Angels uniform, and face it, when were the Angels last fielding one of the all time greats? Albert Pujols could conceivably draw the casual out of town fan into being an Angels fan and increase the Halos national popularity or even recapture a presumed Angels fan diaspora and return them to watching the team, buying merchandise, and consequently boosting the national profile of the ball club.
Finally, the Angels front office needs to seize the opportunity they have afforded themselves to raise the national profile of the club over the next five to ten years, depending on what Pujols' on field performance makes possible. From getting his Fathead wall sticker into an Angels uniform, to helping him and MLB getting his likeness out there on the cover of video games as an Angel, to something as mundane as getting him cracking on promotions to the Spanish speaking regional market that Los Doyers think they have owned since Fernandomania, the Angels have to strike now, on as many media fronts as possible, and try their best to capture the hearts of a coming generation of fans.
As an aside to all of that, the Angels need to solidify their identity. If the franchise is hell bent on becoming the LA Angels, then buy out the "of Anaheim" from the city. Or buy the stadium, or even consider the pipe dream of a new purpose built one somewhere actually inside at least LA County, but get it solidified one way or the other. Personally, I think the LA branding is a mistake for a team not physically located in the actual city or county of Los Angeles, Then again, I am not the billionaire who made his fortune in outdoor advertising either.
As an adjunct point, as it looks as if after decades of both incremental and sweeping changes, the Angels have finally landed upon a consistent look for their uniforms and caps, they should look at folding in more navy blue into their look so as to expand their merchandise palette.
The current cap, and many of the casual shirts, are just too vibrantly red for many casual fans to want to buy, let alone wear. They may be minor points in a multimillion dollar merchandising effort, but red shirts bleed in the wash and many people simply look their worst in bright reds, especially headgear. At a minimum, the Angels should consider going to a road cap that has a blue body and red brim with the haloed A of the current style. Having at least an alternate cap would go some distance towards increasing the casual fan popularity of Angels' merchandise, rather like such an alternate blue over red cap is popular for the Phillies.
What are your thoughts on how the Angels could increase their overall MLB popularity during the Pujols Era?
This Fan-Post is authored by an independent fan. Tell us what you think and how you feel.
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I'mma go ahead and co-sign on that one, Halowitz.
Canard, a doff of the cap to ye.
Winning doesn't matter. -Lyle
Won't say he's my favorite, but that was one well-written article.
A wise man does not need advice and a fool won't take it.
Winning certainly helps
But what have the Cubs been winning?
The Angels’ merchandising profile should be top ten or better year in and out like the CWS manage.
The White Sox have years where apparently no one shows up, but the team retains a place in the national consciousness of baseball fans.
It can’t all be from Death to Disco Night.
Ah Look! My California Angels are now all grown up!
Gangsters and thugs
Criminals and hoods
Some of my friends sell records
Some of my friends sell drugs
In reality baseball is too regional for national marketing to be a factor
New York, Boston, Phillies an Dodgers are up there for the same reason their attendance is high. Huge markets, more people, more customers.
It is not like basketball where people are simply LeBron or Kevin Durant fans and rep their merch regardless of the team on the front. Baseball merchandising, branding etc is aimed at the market you play in and that’s pretty much it.
Derek jeter is marketable because he’s a Yankee and that brand is bigger than baseball, not because he’s anything out of this world as an individual. If he was traded to the Angels 8 years ago, he’d probably lose most of his endorsements.
Think about it…would you buy a Tim Salmon Boston Red Sox shirt or did a Jered Weaver Tampa Bay Rays jersey? Nope. It’s all about your team, not the players on it.
RIP Nick Adenhart
I don't think it is necessarily so.
Because regionalism can’t explain the Twins in that list. You don’t have to be a Yankee to be a national figure in baseball because Joe Mauer did it. In the past, Pete Rose did it. Rollie Fingers did it as an A’s pitcher. It is possible for an individual to raise the entire club’s popularity.
The trick is why can’t the Angels not even have to rely upon that? Who are the Dodgers’ stars outside of Kemp? The Angels outdrew the Dodgers last year, so there is an opening for the Angels to become more of a presence both inside and outside of California. The problem is how can this opening be exploited in the long term.
There is no inherent reason that the second largest drawing team in the AL cannot become as nationally popular annually as Joe Mauer is individually.
Ah Look! My California Angels are now all grown up!
Time Zone
is a tough hurdle on the national scene.
Jeff Mathis (Pseudonym Lyle Spencer) is History... Zang!
by Halo Hurricane on Dec 16, 2011 3:47 PM PST up reply actions
Technology allowing for time shifting should increasingly mitigate time zone based
popularity.
Someone who wants to catch the Pujols led Angels needs only a DVR or a MLB.tv subscription to make it possible.
My larger point is that the Angels need to capitalize upon this moment in a way that they never really have before.
I go all of the way back to “Tanana, Ryan, and Two Days of Crying.” Then we didn’t do what it took to keep Ryan, who only went on to HOF in a different uniform.
The challenge this time will not be presented by Pujols and his eventual performance deterioration, it will be in maintaining a powerhouse club around him despite the size of his contract. That is going to take a lot of will, acumen, and piles of cash to burn. How the FO handles the control and/or eventual FA of Trout, Bourjos, Trumbo, Conger, the pitchers, and manages the demise of Wells, Hunter, Abreu, possibly Morales, and Kendrick will finally tell the tale of whether—for the first time ever—the Angels act like the large market club they undoubtedly they are, but with a sustained commitment to staying that course that lasts more than a season or two.
Ah Look! My California Angels are now all grown up!
It will be fun to see how it all pans out
I understand your points about the team colors – it’s hard because I really like the uniforms they have now.
New stadiums are always intriguing (I happen to like the rockpile in center field though – hey it’s 1 mil times better than what the marlins are doing.)
I’m sure Pujols will drive a ton of national fans, but I wouldn’t blame the east coast for having a tough time with 10pm game start times. Even with MLB.tv.
Watching for changes on the Regional/Cal/PST Zone front will be fun to watch.
Like SoCalWine said “Just Win!”
Winning will go a long way and I can’t wait to get started.
Jeff Mathis (Pseudonym Lyle Spencer) is History... Zang!
by Halo Hurricane on Dec 16, 2011 4:35 PM PST up reply actions
That's the Miami Craptacular?
Wow, I hadn’t gone out of my way to see it. Now I wish I had eye bleach.
Ah Look! My California Angels are now all grown up!
Stare straight into the sun
It should work every time.
Jeff Mathis (Pseudonym Lyle Spencer) is History... Zang!
by Halo Hurricane on Dec 16, 2011 5:01 PM PST up reply actions
And every time I see it...
Utter. Shock.
If I’m a Marlins fan – I head straight for the closet.
Also, know whey I play for that team.
Jeff Mathis (Pseudonym Lyle Spencer) is History... Zang!
by Halo Hurricane on Dec 16, 2011 4:58 PM PST up reply actions
It reminds me of one of these things:
Dear Texas: "One, two...........THREE!" The next number IS THREE!!!
All the nosie and scond hand smoke your body can take in less than an hour
Pachinko Parlours are the reason why the Japanese think Fukushima Dai Ichi ain’t no big thang.
That is the greatest "White Elephant" gift ever!
Damn. can I get one about 1’ – 0″ × 1′ – 0" then I can video the look on someones face as they open that baby up.
CONGER, CONGER, CONGER !!!
Not all that trendy
2007:
1) Yankees- 25.4%
2) Red Sox- 8.2%
3) Cubs- 6.7%
4) Cardinals – 6.2%
5) Dodgers- 5.8%
6) White Sox- 5.7%
7) Tigers- 5.6%
8) Mets- 4.6%
9) Braves- 4.3%
10) Phillies- 3.1%
Mets for Twins is the only major difference. The Angels should be more “trendy” going forward but it is not the interlopers who are interesting, it is the constants.
Ah Look! My California Angels are now all grown up!
The reason the Mets were on that list then and not now
Was because both David Wright and Jose Reyes were at the peak of their respective careers.
That’s as good an example as any to show the impact of superstars.
by moralesforpresident on Dec 16, 2011 6:19 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
I'd like the Angels to get off of the need to have awesome players to carry the brand
and for only so long as they are playing for the Halos.
The Angels brand has potential that is not being effectively realized. Flashback Fridays was a start, but the entire marketing effort needs to be far more comprehensive.
1. Have to get some blue back into the scheme. My choice is a blue/red road cap.
2. Either quit pretending to be from LA or go all in on it because the ping ponging between the half measures sucks. Either put California, or Los Angeles on the road uniform and get on with being one or the other since “Anaheim” is apparently out.
3. Improve the telecasts in partnership with FOX. Every regional telecast should be shot with top of the line HD cameras and the broadcast teams need upgrading.
4. Stay the course with being a big market team. Never openly discuss a budget or a need for payroll flexibility. Eat a bad contract and don’t get gun shy for it. Build a first class farm system but never hesitate to buy or rent what the team needs to contend. Never demonstrate buyer’s remorse. Don’t hesitate to tear down the roster wholesale and retool it if it doesn’t get past the ALDS in two or three year windows. Extreme confidence in what has been spent or what will have to be spent will unnerve clubs who don’t have the swagger to hang.
The Angels are a large market ball club. They need to keep clanking like their newly discovered brass balls are a permanent feature of the club.
Ah Look! My California Angels are now all grown up!
by Canard on Dec 16, 2011 7:15 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
As far as the color scheme, you're absolutely right.
Even as an Angel fan, I don’t buy the all-red caps, nor do I even contemplate buying an all-red shirt. The reason being is that it is something I would only wear to a game. The only Angels shirts I have are either white/red or grey/red. Likewise, the only caps I own have the navy body with the red brim. I am a proud Angels fan. I will wear Angels gear anywhere, but I won’t wear all-red gear outside the ballpark. To become more marketable, it makes sense to add a color like navy to the color scheme.
As for the lousy name, it actually works. It is ridiculous, but it works. The whole reason Arte did it was for the added revenue that comes with being in the Los Angeles market. If people assume we only cater to the Anaheim fanbase, rather than than the whole of Orange County and LA, we’d have significantly less sponsorship and revenue. As much as I hate to admit it, Arte made a smart business move on that one.
by moralesforpresident on Dec 16, 2011 7:31 PM PST up reply actions
Branding
The All-Red and elimination of the navy blue is 100% part of the Angels’ marketing and branding strategy. They want you to think Angels when you see red the same way people associate blue with the Dodgers.
Brand recognition is big for a guy coming from billboards
RIP Nick Adenhart
by ihearhowie2.0 on Dec 16, 2011 7:40 PM PST up reply actions
That might be the theory on the all reds
But it doesn’t work by the figures.
Dodgers are perennially top ten regardless of their suckage.
Angels rocking all reds for nearly a decade now? Nowhere to be seen.
The all reds being the brave new world didn’t prevent the flashback caps from selling like mad.
I see no danger in having a navy/red ROAD cap. Arte should recognize that having two chances with a customer is always superior to just one chance.
The shade of red we employ turns off a lot of people from casual wearing. The only all red I even somewhat enjoy are the WS one and the 9/11 one. The plain ones bite.
Ah Look! My California Angels are now all grown up!
Not gonna happen with the colors.
The Angels are still associated with Anaheim and Disneyland for most people who aren’t that into SoCal baseball. It’s like wondering why people still call the Anaheim Ducks the “Mighty Ducks”. It takes time to overhaul your image in the minds of people who knew you for so long as something else.
The Dodgers were great before even coming to LA and famously had Jackie Robinson….that brand transcends baseball in the same way the Yankees does for a lot of people
RIP Nick Adenhart
by ihearhowie2.0 on Dec 16, 2011 7:58 PM PST up reply actions
Except that, as a brand,
there ain’t much difference in an already crowded theme between the Rangers, Reds, Cards, D’Backs, Nats and Red Sox. The ANgels look a lot like the rest of them.
Dear Texas: "One, two...........THREE!" The next number IS THREE!!!
fuck navy blue
ugliest color on god’s green earth.
black alternate yes, bury navy blue except for a zombie retro nite nice a decade to remind us of how nondescript a color that was actually voted out fo the rainbow by the laws of physics for being less desirable than diarea.
Mo Vaughn had a navy blue cap on when he sprained his ankle on opening night – quick get Pujols into that “trAdition”.
So, you really like the stop sign red lids that much?
Because compared to some actual vintage caps my father has, the current “Angels red” is the wrong shade according to those. It’s too “hot” compared to the classic red hue the Angels employed before the Disney disaster.
Ah Look! My California Angels are now all grown up!
LOL. You sound like a Mariners fan does about their pitchfork
being cursed.
I guess I am not superstitious enough to like that red hat merely because we gained an improbable title with it.
I should look up our W-L on Flashback Fridays last season, but I have kind of had it looking up weird baseball details today.
Ah Look! My California Angels are now all grown up!
100% spot on
Everything you are asking for, this sums it up: if you want to change the perception and brand of the Angels, you stick with the uniform and hat they were wearing when they won A WORLD SERIES.
Why erase or alter what the country remembers as our greatest moment just because aesthetically you do not enjoy personally.
Red hat = championship quality.
Navy/Red = 60s, 70s and 90s futility
Still wondering why Arte is sticking with the red?
RIP Nick Adenhart
by ihearhowie2.0 on Dec 17, 2011 7:45 AM PST up reply actions
Red is not the problem
We can debate the exact shade of red once we get our own show on HG Network, but red is clearly not an impediment to the fans of the Red Sox, Cardinals and Phillies, all of whom are on both the provided lists. Even the Twins have a red iteration of their cap.
The reason to step away from blue is that the color itself is ingrained into the thinking of Southern Californians as “Dodgers” (blame Lasorda’s constant comments about “bleeding Dodger blue”). That’s why the White Sox wear white and black (principally) and not blue, or the Clippers wear red and white but not purple and gold. Arte needs to carve his own path and red is the way—it shows up beautifully in the stands on televised games, it is identifiable from a distance.
BTW, a landmark moment for me (who lives on the Other Coast) last night: I was wearing a zip-up Angels sweatshirt, which bears simply the A logo, not the team script. The wife and I were buying a new litterbox for the cat (yes, this is my life) and the kid at Petsmart’s register said, appropos of nothing but my sweatshirt “Hey, you guys got Pujols.”
I am so unaccustomed to anyone knowing what the logo stands for that, since we were buying a covered cat box with a swinging door, I was thinking he was saying something about a “poo hole” (the door to the cat box). Honestly, I wasn’t drunk, just not used to folks knowing what team I support.
Fortunately, the wife picked up on it immediately and responded intelligently, covering for my bewilderment.
THIS is what Pujols will bring to the Angels: A greater national awareness of the logo, team and brand. I think I will enjoy 2012 a lot more.
"The contract is brought up a lot. What it's going to take to get past it is winning. This organization took on the contract. I'm here to make them look good."~Vernon Wells
by George Kaplan on Dec 17, 2011 9:28 AM PST up reply actions 3 recs
Totally agree with you on the "Dodger blue."
Having been a Dodgers fan many years, that’s the first team I associate with that color. And the Doyers are freeway close to Anaheim; the geography doesn’t allow another blue team in Southern California.
Canard, nice write-up. But the blue idea…dumb.
A wise man does not need advice and a fool won't take it.
Then I guess the FO was dumb too a lot of home Fridays too
Undermining the brilliant strategy that Dodger blue and the Angels using navy and red are confusing.
I guess I paid for the full hour of argument on red versus blue + red so I’ll just conclude with this:
Next spring, go to spring training or take in an April MLB game somewhere other than at the Big A. Don’t wear any fan gear, or for kicks, wear a cheap Giants snap back.
Ask around, “Do you recall who won the 2002 World Series?” My guess is that you’d be terribly disappointed by the results.
The all red scheme is not as potent as it is believed to be by some here.
Ah Look! My California Angels are now all grown up!
You're conflating two separate issues
First of all, props to raising the point in the first place.
I don’t know where you live, but my guess is that you are in SoCal. As one who has lived on the East Coast for the last four years, I think my perspective is a little more rounded.
It isn’t the color red. The color has nothing to do with anything. The Angels are largely invisible in my metro area, which worships (in order of importance):
A) NASCAR
B) SEC basketball
C) NASCAR
D) SEC football
E) NFL football
F) NASCAR
G) NBA baseketball
The remainder is a stew of everything from MLB to the Acapulco Cliff-Diving Championships, which is to say, a very thin sliver.
While people DO leave SoCal and move away, it is more common for folks to move TO SoCal; hence, the assortment of chowds and Vinnies who show up for Sox and Yankees games. On the West Coast, you have the luxury of seeing just about any game played that night (getting home from work in time is the only obstacle). Those ex-pats from New England and New York can watch their teams year-round.
The closest MLB franchise to me is in the NL, and 3 of the 4 closest are NL. Thus, the Saturday FOX game is almost always an NL matchup (unless the Yankees and Red Sox are playing), and almost always played in the Eastern or Central time zones. If the Angels are on FOX that weekend, you would see it as a regional telecast but it wouldn’t be nationally carried.
Then factor in the time zone factor which—your assertions to the contrary—are not largely mitigated by time-shifting. I know that all too well from personal experience. Home games often don’t end until 1am or later, which is hell on the viewer with a steady job. Yes, it can be time-shifted, but I think most folks will agree that time-delayed sports are worse than 4-day old leftover Chinese food. With the ability to TiVo a game comes with it commensurate technology which allows one to know the score as the game is in progress, which means it is all too easy to know the outcome before the opportunity arrives to see the game and be surprised by the outcome.
Thus, for those MLB fans who live on this side of the Mississippi, if the game doesn’t take place in the Eastern or Central time zones, it doesn’t happen. It makes zero difference what color the uni is; the Angels could wear blue with the silhouette of the naked woman from a trucker’s mudflaps on the back and nobody would tune in on this side of the country. The fan will just grab his roto stats the next morning.
Unless…unless there was a game-changer of a player in the game, someone like…oh, I don’t know…maybe Albert Pujols. For that reason, the schedulers on FOX and ESPN are loading up on the maximum number of Angels telecasts for the national audience in 2012, something which didn’t happen all the years the team was kicking ass and winning 100 games in the season with Vlad on the team.
The uniforms are just fine as they are. Now that there is a player who can reach out to so many of the fans nationally and help them to learn about his new team, I expect a seismic shift across the country over the next 12 months in the knowledge of just who the Angels are.
Playing in the 2012 World Series wouldn’t hurt the cause, either.
"The contract is brought up a lot. What it's going to take to get past it is winning. This organization took on the contract. I'm here to make them look good."~Vernon Wells
by George Kaplan on Dec 17, 2011 12:43 PM PST up reply actions 2 recs
GK, I am constantly amazed at how closely I agree with most of what you write.
Having grown up in the Eastern Time Zone listening to games featuring Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Juan Marichal, the Alou brothers..Tim McCarver, Ken Boyer, Lou Brock, Curt Flood Bill Whte,Bob Uecker, Bob GIBSON…Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Yogi Berra, Elston Howard, Whitey Ford…Jim Fregosi, Albie Pearson, Leon Wagner, Bobby Knoop, Jimmy Piersall, Dean Chance, Bo Belinsky….I can report that no “normal” human being is going to stay up to watch those teams play on TV (I probaly would have had they been on TV). Even when I did stay up ‘till the wee hours of the morning listening, I couldn’t wait to get the next morning’s paper to read the boxscores all over again…two days later for West Coast games. Notice that I can still pull those names out of the air. (I listened to that ONE game when all three Alou brothers played the outfield for the SFGiants.)
I personally don’t/can’t wear red.
For the life of me, I’m trying to figure out WHERE SEC basketball would be more popular than SEC football. I think you once wrote that you were somewhere around Virginia or Maryland(?), but that doesn’t make sense because that’s not the SEC. Kentucky would make sense, but that’s not the East Coast……..(The SEC wants VATech…hmmm…Nationals, Phillies, Pirates, Orioles.) You mean to tell me that SEC basketball is more popular up there than ACC basketball?
Crap
I meant ACC. I am on the cusp of the two conferences, but ACC is the top dog. And, yes, ACC basketball does have it all over the football programs. I guess the comment makes a hell of a lot more sense when I put the proper acronym in. Making a note to throttle back on the cough syrup.
The MLB teams, btw, are the Braves, Reds, Nationals and Orioles. My cable system is TW Cable, which has been in an ongoing dispute with MASN, which means they don’t carry the nets (even though the Federal court has ordered them to do so), but MLB.com blacks out Angels/Orioles games because of the presumption that I can watch them on TV. Whether they play in Baltimore or Anaheim, I can only listen to them on the radio feed. Unless the Orioles turn out to be the surprise team of 2012, it is doubtful I’ll get rescued by FOX or ESPN with a national telecast of one of their matchups.
"The contract is brought up a lot. What it's going to take to get past it is winning. This organization took on the contract. I'm here to make them look good."~Vernon Wells
by George Kaplan on Dec 18, 2011 7:04 AM PST up reply actions
I live in Oregon
I don’t suffer from time shifting in the east coast sense, I have to market shift for about 142 games a year since I am on the periphery of the Mariners’ TV territory. I time shift the Angels’ east coast road swings to a time I can watch them. It’s not impossible to avoid knowing the score a few hours ahead.
The legendary east coast bias/irrelevance due to the late start/late finish doesn’t seem to affect the popularity of the Dodgers as much as it does us.
My interest is in exploring all of the ways that gap can be narrowed. Yes, Albert Pujols represents a starting point for doing that.
I almost regret the sideshow about navy blue having been shown the door on the current uniforms. My simple point there is that the Angels as a “red dominant” team is not so unique or identified with the Angels that they can’t afford to “damage the brand” by reincorporating blue as even a road alternate on an officially fielded cap.
In a certain sense, the popularity of Angels merchandise is irrelevant because the income derived from it is pooled and redistributed by MLB. The topic still interest me because I rarely see Angels gear a mere 800 or so miles from their home market, one in which they draw 3.2M fans per year on average since 2003.
And living here in Oregon, nobody can tell me that Californians do not move up here. Since the 70s we have historically received net in-migration from California measuring in the 10-10k persons per year.
One would think I’d have run into just a few more Angels caps, car stickers, something. I do see Dodgers gear and insignias more than I’d like.
My goal for the Angels, even when the east coasters bother to think about them, is that they are synonymous with “West Coast Baseball.”
If the Angels can position themselves as “THE Power” on this coast, they become far harder to ignore, even if it is ultimately limited to the region.
I understand that the Angels entering the annual national awareness of baseball fans is remote primarily because of the time zone thing and playing in the loosely knit and half putrid AL West.
Nevertheless, the club doesn’t help itself by waffling on what it calls itself and continually defining its moves, like on the color blue, with an eye towards what the Dodgers are all about.
Ah Look! My California Angels are now all grown up!
10-20k people per year
Not 10-10k. LOL.
Out of every TEN Californians moving to Oregon annually, at least one should have some fan interest in the Angels, no?
Ah Look! My California Angels are now all grown up!
We're not really disagreeing on too much
FWIW, time-shifting a few hours on the West Coast is nothing like time-shifting an entire day on the East Coast, watching Monday night’s game on Tuesday evening because staying up to 1:30 in the morning the night before wasn’t an option. With all the sources of info out there, one has to stay away from all Angels’ reporting (like HH, LA Times, Register, etc.) if the goal is to remain ignorant about the outcome of the game. Likewise, no pushed score updates to the phone.
As to the migration of Californians to Oregon, keep in mind there are something like 35M Californians, and 5 MLB teams in the state, with a smaller subset of folks who care about MLB in the first place. You might see one in ten migrating who is simply a baseball fan, much less and Angels’ fan.
Color is a personal preference. I grew up with the LA Angels and their scheme of deep navy and red against white, which was essentially carried over various incarnations (and variations on blue) until Disney took over in the 90s. I have affection for the past, but I don’t miss the old unis. They had the smell of corporate team design, instead of a unified approach.
The Angels would gain nothing from changing the color scheme. The only thing which would make a difference is winning with high-profile players. The latter portion was accomplished with Arte’s swooping move in Dallas. Winning is going to be left to the team beginning in April next year, but winning cures everything when the post-season begins. A team which wins the World Series will see its profile elevated far beyond what it is now, and a surge of fans wearing Angels’ #5 jerseys (the Pujols ones, not the Mathis editions) will likewise push the brand more strongly in SoCal and more broadly across the country.
The curse which will come with this blessing, of course, is greater exposure to blather from McCarver and Karros. Every rose has its thorns.
"The contract is brought up a lot. What it's going to take to get past it is winning. This organization took on the contract. I'm here to make them look good."~Vernon Wells
by George Kaplan on Dec 17, 2011 3:03 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
If the player is fair skinned, and speaks without an accent, maybe from the West coast.
This is America. You can’t sell different to stupid people.
I see what you're saying, I just do not see the Angels shifting towards a national marketing approach
Their department markets to….their market.
Sure, Albert might get a Pepsi commercial or something like Vlad did but my point is that if Derek Jeter did the exact same things he did as a Yankee in a Royals uniform, he wouldn’t be doing Gillette commercials or be in tabloids still.
Baseball as a sport is trending much older demographically which suggests the attendance figures reflect a regional interest in baseball. You love your team but would be hard pressed to watch 9 innings of two other teams. From a marketing perspective, there is not many guys you can nationally market since for the most part the only people who are interested in him are his team’s fans.
RIP Nick Adenhart
by ihearhowie2.0 on Dec 16, 2011 7:17 PM PST up reply actions
Even conceding your point that baseball marketing may be regional. . . .
The Angels are underperforming the regional market they are in.
There is no inherent reason that the Angels cannot become as popular as the Dodgers. The club has to make the moves necessary to take share from them though.
That the Dodgers, and to a much lesser extent to the south, the Padres, are the “regional competition” for the baseball fan in Southern California, then mindshare has to come at their expense. With the Padres doing their best impression of the A’s and the Doyers in disarray, this moment is a turning point for Angels baseball that simply cannot be pissed away by doing the same old things that have held them back, such as constantly changing their name, their look, spending years at a time out of the playoffs, etcetera.
Now is the time. The Pujols signing is not the signing of Reggie Jackson with little tread left, and it is arguably more than having a HOF spray hitter like Rod Carew in mid-to-late career because Pujols carries star power that Rod Carew, bless him, simply didn’t possess. It’s not just chicks who dig the long ball.
The Pujols signing is a watershed moment in Angels history. They have to do more with it than ride his popularity. They need to do much much more.
Ah Look! My California Angels are now all grown up!
In a perfect world, yes
The Angels would capitalize on their market, success, Pujols etc.
And they will. But you can’t fault them for failing to do so when the team was awful in the better part of the 60’s and 70’s and the 90s.
Also, whether we were “here” before the Dodgers or not, it should be mentioned that the Dodgers brand was already a really big deal when they moved to Los Angeles which is still a city of transplants. It would be like if the Red Sox moved to Tampa Bay. Nobody should be shocked if 10 years from now the Red Sox were the dominant team in Tampa because the brand already had cache.
The Angels are just now operating as a big market team with an owner who gets it. It takes time and generations of fans to grow up as die hard fans which is what is currently happening. In 20 years it will be a different story.
RIP Nick Adenhart
by ihearhowie2.0 on Dec 16, 2011 7:44 PM PST up reply actions
The subtext to the larger point I am trying to make is
that if the Angels do not finally decide what they want to be, if they continue to live in some kind of torpor because there is a belief that the Dodgers are permanently ascendant in this market then the Angels will never own the lion’s share of it, or even come close.
This organization has to do what it has really never done—it needs to thrive without reference to the carpetbaggers up the freeway. The only way to do that is to squarely confront the problems of identity that have hobbled the Angels from their inception.
Ah Look! My California Angels are now all grown up!
your issue is not with other baseball teams
it is with the Lakers. If Kobe takes the Jerry Sandusky route, maybe the Lakers brand is tarnished and the NAgels fill the vacuum.
Kobe is already a rapist.
“All he had to do is change his jersey number and put up 20 points a night and soulless Hollywood couldn’t be prouder.” Daniel Tosh
by Halowitz on Dec 16, 2011 8:26 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
thats when I quit being a Laker fan.
2011, it's going to be a heck of year, or not
by salmonforever on Dec 17, 2011 4:27 PM PST up reply actions
The Angels have no stars whatsoever offensively prior to Pujols post Vlad
I would not want to see them either if I was not an Angels fan.
Willits? Check. Reagins? Check. Mathis? Check
Nobody is getting hyped to see maicer????
What do you need a fancy suit for, Charlie, you ain't got no job to wear it to.
by clover_black on Dec 16, 2011 4:32 PM PST up reply actions
Nobody nicer than Maicer
<3
Tim Salmon: The once and future Kingfish.
by Teixeira Who? on Dec 16, 2011 4:44 PM PST up reply actions
Please... It's "MAY-zer". Don't you listen to Joe Buck?
If the Halos don't care about the way they play, then why should I?
Forget waterboarding
Listening to Buck is far worse.
Tim Salmon: The once and future Kingfish.
by Teixeira Who? on Dec 16, 2011 7:52 PM PST up reply actions
Yea, we only had
players that could make you see stars.
Jeff Mathis (Pseudonym Lyle Spencer) is History... Zang!
by Halo Hurricane on Dec 16, 2011 4:41 PM PST up reply actions
Angel Draws in historical order...
Nolan Ryan
Rod Carew
Reggie Jackson
Jim Abbott
Vlad Guerrero
Pujols will join this list in April.
I plan to support the road-draw numbers when the Halos visit Colorado in June
but I’m already an Angel fan. It will be really interesting to see how much of a bump the Angels road-numbers go up this year.
I'm going to the Sunday game with Miss 21.
She lives in SD.
If the Halos don't care about the way they play, then why should I?
would somebody be kind enough to photoshop me a prototype like this?
pretty please
RIP Nick Adenhart
Great job.
A red button and a brighter gold color for halo is my vision of the road cap.
Ah Look! My California Angels are now all grown up!
I have that hat.
Mine curiously has a blue button. So there is either a problem with that pic or there is more than one version of it.
I don’t track BP hat versions, but I know there are types in both red and blue.
I think a 59Fifty in blue and red would make a fine road cap that would provide a nice alternate for fans who don’t particularly care for the all red model.
Ah Look! My California Angels are now all grown up!
Nope
Don’t like it
What we've got here is a failure to communicate.
Follow the Chicken on Twitter
by SportsChicken on Dec 16, 2011 8:28 PM PST up reply actions
I love it!
California Angel colors. Great alternate.
Tim Salmon: The once and future Kingfish.
by Teixeira Who? on Dec 16, 2011 10:47 PM PST up reply actions
Red caps are a mega fail (from a consumer stand point, not a ball player).
Agree that a two-tone with the dark navy needs to be a part of the uniform.
What do you need a fancy suit for, Charlie, you ain't got no job to wear it to.
Good God, that's been my second biggest pet peeve next to Mathis
The only time I’m ever gonna wear a huge stop light red shirt and hat is at the big A. With the exception of the Phils, all those teams wear very easy ton the eyes colors. Evan the Cards have a good alternate… and frankly, if you gotta go with the red, their “Birds on a Bat” shirt looks a whole lot cooler than our Adobe Illustrator 101 bad drop shadow A.
Bring back the classic, dark blue included angels stuff. Then I can stop lurking on ebay in search of pre-2000 angels gear. Or do what the Reds do and mix some black in, if you think any blue is too Doyer blue. I wish they’d just wear their batting practice jerseys from the 80s. Those would sell like mad. But I’m not going around dressed like a rodeo clown all day just cause the Angels can only use RED and white in their uni.
Tim Salmon + Yankee cap = HOF.
by gitchogritchoffmypetis on Dec 16, 2011 4:54 PM PST up reply actions
Who knows why the Senators do what they do.
But since for all but a fraction of their existence the Angels have fielded blue/red ball caps, the mystery behind why they don’t go back to one as the “road cap” and broaden their ball cap customer pool only deepens.
There is zero risk to the organization to commission a blue over red ball cap for the coming season with the current stylized A and a golden halo that evokes the old cap without being a direct copy of it.
The added benefit is that the blue cap will go better with the road grays too.
Ah Look! My California Angels are now all grown up!
One thing I'm sure of
is that the Rangers wear TEXAS on their home jersey in smug response to us wearing ANGELS on the road.
by Halowitz on Dec 16, 2011 6:45 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
This
to something as mundane as getting him cracking on promotions to the Spanish speaking regional market that Los Doyers think they have owned since Fernandomania,
I would LOVE to see the Angels take a big chunk out of the LA Spanish market. That would be a huge nail in the coffin for the Dodgers.
Tim Salmon: The once and future Kingfish.
Also...
I apparently don’t know how to use
blockquote
Tim Salmon: The once and future Kingfish.
by Teixeira Who? on Dec 16, 2011 4:43 PM PST up reply actions
Nice post
Angels lowest road draw? Probably because nobody (e.g. Angels fans) wants to leave OC to live in another place. Everyone moves here unfortunately.
YO.
IF BOSTON WAS SO GOD DAMN GREAT, WHY DID YOU LEAVE, STUPID.
by Halowitz on Dec 16, 2011 4:48 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
F-Yea!
Jeff Mathis (Pseudonym Lyle Spencer) is History... Zang!
by Halo Hurricane on Dec 16, 2011 4:54 PM PST up reply actions
As the resident Delaware fan, hardly see people wearing blue phillies caps.
Also road attendance is tough because if a home team always sells out, then opponents road nmbrs increase, see orioles and nationals (esp. The latter)
by Halos in DE on Dec 16, 2011 5:12 PM PST via mobile reply actions
And were a team is doesn’t matter. Redskins play in landover, md , used to in d.c.
Ny jets and giants play in jersey.
by Halos in DE on Dec 16, 2011 5:14 PM PST via mobile reply actions
Where a team plays doesn't matter when they have an established identity
Save for extreme cases where the Los Angeles Rams move to another city entirely.
The Angels don’t have that. The most established brand they have had was as the California Angels.
The Anaheim Angels didn’t do it for them. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim isn’t getting it done either.
My point is what is the point of the obsession with LA when none of the gear mentions LA at all? It’s rather pointless and distracting. There was no controversy when the club was the California Angels.
And I cited the Phillies caps primarily because they have something of the same shade of red primaries as we do. They commissioned an alternate because it does sell. One may not see it at the stadium among the die hards, but out here in Oregon I’ve seen a few in the wild because, of all things, we have a local LL team named after the club and nearly all of the parents sport the blue over red one, either authentic or replica, because the totally red one looks so poor on so many people.
If I extrapolate that distaste for a totally stop sign red cap as the prevailing sentiment among casual fans, who when confronted with the choice between an all red cap or a blue/red cap, choose the more versatile offering, it makes sense why the Phillies commissioned an alternate.
The offensiveness of Chief Wahoo supports an alternate Cleveland cap too. The die hards won’t abandon the chief, but casual fans or out of town fans may have.
As for the Angels, the all red cap is a profound break from the tradition of the ball club. Bringing back a blue over red road cap seems like Marketing 101 now that the all red one is established as more than just another uniform thrash about by a club searching for its unique identity.
Ah Look! My California Angels are now all grown up!
Are you knowledgable of any change in advertising revenue to the club
after the change from “Anaheim” to “Los Angeles”?
Dear Texas: "One, two...........THREE!" The next number IS THREE!!!
I don't think anyone outside of the organization gets to see those books.
One can only infer that Moreno thought the change had merit because he pursued it and hasn’t ended it.
I view the LAAofA moniker to be pretty useless in light of two facts:
1) It’s the “brand” in name but not in practice.
2) The Angels’ regional telecast goes where it goes limited only by its carriage. Every media buyer in the greater Southland area already knows where the TV out of market blackout boundaries are for both the Angels and the Dodgers because they are identical. Radio advertising might be the only area that LA v. Anaheim really plays out in reality.
Ah Look! My California Angels are now all grown up!
Well, until you are in possession of the ad revenue financials
before and after the name change, your arguments concerning the value of the name are conjecture. For all you know, he is now kicking ass due to the name change.
Dear Texas: "One, two...........THREE!" The next number IS THREE!!!
Angels revenue numbers for 2008 and 2009 leaked a while back
You can scan through the PDFs here.
Pretty interesting stuff.
Christmas List: DFA Mathis, Trade Abreu, Fire Reagins, Sign Buehrle
"Why [pitcher wins] should be taken as a record of the pitcher's ability is a conundrum to which no one has as yet vouchsafed an answer." M.G. Lloyd; Baseball Magazine - 1908
by Nathan Aderhold on Dec 17, 2011 9:30 AM PST up reply actions
We're the LAA one broken out like the one for the Strangers
It would go a ways towards accurately portraying the actual level of branding success the Angels enjoy.
Ah Look! My California Angels are now all grown up!
i hope we are more like the white socks
My roomate here at tech training is from the windy city and they are taking over apparently. I’ve never been so I can’t say for sure but Chicago is more white socks from what I’m told
Are you sure he was safe? It looked like an out to the entire statium. Well bad call Blue.
by Alavel on Dec 16, 2011 6:45 PM PST via mobile reply actions
Winning and making money at the same time
I have argued before that a team cannot have national recognition without nationally recognized names. Combine this with the fact that our time zone doesn’t allow home grown names to become easily recognized nationally and you have a sort of a Catch 22.
The only way around this is to sign players that already have this Name branding, players that people in the Midwest or east already know and have an interest in. As they follow this player they will in turn follow your team, buy its products and watch its games.
Do it long enough and pay attention to style trends as you go and eventually your team will have the "creds" necessary to become a nationally interesting product.
"How much more could you possibly need? I never played this game for money purposes, I played it for love and for championships."
---Jered Weaver.
Over the last decade we've preferred efficiency over star power.
Part of the Scioscia brand of baseball is that no player is bigger than the team. I love that about our philosophy, but it tends to lead to hesitancy on going all in for superstars. The thought throughout the last decade has been along the lines of, “Instead of having a 30 HR, 120 RBI guy for $20 million a year, we’ll get two 70 RBI guys for half that price and we’ll be better off.” While that philosophy may have played a big role in our long-term success, it garners no national attention. That’s the reason we haven’t been a good road draw.
by moralesforpresident on Dec 16, 2011 7:37 PM PST up reply actions
we are a shitty road draw
10 games in Oakland
10 games in Seattle
meanwhile oakland, seattle and texas get their share of our 3 million fans.
end of story.
Sounnds Bavasi speak
I can get 2 10 game winners for what it would take to re sign Ryan…
That thinking was bad for buisness then and it is even worse for buisness now
"How much more could you possibly need? I never played this game for money purposes, I played it for love and for championships."
---Jered Weaver.
errr, I need an edit button! (Sounds like Bavasi speak)
"How much more could you possibly need? I never played this game for money purposes, I played it for love and for championships."
---Jered Weaver.
I really hope Mike Trout turns out to be that superstar guy for us
as Pujols starts to fade later on.
by Halowitz on Dec 18, 2011 6:36 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
Best fanpost I've read in a long time.
This has actually been a concern of mine for a long time. When you look at a team like the Yankees, they aren’t just a team. They are a brand. People who don’t even follow baseball at all know who the Yankees are. Just like people who don’t follow the NBA know the Lakers, or people who don’t follow football know the Cowboys. The Yankees have an international brand. They have fame, tradition, and it has given them prestige.
Granted, I don’t think anyone can surpass the Yankees’ branding, but teams like the Red Sox and Cubs are close. Why is it that the Angels, after a decade of dominance, are practically a national after-thought? We are consistently more competitive than half the teams on that list.
One of the reasons, as you mentioned, is that the Angels haven’t had a franchise player in a long time, not since Nolan Ryan. Even with Ryan, the Angels have never had a player go into the Hall of Fame wearing an Angels cap. The guys who meant the most to this organization either didn’t start their careers here or left for greener pastures.
When I think about the Dodgers, I think Sandy Koufax. When I think of the Red Sox, I think of Ted Williams. When I think of the Yankees, I think of Babe Ruth, Joe Dimaggio and Mickey Mantle. When I think of the Cubs, I think of Jimmie Fox and Ernie Banks. When I think of the Braves, I think of Hank Aaron. When I think of the White Sox, I think of Cap Anson. When I think of the Royals, I think of George Brett. When I think of the Pirates, I think of Roberto Clemente. When I think of the Tigers, I think of Ty Cobb.
However, when I think about the Angels, my Angels, I can’t find a franchise guy. Sure, we’ve had some great players and alot of good players, but never have we had a player who defined the Angels. That’s one of the main reasons we don’t have a national identity. Shoot, we can’t even have a specific location either, much less an identity. We don’t have a player in our history who really bore the Angels’ brand. Now we have the opportunity to do that.
by moralesforpresident on Dec 16, 2011 6:58 PM PST reply actions
Maybe all we need is some west coast rap/hip hop artist to start wearing an angels cap sideways
…and try to avoid getting shot for wearing red
wondering what Ortiz did with that game ball...
by vongveng on Dec 16, 2011 7:14 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Excelent point
When you see replays or greatest of all time lists how often do the Angels get mentioned? Most of the reason for this is the lack of an interesting history beyond the last 10 years or so but the lack of interesting player’s plays is part as well.
Truly even the name Angels is dated. It lacks any type of coolness or toughness that might want ot makes kids wear it. It may just be just to christian for the modern world
"How much more could you possibly need? I never played this game for money purposes, I played it for love and for championships."
---Jered Weaver.
Um...were you not aware of how awesome the Angels were in the late 70s and 80s?
I’d call those times a pretty awesome part of history.
RIP Nick Adenhart
by ihearhowie2.0 on Dec 16, 2011 7:54 PM PST up reply actions
Of course, I've been a fan since 1972
but the rest of the league hasn’t noticed. If they had we would not be having this discussion
"How much more could you possibly need? I never played this game for money purposes, I played it for love and for championships."
---Jered Weaver.
Actually, 3 division wins doesn't equate awsome either
"How much more could you possibly need? I never played this game for money purposes, I played it for love and for championships."
---Jered Weaver.
Also
There are angels in a heck of a lot of religions.
wondering what Ortiz did with that game ball...
Which does not at all invalidate my point
The name doesn’t strike the young fan as being hip in any way
"How much more could you possibly need? I never played this game for money purposes, I played it for love and for championships."
---Jered Weaver.
Impossibly high standards
why aren’t the Angels as good of a brand as the Yankees, Cubs and Red Sox?
1. Location – our games start at 10pm in New York
2. Demographic – huge % of people in Southern California moved here from somewhere else
3. Dodgers – established history even before they were in California. Easier sell for fairweather transplants
4. Disney era
5. Constant name, logo, uniform changes. No continuity.
6. Only short spurts of prolonged success, national attention in playoffs, etc.
RIP Nick Adenhart
by ihearhowie2.0 on Dec 16, 2011 7:52 PM PST up reply actions
Unless the Angels started to exist for you in 2002, it shouldn't be that shocking
Southern California and particularly Orange County have been evolving like crazy throughout the Angels’ existence. Your seeing generations of kids growing up on the Angels have their own kids and start to move around the country and spread the gospel.
Give it time!
Even then though, our games end at 1-2am in the East where most media outlets are based. You ain’t gettin our highlights before you go to bed for a big chunk of the country.
RIP Nick Adenhart
by ihearhowie2.0 on Dec 16, 2011 8:09 PM PST up reply actions
I am not asking for the Angels to become the Yankees, Cubs or Red Sox
But there is no reason they cannot get within spitting distance of the Doyers or be at least the market equivalent of the White Sox. . . .over time.
But the Angels organization has to get on with it at some point.
The Angels have to commit to becoming more than they have been. The first step has to be to resolve the brand identity once and for all.
The second step has to be taking on the Doyers head to head for young fans, transplants, whomever. Get in on the ground floor with every fan they can. Pujols unlocks that door in spring training. The Angels have to kick it off of the hinges.
Overcoming the last three of your points are completely within the organization’s control. I choose the Red Sox as a model of sorts. They weren’t really winners until they totally committed to being winners in just the past ten years. Yes they had their earlier moments, much like us, but they couldn’t break through because they weren’t willing to do what it took to break through. Even the Angels’ WS 2002 title has the air of being a happy accident about it because of the wild card status and the crazy ups and downs of the series. Happy to be there has to change to expect to be there.
The Angels will never likely have the Hollywood types strung out literally and figuratively along the third base line, but that doesn’t mean that we have to settle for life in their shadow either. A great part of shining on our own merits is committing wholly to that goal.
At least Arturo Moreno seems to get that much. Now he needs to show courage going forward with this new impetus to win hardware. Because showing an unwavering commitment to that goal will take care of the top three items on your list.
Ah Look! My California Angels are now all grown up!
All good points and goals
But really…the population of LA county vs. Orange County is I believe (because I’m too lazy to actually check) more than 2x as big if not 3×.
1. Young kids are becoming a dying breed when it comes to baseball fans. If they are there, they’re getting taught by mom and dad who to root for.
2. If you live in downtown LA and are looking to get into baseball, you aren’t driving to Anaheim to watch the Angels no matter how good they are. And really, why would you identify with them if another team is in your backyard?
3. I would argue we are superior to what the White Sox are in Chicago.
4. I’m pretty sure the Red Sox were always serious about winning. It also doesn’t hurt they have a 100 year history, a rivalry with the most popular team in the sport and the biggest sports media outlet stationed in their backyard
RIP Nick Adenhart
by ihearhowie2.0 on Dec 16, 2011 8:19 PM PST up reply actions
1. Young kids are becoming a dying breed when it comes to baseball fans. If they are there, they’re getting taught by mom and dad who to root for.
If that is indeed the case, then why is anyone bothering with baseball? By demographics it’s dead on its feet if new young fans are a dying breed.
Ah Look! My California Angels are now all grown up!
I work swing shift
And am unable to watch almost anything live. I have a DVR though and almost never miss a game. Technology is nullifying the time zone problem as long as you have a product that makes fans want to watch
"How much more could you possibly need? I never played this game for money purposes, I played it for love and for championships."
---Jered Weaver.
You are the exception, not the rule
In a world with twitter and ESPN bottom-line real time updates, DVR’d sports will become a thing of the past because nobody is interested in an entire 3 hour game if they saw the score flash up somewhere
RIP Nick Adenhart
by ihearhowie2.0 on Dec 21, 2011 12:45 PM PST up reply actions
Let's rename Dana Point
Pujols Point.
Tim Salmon: The once and future Kingfish.
by Teixeira Who? on Dec 16, 2011 7:54 PM PST up reply actions
How about the SoCal Angels?
Yeah, I know, it’s changing the brand yet again. Still, has a ring to it, and isn’t as silly as claiming the whole, long-ass state of California as your turf.
by Rock Island Line on Dec 16, 2011 7:34 PM PST reply actions
how about claim we are divine
Heaven Angels of Anaheim – attract someone devout to sign with us like maybe Albert Pujols.
Good idea
Nobody’s gone after the evangelical market yet.
by Rock Island Line on Dec 17, 2011 6:19 AM PST up reply actions
Yuck.
If by ring you mean has that out of state clunk like when New Yorkers talk about how much they love “Cali” and especially “The OC.”
by Halowitz on Dec 16, 2011 9:16 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
How about the Frisco Giants?
By the way, my grandfather used to own an antique truck business, in Santa Ana I think, called SoCal Pickup. Anybody ever heard of that?
by Rock Island Line on Dec 17, 2011 6:21 AM PST up reply actions
SoCal Pickup sounds like an escort service
I love this team.
by Downing Rules on Dec 19, 2011 2:01 PM PST up reply actions
It does, doesn't it?
Funny, some of my earliest memories were of checking out his catalog, with all those bikini girls standing beside tricked out pickups. Maybe the trucks were just a front. Wouldn’t put it past old granddad.
by Rock Island Line on Dec 20, 2011 9:38 AM PST up reply actions
Your critique is fair. Although I for one have never heard an out-of-stater use the term SoCal. I’ve never heard it used in pop culture either. I have, however, seen it tattooed on ex cons, so there’s that.
by Rock Island Line on Dec 17, 2011 6:26 AM PST up reply actions
It's been mentioned
But i’ll mention it again.
It’s the logo/hat.
People just don’t like how it looks. Every casual Angels fan I know likes this hat.
As a fan of the team (not the logo), I don’t give a crap what the merchandise looks like…and I’m sure a lot of you feel the same way. But how do you think the Dodgers and Cubs sell so much merchandise?
Their stuff “looks cool/gangst-a”
What we've got here is a failure to communicate.
Follow the Chicken on Twitter
Also
They never should have changed the California Angels name.
Big time fail.
What we've got here is a failure to communicate.
Follow the Chicken on Twitter
by SportsChicken on Dec 16, 2011 8:39 PM PST up reply actions
We could go all gray and black for the road unis
wearing this cap:
j/k
Ah Look! My California Angels are now all grown up!
Well no
But the name was respectable back then.
What we've got here is a failure to communicate.
Follow the Chicken on Twitter
by SportsChicken on Dec 16, 2011 9:03 PM PST up reply actions
Time Warner Cable is primarily responsible
for the size of that contract, by providing a competitive threat to Fox Sports in live sports programming.
Ah Look! My California Angels are now all grown up!
The Angels are only half-assed about being from LA for marketing purposes
By contrast, their games are telecasted throughout the greater LA metroplex regardless. There is no programming ghetto called Fox Sports OC or Fox Sports Anaheim.
The Angels have equal rights to the territory.
That blue blob in Southern California and striping into southern Nevada is the extent of the Angels/Dodgers overlapping MLB TV territorial duopoly.
Ah Look! My California Angels are now all grown up!
Ooooooooooooh
I see now.
So this way they can televise in the LA market…
What we've got here is a failure to communicate.
Follow the Chicken on Twitter
by SportsChicken on Dec 17, 2011 9:08 PM PST up reply actions
I don't like that logo.
And they hated it in ’71 which is why they only wore it one year.
by Halowitz on Dec 16, 2011 9:27 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
Longevity matters too
All of the teams on the list were original AL/NL teams. Technically, including the Twins, although we all know Mauer is the real reason they’re on this list.
The Braves, having moved twice, are also an exception, except they’ve been winning for 20 years straight, and have a cool, retro-looking tomahawk.
Ultimately, winning still solves most problems. The Dodgers have won several World Series titles since moving west, and played (and lost) in a few more. We’ve been in one. That’s not enough to win over the LA fans. Yet.
"There's nothing that cleanses your soul like getting the hell kicked out of you." - Woody Hayes
When are we gonna have uniforms with" Los Angeles" on it ???????????????
I’m ffffffffffffffffffffffing sick of seeing Angels on the the uni’s. WHEN ????
by Ed@northridge on Dec 16, 2011 9:47 PM PST reply actions 2 recs
thats why the team uniform ranks in the bottom 10.
I want Los Angeles .
by Ed@northridge on Dec 16, 2011 9:50 PM PST up reply actions
I gotta admit
That would look pretty awesome. Maybe an alternate jersey or something?
Tim Salmon: The once and future Kingfish.
by Teixeira Who? on Dec 16, 2011 10:42 PM PST up reply actions
Win rings
That’ll attract people.
Also, they should make more alternate hats like mine. They’re like the on-field hats, only much more doper.
Scioscialist Party of America - Redistributing your defense since 2000.
by Commander_Nate on Dec 16, 2011 9:49 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
^^ THIS ^^
Dominate for a decade and problem solved. Success has a funny way of, well, breeding success.
Green Bay is as podunk as you can get, however…
Dear Texas: "One, two...........THREE!" The next number IS THREE!!!
That's the real story, Commander -- just win baby
Anybody who has lived in NY for any length of time knows that it essentially a National League town. But thanks to the woeful mismanagement by the Wilpons, they have flushed the brand down the toilet. You cannot compare te Yankees’ fans to Boston and Chicago. When they were bad in the early 90’s (in fact up through 97), there were many, MANY games I attended that drew less than 14,000. They are the biggest bandwagoners in sport. Frankly, the Mets owned NY in the 80’s and 90’s and threw it away.
As far as merchandising, I see that f’ing Yankee cap all over the world and the vast majority of the wearers have no idea what baseball is, much less who the Yankees are. They sure as hell know what New York is (there’s also a fair amount of Dodger caps in the international market for precisely the same reason…LA).
I’ve seen polls for years that indicate the Angels are the least liked team, not the most hated, just plain inconsequential. But win rings three out of the next four years and Angels, just like the A’s in their hey day, will have a national presence and we will be loved by all the band wagon wannabees. We will also begin to be hated and despised, “the Angels buy championships” will accompany any wearing of the red (which I like btw, who the hell wants a cap that looks like every other middling team?)…be careful what you wish for.
And oh how I’m wishing for it.
Well, come see a fat old man some time!
one other thing
working for what is essentially a marketing company, I’ve learned one important thing…never give up red. We were too late in the cola department, but guess what color our big ticket snack food, Doritos, has?
Well, come see a fat old man some time!
That may have more to do with the effect red has on appetite and on the shelf.
Maybe the red in the stadium helps sell more concessions?
wondering what Ortiz did with that game ball...
nope
It’s all about catching the eye and stimulating the adrenals. Lots of studies on this. Blue, on the other hand (and unfortunately for us), has a calming effect and actually produces sedation. Not so good when trying to sell soda.
Well, come see a fat old man some time!
Their is always the white Cola can…..
by MoralesHomers on Dec 17, 2011 10:43 AM PST up reply actions
Yep red actually happens to be a very good marketing color. I just thought that a bit of a darker red like we had on the uniforms like 4 years ago that Escobar always wore was a perfect shade. The lighter red didn’t work as well imo.
by MoralesHomers on Dec 17, 2011 10:42 AM PST up reply actions
since 2002 opening day
the Angels official red color has been and still is PANTONE SCARLET. They have not changed anything about their red. The FSN-West TV cameras are not color calibrated for shit.
The camera used for the super slow-mo
Whatever they call it—Fox-mo—skews all colors, makes the Angel red look yellowish and less saturated, whether used for the slow-mo or live action.
"The contract is brought up a lot. What it's going to take to get past it is winning. This organization took on the contract. I'm here to make them look good."~Vernon Wells
by George Kaplan on Dec 17, 2011 11:59 PM PST up reply actions
I love the bright-ass red hat
I wear that hat all the time.
I am kind of tall so whenever I am traveling I wear the hat. The wife thinks “where the hell did Trott go”. All she has to do is look around then “BAM” bright ass Angels cap that no else is wearing.
I call a friend to pick me up from the airport. “Hey just look for the Angels cap”
I have not proposed replacing the all red cap
Just supplementing it with a blue/red road cap that nods to the tradition of the franchise and provides a visual continuity with Angels greats of the past.
Ah Look! My California Angels are now all grown up!
Contradiction
You keep arguing the Angels have failed to establish a quality brand in the past yet want them to clutter up their current brand associated with rings and division championships with colors alluding to the aforementioned years of failed branded.
Make up your mind!
RIP Nick Adenhart
by ihearhowie2.0 on Dec 17, 2011 7:47 AM PST up reply actions
Baseball is reverential about tradition. I am only asking for a nod to it
The Angels having actual baseball and uniform history and the Angels having a chronically confused GEOGRAPHIC branding problem are not intertwined issues when one is really only discussing adding back one of the colors that was on the cap for 4/5ths of the club’s history. All I am I agitating for here is a restoration of navy blue on the road cap. Not a logo change. Not a name change. Just a color. The Cardinals are not diminished by having a red home cap and a blue road cap. The Tigers are still iconic wearing their orange road D that is only colored differently than their home white one.
The success of the sales of the Flashback Friday caps strongly suggests that there is a pent up demand for an alternative to the all red cap. It would not change the entire branding effort of the Angels, whether they want to go whole hog on “Los Angeles” or continue muddling along as they are, were the color blue more incorporated into the road uniform.
Many fans in this very thread, whose status as such should go unquestioned, would like to see a navy blue themed cap as an option. The club would literally lose nothing by offering one up.
Ah Look! My California Angels are now all grown up!
Really?
All I am I agitating for here is a restoration of navy blue on the road cap. Not a logo change. Not a name change. Just a color.
“Just a color”??? Tell that to UPS (brown), John Deere (green), Coke (red) and Caterpillar (yellow). The color IS the brand. This is true with the Angels. Don’t screw with a well-known color identifier. Doing that can only diminish the brand.
A wise man does not need advice and a fool won't take it.
It's laughable to suggest that the current all red iteration of the Angels' uniform scheme
Enjoys any sort of iconic status. It just doesn’t.
And as someone said above, when the D-Backs, Nationals, Phillies, and Rangers are rocking bright red caps, how on earth does it matter that the Angels are on that trend too?
Ah Look! My California Angels are now all grown up!
here is the fallacy
new era and lids and god knows who else have a bazillion color variations of caps for every team.
And each team makes money when these caps are sold.
Your little top ten list did not break down “absolutely monochromatically team colors top ten”.
You don’t like the red. You do like to argue. Your argument ignores every core philosphy of Arte Moreno.
And on top of everything else, there is an official, on-field navy blue bating practice Angels cap, so they are already doing what you are suggesting. It exists and it is merchandised
So what are you arguing? Are you arguing that you should have the final word on every sub-thread suggestion and comment in this FanPost? That is a fuck load more doable than telling Arte Moreno that a dude in Oregon knows best.
Funny, but Arte Moreno didn't make the team red.
It predates his tenure as owner.
My list, MLB’s list, was intended only to show that a team that has the second best turnstile performance in the AL doesn’t drive its merchandising potential as well as it might.
My opinion is certainly not definitive. As you say, Arte Moreno has the final word and I am just some dude for Oregon.
I am also a customer of Arte Moreno’s, no matter how attenuated. I do make it down to Anaheim every other year and take in games while I am there. My fan post is a form of wish list. I have no expectations of being listened to.
As to my participation in this thread, I have said that the blue v. red thing has become a sideshow that I am beginning to regret. That said, the opposition to a possible blue/red hat for the road has been, what, totally overheated shall I say?
Core values? Fuck navy blue? Having LAA on the ESPN crawler and the official name of the club somehow supercharges ad revenues and TV contracts?
It’s all debatable.
Ah Look! My California Angels are now all grown up!
It's the song
Tough to be a fan of a team that plays “buttercup” in the 7th.
by Dfresh on Dec 17, 2011 8:08 AM PST via mobile reply actions
Great post.
I agree with just about everything you said.
As a die-hard fan myself, I won’t buy anything that’s all red. It’s just not a good look for me. All of my Angels gear is a combination of blue and red.
I really think they could add more fans just by getting rid of the Rally Monkey. Every time I see it I cringe with thoughts of Disney and I’ve had a number of non-Angel fan friends give me grief over how stupid they think it is.
It may be a fun thing for already-established fans, but it’s definitely a turn-off for prospective Halo supporters.
Christmas List: DFA Mathis, Trade Abreu, Fire Reagins, Sign Buehrle
"Why [pitcher wins] should be taken as a record of the pitcher's ability is a conundrum to which no one has as yet vouchsafed an answer." M.G. Lloyd; Baseball Magazine - 1908
by Nathan Aderhold on Dec 17, 2011 9:43 AM PST reply actions
everytime you see it you cringe
Gosh, I can see your argument convincing Arte.
Hey Arte, one dude who didn’t like ownership in 2001 cringes and opposing fans who will never buy team merchandise hate the Rally Monkey. Ignore the thousand kids per game who become fans of the Angels for life when they see it up on the big screen and think about one guy who cannot stick up for his team when his friends smack talk the mascot.
by Rev Halofan on Dec 17, 2011 3:41 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
I'm not trying to convince Arte.
Arte didn’t come up with the Rally Monkey. And it’s not that my friends (Giants and Doyers fans) hate it, it’s that they don’t get it. And to be honest, I don’t get it at this point either.
I thought it was fun the first few years, but at this point it’s more of a “remember when” feeling than anything else. Unless you have hard evidence to back up your “thousand kids” claim, I’m not buying it.
There’s a large chasm between standing up for my team and cheering when a monkey jumps up and down on the Jumbotron.
Christmas List: DFA Mathis, Trade Abreu, Fire Reagins, Sign Buehrle
"Why [pitcher wins] should be taken as a record of the pitcher's ability is a conundrum to which no one has as yet vouchsafed an answer." M.G. Lloyd; Baseball Magazine - 1908
by Nathan Aderhold on Dec 17, 2011 6:57 PM PST up reply actions
the monkey is wildly popular
when the monkey appears it gets the crowd cheering. It doesn’t get the crowd hectoring for the removal of the team mascot. Uhh… evidence? The evidence i right there at close games where we are at-bat, tied or behind in the 6th inning or later.
What is there to get about a mascot? Most teams have mascots. Ours is the rally monkey. We can debate “what is the point of a mascot” but we can also debate “why is a foul ball not a strike when there are two strikes”. Arte did not hire Mike Scioscia but he kept him on, just as he did the team’s beloved mascot: THE RALLY MONKEY.
Yes, the Monkey is just silly
It lacks the gravitas, the dignity of
and
and
and
and
and
and
and
You’re absolutely right— compared to these dignified mascots, there is just no way to defend the Rally Monkey.
"The contract is brought up a lot. What it's going to take to get past it is winning. This organization took on the contract. I'm here to make them look good."~Vernon Wells
by George Kaplan on Dec 18, 2011 12:14 AM PST up reply actions 3 recs
Touché
I suppose I’m conditioned to accept the “random dude dressed like an animal and/or thing”.
Not quite there with the Rally Monkey.
Christmas List: DFA Mathis, Trade Abreu, Fire Reagins, Sign Buehrle
"Why [pitcher wins] should be taken as a record of the pitcher's ability is a conundrum to which no one has as yet vouchsafed an answer." M.G. Lloyd; Baseball Magazine - 1908
by Nathan Aderhold on Dec 18, 2011 1:09 AM PST up reply actions
You left out the Chicken!
Then again…the Chicken is the STANDARD of team mascots.
What are you talkin about
He’s right there wearing a dodgers uni
I play music for your entertainment
People stand and sing along when Buttercup is played
People cheered for and had signs celebrating Jeff Mathis
That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re wildly popular.
I guess I just don’t get how my not liking the Rally Monkey is any different.
Christmas List: DFA Mathis, Trade Abreu, Fire Reagins, Sign Buehrle
"Why [pitcher wins] should be taken as a record of the pitcher's ability is a conundrum to which no one has as yet vouchsafed an answer." M.G. Lloyd; Baseball Magazine - 1908
by Nathan Aderhold on Dec 18, 2011 1:14 AM PST up reply actions
"Buttercup" has its purpose
Police scan the stands during the time when it is played between the halves of the 7th. Anyone seen to be singing too enthusiastically is observed for possible signs of intoxication, before they hit the road to go home. It is simply a field sobriety test done on a massive scale.
"The contract is brought up a lot. What it's going to take to get past it is winning. This organization took on the contract. I'm here to make them look good."~Vernon Wells
by George Kaplan on Dec 18, 2011 6:54 AM PST up reply actions
It is the one really original thing about this franchise
That Monkey stands out. It is recognised by fans across MLB. Getting rid of it now would be a massive mistake
"How much more could you possibly need? I never played this game for money purposes, I played it for love and for championships."
---Jered Weaver.
I agree.
Other teams have even started selling their own rally monkeys. Kids LOVE it. This is Orange County—California’s family friendly county. The IE is the same way, with just a little redneck and crazy desert rat thrown in for spice. I know it’s not punk rock or cool, but it is the market here. The Rally Monkey appeals to that demographic. I could care less what Dodger fans from LA think. LA has had that same attitude about EVERYTHING concerning Orange County since before Orange County separated from LA. The monkey stays.
But the Monkey was part of the unbridled success!
You don’t mess with that man.
/sarc
Ah Look! My California Angels are now all grown up!
Do we really want to tap into the Doyers fan base?
With the Doyers fan base you get the scum and thugs.
Be a Angel Fan till I die... The only good team to come out of Texas is my Dallas Cowboys Baby
I'm sure the Angels FO would be cool with tapping into that fraction of the Doyers fan base
Anglo, Hispanic or whomever, who is disenchanted with the Doyers fan experience at the lowrider show in the ravine.
It’s already going to be he case that Pujols is going to draw the interest of the nominal Hispanic Doyers fan. What we do with that interest dictates in part the balance of Southland MLB fanhood for the next decade.
Ah Look! My California Angels are now all grown up!
Dodgers fan base
is a bunch of dudes in the SF Valley with mullets and some douchebags who got too fat to slip into their old Raiders gear.
Everything else is fair game.
I see we have some common ground despite our differences over colors
in that we share a contempt for Dodgers fans.
My goal in reducing the Dodgers fan base is targeted. I wish for the Angels to only try to save those nascent or lapsed Dodgers fans who haven’t yet turned into full blown fucktards.
There are a few, as I have known some over the years. They are not many, but every fan the Angels can pick off raises their profile.
Ah Look! My California Angels are now all grown up!
Great post, Canard
You obviously know what you’re talking about. Do you work in marketing? Here’s an abrupt, perhaps interrogative question: do you work for the Angels? I ask because it would be pretty brilliant to plant the seed on this blog and perhaps other blogs, for a change in marketing that the Angels already know is coming. That way, when it does come, it’ll feel like the fans all predicted it, or even made it happen, instead of the usual griping that happens whenever there’s an abrupt change.
Mind, I’m not accusing you of anything. Just wondering. And if I’m right, I think it’s a fiendishly smart move, and it would make me admire the Angels organization ever more than I do right now.
This covert action would actually serve another purpose by using HH as a big focus group. If we hate, hate, hate the ideas, the Angels can rethink their plans.
No doubt I’ve put too much thought into this.
by Rock Island Line on Dec 17, 2011 2:16 PM PST reply actions
Sorry, I am not an Angels FO plant.
Though I am a professional writer by trade, a copywriter to be exact, and a recovering attorney by training. It’s probably fair to say that I work in marketing, but I also don’t really work in that field as I usually only help to shape and then execute upon the marketing ideas of others. I also write corporate e-books at times or serve as a speechwriter or ghostwriter for corporate executives.
My mentor compared what we do to a role in making samurai swords. The swordsmith (marketing professional or executive) makes the sword. Sometimes the rare sword smith can polish and hone his own rough blade into the sharpest cutting weapon imaginable. Most of them cannot.
Those craftsmen call in specialists like me to bring out the temper line and mirror polish the blade and edge. Writers who take their craft seriously hone and check and hone some more until something approaching perfection is achieved.
None of my fan posts or comments are ever going to approach that standard.
My interest in the Angels organization’s marketing comes entirely from over three decades of watching it be suboptimal.
Ah Look! My California Angels are now all grown up!
Nice Suboptimal reference as well.
Thanks for answering my question. I look forward to reading future posts, honed to a razor edge or not.
by Rock Island Line on Dec 17, 2011 4:44 PM PST up reply actions
Tarantino is fantastic
when he successfully fights off his constant compulsion to be self-indulgent.
Ah Look! My California Angels are now all grown up!
Total reply fail.
I should get on with my tequila drinking.
Ah Look! My California Angels are now all grown up!
How come I haven't seen you around before, canard?
You write brilliantly. Thanks for your posts and comments.
" With Haren bolstering the rotation, the Angels are set up beautifully for 2011"- Another East coast biased reporter
by Halos2011champs on Dec 17, 2011 6:56 PM PST via mobile reply actions
he is proof
that new posters can be good posters
by Rev Halofan on Dec 17, 2011 7:46 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Was going to say that exactly
But I saw he’s been around for several years. I still think the point could apply though.
" With Haren bolstering the rotation, the Angels are set up beautifully for 2011"- Another East coast biased reporter
by Halos2011champs on Dec 17, 2011 7:50 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
people who do no post often
are not necessarily lousy posters
just as I am proof positive that people who post a lot are not necessarily doing much more than the monkey at the zoo with a loose diaper as hist new favorite toy.
Agreed.
" With Haren bolstering the rotation, the Angels are set up beautifully for 2011"- Another East coast biased reporter
by Halos2011champs on Dec 17, 2011 8:40 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
Similarly, I am proof that people with 30,000 comments
Often do not have much to say…
If the Halos don't care about the way they play, then why should I?
http://www.halosheaven.com/2011/10/29/2523901/red-floyd-about-to-make-30000th-halos-heaven-comment
If the Halos don't care about the way they play, then why should I?
I am mostly a reader on this network.
And that is when I have the time.
During the season I coach LL, and Legion ball, so I don’t come by much unless there is big news. Not usually a hot stove guy either.
The Pujols signing is momentous. It’s pretty much unlike anything the Angels have ever done. Reggie was mostly used up. Carew was a batting champ, but not feared like AP is. Vlad was great, but he isn’t AP either.
So, I finally had something to say. We’ll all see if I make that same mistake twice. J/k. Thanks to everyone for the compliments.
Ah Look! My California Angels are now all grown up!
Don't disappear
We might not agree on everything, but I could read your stuff all day.
Not because I’m a slow reader, just because it’s good stuff.
"The contract is brought up a lot. What it's going to take to get past it is winning. This organization took on the contract. I'm here to make them look good."~Vernon Wells
by George Kaplan on Dec 18, 2011 12:17 AM PST up reply actions
In the name of the monkey
I enjoyed this article by Canard quite a bit. Thank you to Halos Heaven for making this forum so accessible and enjoyable.
Angels Mania is here already…. hence I waste time cutting and pasteing primates.. Thank you again Arte!
Doesn't the chimp with the pistol belong at a Dodgers' game?
"The contract is brought up a lot. What it's going to take to get past it is winning. This organization took on the contract. I'm here to make them look good."~Vernon Wells
by George Kaplan on Dec 18, 2011 6:48 PM PST up reply actions 2 recs
A point on demographics
Thr Inland Empire is growing fast and due to the fact that this region is where there is still room for growth indicates that this is where the battle for fans will be fought.
The Angels are closer to these fans then are the Dodgers and already have a good fan base there. This area should be where the Angels focus on for a future strong fanbase.
"How much more could you possibly need? I never played this game for money purposes, I played it for love and for championships."
---Jered Weaver.
That's why Arte won't stray far from the current location
I imagine Irvine will give him a full-court press about a stadium they could build him in the Great Park section, and the proximity to the toll road from the 91, along with I-5 and the Metrolink/Amtrak line that stops there, would make a great argument.
But I suspect he’ll re-up with Anaheim for a new park built on the same parcel. If memory serves, the out clause is for 2016 (the 50th anniversary of the opening of Anaheim Stadium) but he is obligated to announce his plans sometime during 2014 (perhaps at the end of the season?).
The next three seasons figure to be full of civic drama behind the scenes.
"The contract is brought up a lot. What it's going to take to get past it is winning. This organization took on the contract. I'm here to make them look good."~Vernon Wells
by George Kaplan on Dec 18, 2011 6:52 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Tim Mead has already stated that the Angels plan to stay in Anaheim.
Irvine could promise them a spot in the Great Park, but the Park Commission would then have to spend the next 20 years vacationing, I mean researching the world’s great stadiums. Then they would have to draw up plans, choose a location, scrap the plans, choose another spot, find some way to link it to a new version of Wild Rivers, maybe build a fake canyon around it, then ULTIMATELY just build a kids sports complex with another big orange balloon. All this after spending tens of millions of dollars…Unless the Irvine COMPANY is doing it on their own land, it won’t get done in Irvine.
Depends on how much Larry Agran is involved by 2014
I don’t disagree with your analysis, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Irvine made a serious enough proposal to make sure Anaheim knows they aren’t fait accompli as a new site.
I fully expect Arte to leverage everything at his disposal for the best possible return, since he will get but one opportunity to build a new stadium in his lifetime.
"The contract is brought up a lot. What it's going to take to get past it is winning. This organization took on the contract. I'm here to make them look good."~Vernon Wells
by George Kaplan on Dec 19, 2011 10:23 AM PST up reply actions
I think if he's smart he' ll leverage the city to sell him the land
Then raise the money to build his own stadium. The Angels will be a billion dollar franchise at that point.
Mead also said they wouldn't do anything special for Jeter
lying sack of shit
Well, come see a fat old man some time!
The IE is littered with Dodger/Raider/USC transplant fans.
It is a losing battle. At least it is with people in their 20s.
"I have one word for you...Be careful."
-Jose Guillen
From someone who grew up in the IE, I would them going after that demo
I vote for marketing more of the ‘Los Angeles’ name. Having moved up north, I end up telling people I’m from “SoCal” or “the LA area”. Like the cities in the IE, Anaheim exists on the same national level as Irvine or Yorba Linda or Chino. Except that Disney gives Anaheim a distinction—one I’d rather they avoid.
Also, don’t know any other team that markets themselves as the mascot name when on the road. Even the Yankees, don’t put ‘yankees’ on their road jerseys. This was Moreno trying to brand “Angels” nationally, but has it worked? Seems team branding takes generations, so maybe won’t see the effects for a while. LA branding wouldn’t take generations. Don’t other folks love chanting ‘beat LA" already? Let’s use it. I cringe when I hear the ESPNers say “this Anaheim team”.
And I favor the blue caps on the road, not just for BP, since no one sees that on TV. The bright red is a bit much. Plus blue harkens back to the 70 and 80 teams. Oh, and just keep winning. Just keep winning.
Good post.
Don’t agree on the red hate, tho. I live here in Anaheim and people around Orange County DO buy the red gear and DO sport it year round. Those red caps are by far the most popular baseball caps in OC, San Bernardino, Riverside and the south-eastern cities of LA County. They’re also fairly popular in Las Vegas and Phoenix, two cities ( much like the Inland Empire) that are filled with former OC residents who grew up rooting for the Angels.
The challenge the Angels face is that their popularity is regional. They don’t appeal outside the areas close to OC or where OC residents have moved to en masse. This is still very much OC’s team. Not just OC, but primarily. We have fans all over the world, but most of them at some point lived in this 35 mile little county known for it’s beaches and it’s republicans. I love the old caps, but here’s the truth from someone who has lived withing miles of the stadium for 40 years….no one used to buy the gear when before they switched to red. The RED SEA of the 2002 World Series changed everything. People saw the effect, they wanted to be a part of it and they embraced the RED. This is the first time in our history fans have worn the team colors. To discount that is wrong. Getting rid of the red will not broaden appeal at this point. Superstars and rings will.
You need the media on your side
We complain en mass about the snubs we get from ESPN but we have to understand that sportwriters would much prefer to write about the players they like and, more importantly, the players they know their readers want to read about.
If we want national attention we need the kind of players that the nation is interested in. Pujols is one of those. With the new TV deal in hand Arte can start to go after those Type A free agents that make ESPN say holy cow look at those guys.
Do that and our red hats and antique A will be on sportcenter every night
"How much more could you possibly need? I never played this game for money purposes, I played it for love and for championships."
---Jered Weaver.
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