4:25pm: Shaikin adds that the Angels will be in their current stadium through next season but must discuss its future beyond that with the city of Anaheim, which has issued a statement on the decision:
“We look forward to many great years of Angels baseball in Anaheim. We don’t believe there is a better place for the team than in the heart of Orange County’s most exciting city. … As fun as baseball is in Anaheim, this is a reminder that this is still a business. And we understand that the Angels need to preserve all options available. We welcome talking with the team about the future of baseball in Anaheim.”
3:01pm: The Angels announced today that they have opted out of their lease for Angel Stadium, as Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports. It remains somewhat unclear precisely when and how the decision will go into effect, and the Halos’ long-term stadium plans remain uncertain.
Indications in early 2017 were that the Angels would remain in the park for the foreseeable future, with owner Arte Moreno noting the club would be able to opt out instead in 2028 or 2038. As he put it at the time, explaining that it would seemingly not be feasible to leave the lease in the near-term:
“It’s going to take some time to get ourselves prepared to see what direction we’re going to go. We have options with the lease, whether we exercise them or not. We really have options all the way through ’38. We have flexibility.”
Instead, it seems now that the long-term location of the franchise is fully on the negotiating table. Beyond that, the decision seemingly poses questions regarding the team’s immediate plans, though perhaps a new, shorter-term lease will be possible.
As Shaikin notes, the decision takes place against the backdrop of a pending mayoral and city council election in Anaheim. A team spokesperson says the ballclub will “sit down with the new mayor and city council” after the election, while noting the team’s intention to “look at all our options.”
walls17
Don’t give in Anaheim
xabial
Can’t blame them for opting out. Per the article:
“Angels spokeswoman Marie Garvey said the lease required the team to opt out no later than Tuesday or wait until 2028 for another chance to do so. “It’s today, or 10 years from now,” “There’s no option in between.”
Crazy lease terms. Is this the industry standard?
deweybelongsinthehall
Negotiate a shorter interim lease as the article suggests. Nice job Jeff. Without knowing the terms it’s hard to otherwise comment although after the Marlins’ deal, all municipalities need to protect their communities, taxes and otherwise.
MWeller77
Not to mention the Angels accepting a discount in exchange for being the “Anaheim Angels” and then changing that name to “Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.” Within the letter of law but certainly not within the spirit. I wouldn’t trust Arte Moreno farther than I could throw him, and I would encourage Anaheim city officials not to give him a dime.
GeoKaplan
Apparently you’re misunderstanding the story. The Angels offered to pay $150M to cover needed renovations to a city-owned facility which was built in 1965, over 50 years ago.
The trade off was the ability to develop land surrounding the stadium—the same land the city was going to build an NFL stadium on, but didn’t; the same land the city was going to turn into mixed-use development, but hasn’t—for an annual lease price of $1.
Any development enriches the city. Apartments/condos bring property taxes and residents who spend money locally, and retail shops bring sales tax to the city.
Otherwise, the land earns money as parking for stadium events, and that’s it.
Mayor Tait rejected the offer, perhaps assuming there was a deeper level at which the city could get taken. The city clearly can’t afford to spend $150M to repair the stadium it owns, so this would have been a win for the city in repairing the asset, and getting tax value out of the land.
Maybe a new mayor and city council will exhibit clearer thinking.
S2Bum
I understand completely. I worked in the stadium the first year it was built, when you could still see orange groves from the stands. They can’t leave even if they wanted to right away and the revenue brought to the visiting teams is far more than most of the rest of the league.in comparison since only a few can boast 3M in attendance. Arte is leveraging the voters. Get a new mayor and city council and get it done.
GeoKaplan
If this opt-out isn’t exercised, then the opportunity doesn’t return for another 10 years. Stadium infrastructure won’t last another 10 years without serious intervention. Plumbing alone isn’t built to last more than half a century without renovation along the way.
The city doesn’t seem to be focused on the needs of the asset it owns. While many here have the knee-jerk reaction of an owner trying to fleece a city, the team offered to pay $150M itself to modernize the facility. I doubt the city has that kind of money laying around, looking for an excuse to spend it. Most cities are financially strapped.
The opt-out—the timing of which was baked into the lease agreement, not a dramatic stunt by the team—forces the two sides to find a way to work out the needed repairs to a 50+ year old stadium without direct cost to the city or its taxpayers. On the whole, this has been a good “marriage” between tenant and landlord, and there is no sense the Angels are seeking to leave for a new city. But Anaheim risks being lame-ducked the way Oakland was when the Raiders moved to LA, and more recently to Las Vegas. A new deal for the Angels with Tustin or Irvine would start a clock which would have the team gone by 2022 or thereabouts, and there is no Plan B for Anaheim. All that tax revenue from the businesses which support the stadium on game days would be gone. It would be a very bad deal for the city.
reflect
Yeah that’s actually on the lighter side. A few deals run 20 plus years before the opt out.
hossmandu
Yes, bite the hand that feeds you. So stupid.
1988wasalongtimeago
Amen, Anaheim already bends over for Disney.
Michael Birks
Everyone bends over for Disney
callingoutdummies247
Too bad Disney doesn’t own them or you’d be right
MWeller77
That’s not the point. The OP is saying that Anaheim already gives too much to Disney, and shouldn’t expand this bad practice by giving more to Moreno.
EasternLeagueVeteran
Vegas bound
juicemane
Vegas will have a state of the art stadium ready in 2.5 years when a team decides to come here
S2Bum
3 million fans a year and you want a better deal? Go ahead. I hear Palm Springs has a ball park that lost a major league team some years ago. Oops! Was that you too? Maybe you should build your own at the Spectrum. Too expensive? How about near the 241 and 91 ? Sell the rights to name the park. Oops. Too late for that.. Maybe go back to the coliseum or Dodger stadium? Or maybe you bite the bullet and settle up with the city of Anaheim and keep the big A where it is.
GoUglyEarly
The stadium in Palm Springs was a minor league stadium that their Low-A ball team played in and moved to Lake Elsinore. The Angels used to play their last two weeks of Spring Training in Palm Springs. The city would not do anything to improve the facility or build anything else and the Angels moved their ST to Tempe. It’s too bad because when I lived in Palm Springs, those games were a blast.
angelsforever
moreno has been caught in so many lies. Just last year he said he was staying for another 13 years, now he changes his mind. He, once said, that HE had the resources to build his own Ballpark. He is a pathological liar.
GeoKaplan
You apparently don’t get it.
He does have the financing if he wanted to build his own stadium. This isn’t about a desire to move. It is about getting the city of Anaheim off its ass and realize a 50+ year old stadium needs repairs and updating. The city owns the stadium, and the repairs are the responsibility of the city.
The team did offer to pay for the repairs—on a facility it uses, but doesn’t own—in exchange for the right to develop the vacant land around the stadium, also owned by the city. The outgoing Mayor spiked that offer, believing the citizens of Anaheim could get a better deal. Years have gone by, and the people of Anaheim haven’t received a dollar more of value from that land than when the offer was first proposed.
IF the city and team can’t come to an agreement, then Moreno would be in a position of building his own stadium elsewhere. There is no indication that this is the preferred outcome, just an option in the event of an impasse. With a new mayor, maybe the two sides can reach an agreement.
I think Moreno likes the idea of consistency, with the Angels having the same home for decades, like the Red Sox, Dodgers, etc. Clearly the fans have supported the team for the time of his ownership, which is another reason not to blow everything up. But the facility can’t go without major repairs for another decade, which is when the next opt-out would come. That is the reason to explore all options, and bring the city to the bargaining table.
prov356
There are people who just hate Moreno and always think he’s wrong no matter what he does. This is a business decision that makes perfect sense. I believe he was honest when he said the Angels would be in Anaheim for years to come. But as you have pointed out, it was either now or 10 years from now. The stadium wouldn’t last that long. This forces an agreement to be made. So don’t bother trying to convince people who are not willing to use good sense.
beardedface_killah
Go back to being the California Angels.
jdgoat
Or Anaheim!
DirtbagBlues
I could see them going back to the “Anaheim Angels” as part of a stadium deal with the city (in which the city taxpayers would surely get fleeced).
hossmandu
TV deal, that pays $3 BILLION over 20 years would prevent that. I still don’t understand folks that don’t like the “name”, I’ll take $3 BILLION and call me whatever you want.
HalosHeavenJJ
My favorite name for the team. I completely understand going all the way back to LA, but California was the name of my childhood team.
Fun fact, the Angels did actually play in LA for 8 years more than the Dodgers currently have.
raffi
how ?
sb29
They played as a Pacific Coast League Team a long time ago.
HalosHeavenJJ
Late 1800s through the 1960s. There was a vibrant baseball league on the West Coast. Players made as much or more than they did in MLB.
The Los Angeles Angels were a well known team. Well known enough the Dodgers bought them and jacked their interlocking LA logo, which they still wear today.
lowtalker1
Yes the only true California teams are angels and padres. The padres being in California a lot longer Ghent he angels. They were in LA prior to the angels and moved to San Diego in 1936
HaloHead82
Fun fact:
An Angels pitcher pitched the first no hitter in Dodger stadium. (If memory serves it was an Angels home game)
Pab
If you ever got the chance to go to Oakland like I have in the past 10 years. Sometimes the ballpark announcer calls them the California angels from time to time. Now batting for the California angels…
MetsYankeesRedSox
I prefer what they are now, Los Angeles Angels. Read the history on the original Angels way back in the day.
Cabrera4l
Yes!!!!
hossmandu
People who focus on the name are so short sighted. Fox gave the Angels $3 BILLION over a 20 year deal because of the name change. If you don’t see the value in that, then you have zero intelligence.
angelsforever
Get serious. You dont have a clue. What a joke!
GeoKaplan
Nope, that is as factual a statement as you will see. That kind of money is handed out on the basis of ad potential, both in making the team something the local fan would watch, but also making it clear that this team’s games are of interest to an entire metro area—LA metro—and not just a small-market team in Anaheim. This attracts large, national advertisers for the TV games, instead of ads for Howard’s and other OC-centric advertisers.
Remember that Disney insisted the Angels were a small-market team, to the extent of exploring a plan with MLB to fold the Angels into either the A’s or the Twins, removing the franchise from SoCal entirely.
Moreno has worked hard to get MLB and the national sports media to see the Angels as a large-market franchise. The name change was part of that, and the fruit of all this work was seen in the FSW deal.
hossmandu
and give up the $3 BILLION TV deal. You’re a real business genius.
mmarinersfan
Stupid question, but does this mean that 2018 was their last season playing the current stadium, and possibly city?
nop990
If they can’t negotiate new terms, then yes.
camdenyards46
Not necessarily. They could always negotiate a new lease.
deweybelongsinthehall
Even triggering the out clause, there likely are terms still in effect. It probably would just mean the team would play under the old contract rather than a “current” one.
DirtbagBlues
Extremely unlikely. Not like there’s a wide variety of MLB-ready venues nearby to choose from.
Most likely this is a negotiating ploy to get a more favorable lease or cut a deal for a new ballpark to be built a few years from now.
davep-3
It seems like a strange decision to opt out now. It doesn’t seem like the Angels have much leverage in short term. Any new stadium anywhere wouldn’t be operational until mid 2020s. I have to think Angels and City of Anaheim have some sort of arrangement already worked out. If not, then this just adds to the MLB problems of the A’s and Rays and we have all seen how slowly that is playing out.
JKB 2
Its not strange at all. If they did not opt out they were stuck for 10 more years its not a ploy and its not about leveraging a short term deal either
HalosHeavenJJ
The article says 2019 could be their last. Considering all the reviews and permits needed to build in CA, they need at least 3 years to get moved.
I highly doubt they go anywhere.
JFactor
Commercial leases can have out-opt clauses and dates, but that doesn’t mean the lease expires on that date.
They likely had this date down as their opt-out, but likely have terms that carry them beyond that pre-negotiated
deweybelongsinthehall
Exactly. For comparison, see the NY Islanders. Opt out murually agreed to. New rink construction not even started yet. Different situation as the Barclay Center can apparently make more using facility other than for hockey due to attendance and contract terms. That said, the agreement has contingency terms in the event the opt out was triggered and the Angels’ deal likely does too.
RedFeather
Mexico City Angels… hmmm
MetsYankeesRedSox
Las Vegas Angels
SDHotDawg
Summer in Las Vegas. 107F at 11pm. Whew. Hope they have an enclosed stadium to play in.
Otherwise, that would be as dumb as building an open-air baseball stadium in Minneapolis! Oh. They did that.
sufferforsnakes
Summers in SoCal can be just as hot. I know, I live here.
Bart
No it can’t. Link to the last time it was 100+ degrees at 11pm in Anaheim. Or anywhere near the coast.
SDHotDawg
No it doesn’t. Not ever. I live there too.
Christopher_Oriole
Because the 51’s don’t play here?
And the Raiders are not moving here?
SDHotDawg
I confess I forgot about the 51’s. Padres AAA team used to play there, too.
Day games must be ungodly miserable in July.
angelsinthetroutfield
Night games are brutal. 100+ after 7pm. If baseball comes to Vegas it’s a necessity that we have a temp controlled stadium.
gene95988
Enough with the Las Vegas BS
oater
Short memory: July 6, 2018
But yes, it is unusual.
EasternLeagueVeteran
Look at the support the new hockey team had in Vegas. If you don’t think it is a possibility, talk to the architects of Vegas’s new ballpark. Capacity can be expanded. So better get on board with launch angle swings.
leftcoaster
Las Vegas Angels of Pahrump.
callingoutdummies247
We? Are you a coach or player
MWeller77
I lol’d at this.
S2Bum
thanks it was meant to be humorous
larry48
Not as dumb as open-air baseball stadium in Denver , Colorado.
SDHotDawg
I’d call that a tie with the morons in Minnesota.
Pab
No. 18000 for 41 indoor games. Or a stadium outdoors with over an average of 37000 people in 81 games? Yeah. And all the marketing revenue lost… Orange county can’t dump all their money and time into Disney. We have to have a place to get drunk and be roudy.
Pops
Yes! Maybe change the name from Angels to Mayans. Something with a M.
mooshimanx
Not a chance. There isn’t somewhere else to go and Angel Stadium isn’t that bad. There isn’t a better market or one that has a stadium that could accommodate a major league team.
I don’t think they’ll even get a new stadium, ever. They’ll just get better lease terms.
S2Bum
Yea I know. That’s why I said settle up.
Pab
Irvine.
rev halofan
Holy Sheet. This is major. 4th oldest stadium in the majors abandoned over Disneyland politics.
MWeller77
* Moreno’s greed
There, I fixed it for you
GeoKaplan
You keep saying that, but provide no evidence. How is this “Moreno’s greed”?
The stadium is older than all but 3 others. Did you see what happened in Oakland Coliseum when raw sewage leaked into the clubhouses? Or when it happened at Dodger Stadium? Old plumbing breaks, and requires replacement.
The team offered to pay $150M to replace and renovate aging infrastructure at the stadium. The outgoing Mayor shot the proposal down, because the quid pro quo was a lease to the team to allow development of otherwise vacant land at the stadium. Land which is still vacant and undeveloped, years after the proposal was declined.
None of this cost the city a penny, and it would add years to the life of the stadium. But please, continue with the “Moreno’s greed” theme, since emotion long ago became more important than facts.
racosun
Anaheim Athletics
racosun
of Los Angeles
sufferforsnakes
in Orange County.
realgone2
of the United States of America on Planet Earth
sufferforsnakes
You forgot state of California.
bencole
3rd rock from the sun.
reflect
With the actual stadium located in Hawaii
jdgoat
Is it bad that there’s some actual news about the Jacksonville Jaguars of London?
MetsYankeesRedSox
between the Sagittarius and Perseus Arms of the Milky Way.
thelyonhearted
Wow and with the astronomical accuracy. Well done sir
MetsYankeesRedSox
Lol. Google!
I could look up the galactic group we belong to also
halos101
Wait so they opted out of this years agreement?? Meaning they have no place to play right now? Guarantee that’s a dumb question but i’m clueless in things like this
DirtbagBlues
As of now they have no place to play, however for 2019 Orange County is literally their only option, and Angels Stadium is the only venue in the county MLB would accept.
This news will have a greater long-term impact, than short-term.
outinleftfield
Shaikin adds that the Angels will be in their current stadium through next season
Monkey’s Uncle
To be fair, that part of the article was not yet there when many of us first posted.
BloodySox
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim from Louisville
nwwh
lol
ronnsnow
Las Vegas Angels sounds good
Vizionaire
carson angels!
iains 2
The Criss Angels
JoeyPankake
The Mind Freaks
jorge78
I was waiting for someone to mention Las Vegas ronnsnow!
nentwigs
That’s the way I see it. Or at the very least, one hell of alot of leverage in negotiating a new contract for use of the current Anaheim stadium.
sufferforsnakes
Maneuvering to get a new ballpark……which is needed. I can’t stand going there. Then again, I don’t like Dodger Stadium, either.
tominco
Heretic. How dare thee say bad things about Dodger Stadium. seriously. Dodger Stadium is a pit with awful access. I enjoyed Anaheim when I was there last summer and easy parking.
halos101
dodged stadium is soooo overrated
jd396
I’ve been to both, I didn’t think either of them were bad
fox471 Dave
I was lost in Anaheim Stadium for days. Terrible venue.
xabial
As an outsider looking in, love this action. Hope they get a new, top-of-the-line stadium, and OWN it, like the Giants.
FrankRoo
I liked the idea of Tustin, but Moreno is way too cheap to reopen that idea I fear. I’d rather there be some more space between the Dodgers and Angels so maybe they can be called the Orange County Angels or back to California Angels. Los Angeles Angels is embarrassing.
imindless
How is it embrassing? Lmao they were los angeles angels before anything else. From a marketing standpoint it makes sense anaheim is too small a market.
darkstar61
They were the LA Angels for all of 4.5 seasons when they played in LA. For 50+ years they have been 30 miles (about an hours drive in the area) away from Los Angeles. Shoot, they’re not even in LA County.
It was one of a few cheap ploys by a conman owner trying to dupe fake Dodger fans and low info LA residence into ditching the Blue and going Red.
“Los Angeles Angels of Anheim” is an unbelievably embarrassing name
That said, part of me does want them to relocate to the COI and become the “Los Angeles Angels of The City Of Industry” just for the continued comedy of it. Joke of a franchise deserves a joke name, I guess
HalosHeavenJJ
They were in LA from 1890s trough the 1960s. The relaunched AL team was named Angels to harken back to those times.
If there was any conning it was the Dodgers boosting the original Angels logo and using it as their own, something still done to this day.
thecoffinnail
I don’t see what the big deal is. The NY Giants and Jets both play at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Nobody seems to be in an uproar that they are using not just a different city name, but an entirely different state. The Tampa Bay Rays play in St. Petersburg, and I am pretty sure there are others.
darkstar61
Yes, when there was a minor league team playing at old Wrigley West in LA, that team was called LA.
When this ML team played in LA, they too were called LA – except for the last few months of the 1965 season when they went by California Angels while playing at their temporary home of Chavez Ravine
When the team moved out of not only LA City, but even LA County, they were no longer the LA Angels – similar to how the Athletics ditched the name Philadelphia when they moved to KC and the name KC A’a when they subsequently moved to Oakland, or how the Brooklyn Dodgers no longer called themselves that and instead went to a location appropriate name when they moved their location.
HalosHeavenJJ
PCL was not a feeder league. It was on the same pay scale as MLB and players routinely went back and forth. It wasn’t really a minor league, it was just a league.
I prefer the name California, but going by LA now is no worse than the Jets and Giants going by New York (they don’t even play in the same state) or the Cowboys going as Dallas. Do you jump on those teams?
Anaheim is considered part of the LA media market for ratings. Far cry from the A’s moving cross country. The name thing just gets the Dodgers fans in a tizzy, which is funny because the Dodgers fans rarely know the actual history of either franchise (i.e. the Dodgers weren’t founded in the MLB either).
Vizionaire
have you ever thought about l.a.megalomolitan area?it’s all l.a. for outsiders anyway!
hossmandu
Not embarrassing at all when you get a $3 BILLION TV deal. SMDH
darkstar61
There was absolutely no reason for Arte to change the teams name other than the fact he wished he owned the other club and was desperate to make a cheap buck off ignorant people no matter how pitiful it made the team look. Fans of both teams, and residents of both Counties, objected
If you lived anywhere near either location, you know the two fan bases have always hated eachother (well, as much as the Angels have actual fans) – with the differences in the two fan bases being basically a reflection of the big differences in the populations of their respective Counties.
The Dodgers have kept the same identify since 1932. The current Angels organization has been trying to take the identity of others ever since their inception, and continue to do so up until this day with their use of a name they are no longer connected to at all.
They are an Orange County team, and have no connection to LA other than they once had to bum a playing location for their first few seasons as they didn’t have one of their own
I’d also point out the the name “Los Angeles Angels” was always a comical name even when it was a PCL club, as it literally translates to “The Angels Angels”
Lastly, this is almost nothing like the congestion displaced NY Giants, which played their games in their appropriate city for 50 years before finding themselves relocating. But yes, they get mocked often for their current predicament.
MetsYankeesRedSox
@ Darkstar
Nothing wrong with Angels Angels. Tell it to Victor Victor Mesa
greatdaysport
As embarrassing as the “New York Jets”!
GeoKaplan
If “Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim” embarrasses you so, you’ll be thrilled to learn the team name has been simply “Los Angeles Angels” for the last couple of years. No press conference, the team simply purged the “of Anaheim” from all official uses of the team name.
The team name is an historical one, and gives marketing clout the team couldn’t get from either the small-market “Anaheim Angels” or squishy “California Angels” (because even Gene Autry wasn’t going to tie a rock around his team’s name like “Anaheim”). You don’t have to like it, but it is worth acknowledging that team franchise plays in the LA Metro market, which includes SB and Riverside counties. Radio waves from team broadcasts don’t end at the OC County line, and FSW games are carried from Ventura County to Palm Springs.
To obsess over the LA ties is to focus on the tiny picture. It costs money to create the franchise the fans want to see on the field. Reverting to “Anaheim” or “California” is the wrong move.
GeoKaplan
Yes, let’s conflate moving to a different site within a metro market of 16M people, with teams which changed their names once moving to a completely different state.
Because those are the same thing. Of course they are.
Patrick OKennedy
Lost Angels
Pab
Yes. We hate each other. But from any outsider…we are the same.
We only consider ourselves unified when we both agree to hate on NorCal. Because SoCa sounds better than NoCal. Haha
That’s why I like the politics of sports in CA.
Pab
damn tie a rock lol. upvote this guy… funny and true.
I;m more concerned with the city and the concessions it provides disney.
either moreno moves it to irvine or threatens to l.a. county like industry etc. but i think after the election, the city will be more reasonable. I miss the casa maria and charlie browns adjacent to the stadium.
fox471 Dave
California Angels.
echozulu88
I hope they move a little so they can be the Los Angeles Angels of XXXXX formerly of Anaheim
IloveMACfootball
Dear City of Anaheim, don’t give this crooked owner a dime.
Thank you,
The Taxpayers
Pab
they were never giving him money. you’re gonna sound like a chargers fan soon.
TJECK109
Montreal Angels
tominco
Exactly my thought.
greatdaysport
Artie has the city over a barrel. He did this a few years back and got concessions.
If they had to move, the city of Tustin has been mentioned as a possibility.
Also, the big one, is City of Industry.
Lots of land and it’s where four freeways meet (60, 57, 10 and 5).
These sites are close to Anaheim, and more importantly, closer for me.
DirtbagBlues
Either way, they’re gonna be in Anaheim for 2019.
Vizionaire
how could anyone breath in industry?
citizen
where in the world is tustin?
eelektrik
Not that far from Anaheim, a few miles south on the 5 freeway.
Pab
Funny enough. The city of commerce is worse…
Pab
Tustin is like the forgotten sibling of orange county. Sometimes we forget were I Tustin. Tustin? I thought we were in orange. Tustin? I thought this was Santana aye. Tustin? I’m sure we’re in Irvine. Tustin? Yeah the base used to be here. The angels play in that big air hangar over there!!!
em650r
That 57,60 freeway was shut down because the schools near freeway don’t want anymore traffic
Send them to Irvine or San Bernardino
koz16
BREAKING NEWS: Angels to play in local high school ballpark in order to make Pujols’ power stats relevant again! On a side note, Barry Bonds has already conceded the single season home run record to Mike Trout. Film at 11.
asuchrisc
Mexico City Angels?
Vizionaire
hope they have $1.00 beer night. they are horrible season after season and i rather watch drunks trying to beat up each other.
MetsYankeesRedSox
Disco Demolition doubleheader!
BigFred
Los Angeles Angels of Charlotte.
citizen
new orleans angels of Louisiana of mississippi river.
or 182 road games.
swinging wood
I think they should look to playing in the Coliseum. Who doesn’t love 250′ homers over a 42′ wall?
Fire Jon Daniels
Bring them to San Antonio!
bosoxer1946
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Who Suck.
reflect
I heard that the stipulations to sign Ohtani involved moving the team to Japan
Monkey’s Uncle
The Los Angeles Rakuten Eagles of Anaheim does have a nice ring to it… or maybe the Anaheim Ham Fighters of Nippon.
agentx
I vote for “Ham Fighters,” which in my opinion is the most unintentionally ludicrous of NPB team names.
GeoKaplan
Probably because that’s not the name of the team. The team name is the Fighters.
Michael Dabbs
New Orleans… the city of Saints and Angels
Alfrz
In order for the Angels of Anaheim to pony up the money to retain Mike Trout…They had to no longer be the Angels of Anaheim… It was the only way.
sheff86
First off,the place is a dump. Everyone on tv sees the rocks and water. That’s covering the damage from an earthquake.
The concessions are a joke. Panda,Hot Dog on a Stick,Sparro,Subway. It’s like eating at the mall food court.
Then it’s the team name. And stadium deal.
So they changed the team name to LA. OC took them to court in OC,and lost. How do you take someone to court and LOSE in your courtroom? HOW? The employees of the park have their salaries paid BY THE COUNTY! Food vendors to grounds crew to police.
It’s a joke. And the weasel Artie got a better deal? Are you kidding?
hossmandu
There is so much wrong in this post it should just be ignored.
halos101
there’s literally one panda and it’s in the upper deck. Subway? Sparro? I’ve been to angel stadium so many times and never seen either of those. Concessions got really good last season, idk if you went but you should…
sheff86
Let me help you kids out a little bit. The food court references are just that references. The fact that they have one panda is appalling.
The team does not reimburse the city at all where are you getting your information from that is untrue.
And OGGI’s pizza is just as bad.
The grounds clue is not paid by the team. Where are you getting your information from and how old is that information?
The bottom line is you’re getting screwed over by an owner that should’ve built a new stadium at the El Toro marine base. That backdrop would’ve been legendary instead it’s a dump.
The best part is that the angels will be playing in a new stadium. It will not be in LA County, but probably Anaheim or Tustin, or New Mexico or Las Vegas with the dome or Montreal. But I highly doubt that this group will be playing in Anaheim in that stadium with in three years. The team is a joke. The stadium is even worse.
cakirby
I worked there a couple years back. Everyone besides security and certain concessions workers are paid by the team, genius.
darkangel
what planet do you call home? know your facts lest “an open mouth betrays a fool”.
srvstager
There is no Sbarro, much less a Sparro. Oggi’s is the only pizza in the stadium. There’s no Subway. I’ve never seen a Hot Dog on a Stick.
hossmandu
Just to clear this one up a bit.
Stadium employees (grounds crew, stadium maintenance, janitorial, ushers, parking lot, ticket takers, ticket sellers) are employees of the Angels and paid by the Angels
Concession workers are employees of Legends Hospitality and Concessions and are paid by Legends Hospitality and Concessions.
Private security workers are employees of a private security company that has contracted with the Angels and are paid by the private security company.
Police are paid by the city of Anaheim. The Angels reimburse the city 100% of the cost of the police presence.
Literally, not a single person is paid at Angel Stadium by the “COUNTY” SMDH
cakirby
This is the most wrong I’ve ever seen a person. Congrats.
madmanTX
Ladies and Gentlemen: your Montreal Angels!
Monkey’s Uncle
Youppi needs a job, I miss him. Besides, on some nights he seemed like the only fan in Olympic Stadium, which to me always had more to do with that dump of a stadium than the team or the fans. I wouldn’t mind seeing baseball return to Montreal. I’d love to see it in San Juan even more, but they aren’t ever going to have a good enough ball park or the money to build one.
its_happening
Youppi is with the Montreal Canadiens.
Monkey’s Uncle
Oh wow, I did not realize that, thanks for the info!
hossmandu
The problem here is…. surprise! POLITICIANS
A number of times over the past 10 years Moreno and the Angels have proposed significant needed improvements to Angel Stadium at NO cost to the city. The Angels would pay for everything and all they ask in return is the rights to develop the surrounding area (basically the parking lot). They would develop this land at NO cost to the city. Past proposals have included expansive retail/residential projects, the profits from which the Angels would use to rebuild the stadium.
The politicians balk at this because they would lose control over the land. I’m a huge Angel fan and love Angel Stadium, but the place is in serious disrepair. The city politicians just can’t bring themselves to give up control of the land, even if it would mean hundreds of millions in revenue for the city over time. Dumb.
cakirby
This is the problem, because it’s really not ownership’s fault or anything. I’ll go a little inside baseball, as a former employee at the stadium. Almost any small change to the stadium on their current lease has to be approved by the city, and they approve literally nothing. There was a proposal in like 2008 that would have put up better concessions, seating, and remove the fountain for a new installation, with less than 10% paid by the city, and the city declined. The team has to check with the city before they’re allowed to update simple things like plumbing and the new video boards they put in, and it takes months before they consider any proposed plans. The video boards were proposed in 2015 and approved late 2017. It’s ridiculous.
hossmandu
Correct. Because the city owns the land. God forbid they give that land to real business people who will develop and create revenue. City of Anaheim city council is filled with a bunch of morons.
Phanatic 2022
Las Vegas Angels
Matt Galvin
Orlando Angels? Hawaii Angels? Dallas Angels? OKC Angels? Charlotte Angels?
fox471 Dave
Yep!
Monkey’s Uncle
The Los Angeles Angels of (your city here, call us at 1-800-NO-MORENO for details).
I say make it fun, put them in Montreal or San Juan or Mexico City.
bobtillman
…Myer Lago……
Senioreditor
Back to Chavez Ravine!!!!
TJECK109
Mike Sciocia must have taken over the PR department
ABCD
Poppycock!
spinningloot
just trade trout already damm
HalosHeavenJJ
Angels Stadium sits on a huge lot. They type of land space not common in SoCal. Arte Moreno proposed he’d spend a lot of money fixing up the stadium (owned by the city) if the city would give him a sweetheart deal on some of that lot.
The city council largely liked the idea. The mayor did not. That mayor is gone after next month’s elections.
Arte wants to cut a new deal. That’s it. There’s no new stadium site chosen, there’s a long TV deal in place, he’s just making a business move.
angelsfan4life
Thank you for being the only one, who made a well informed comment on here. Too many people on here, don’t know how to read and learn the facts on what is really going on.
HalosHeavenJJ
Welcome. I figured not many people would know the recent history and resort to the lame “LA Angels of ____” and was right.
Bringbacktheblue
Los Angeles Angels of Petco Park
mike156
Certainly within their rights. But, as the hand of the good capitalist reaches again to the taxpayer wallet…..
HalosHeavenJJ
Arte proposed dumping $150 million of his own money into the stadium in exchange for the development rights to part of the parking lot. Not a dime came from tax payers. The parking lot, to this day, sits empty day after day.
The mayor of Anaheim is highly connected to other developers who also wanted the parking lot. He scuttled Arte’s deal, and in typical gov’t fashion we’re 5 years down the road and nothing has been done.
I adamantly oppose tax dollars on stadiums. But this is a win win type deal that requires no tax money, just a sweetheart deal on an asset the city has done nothing with in over 50 years and has no plans on developing.
Pab
Yeah. How is that platnium triangle idea going? Just looks like overdeveloped Disney influenced crud to me. They built that stupid train station. But say no to Moreno all the time.
imindless
Why do people hate on angels so much lol? Anaheim is trying to make money without doing anything, angels are trying to market there team with name recognition. Los angeles > anaheim in terms of $$$. Angels first city name was los angeles, additionally arte has done as much as he can with anaheim and now they can relocate to another city that will work with them.
darkstar61
They ditched the name LA before they even ditched the temporary playing location of a shared Chavez Ravine. Now they are about as far away from LA as they are to Riverside or Dana Point – both of those being locations you can likely get to quicker as well.
Going even “Orange County Angels” would have been a dramaticly better money making opportunity, and made the team much less of a baseball wide laughingstock than the comical “Los Angeles Angels of Anheim” that plays outside of even Los Angeles County, let alone the city
GeoKaplan
“Orange County Angels” is perhaps the most ludicrous option yet. Nobody could successfully sell ads for a franchise with that cheesy name.
Keep those great ideas flowing. You’ve proven you don’t have a clue about marketing, but perhaps we might eventually uncover some area of expertise for you.
Angelfanforlife19
Don’t give in Angel’s, your the one and only LA Team not this Brooklyn hand me downs.
Kenleyfornia74
Too bad the attendance easily proves you wrong
Angelfanforlife19
3 million every year with a former dodger as the manager and a not all the way in on a championship, owner.
justin-turner overdrive
They should move to San Jose, I bet the Giants wouldn’t care just as long as it wasn’t the A’s moving there. A team like the Angels would probably just Orioles/Nats their way into the the area. The Bay can definitely sustain 3 teams, and SJ has the highest population of all major Bay Area cities and has a rabid NHL fanbase – they certainly deserve more than an A-ball team there. San Antonio is a similar situation.
TBH I want teams in San Jose, San Antonio, Montreal, Charlotte, Las Vegas, Portland, Vancouver, Salt Lake City, Brooklyn, New Jersey, Dallas/Ft Worth, Indy, Nashville or Memphis, OKC, Louisville, Long Beach and probably some more. That’s like 14 new teams – which I admit sounds cray, but with both Rays and Marlins moving to one of those locations and MLB deciding to leave FL for Spring Training only. I’m also betting on contact sports dying out or being made to be illegal – like, no parent is going to force their kid to get CTE, baseball has the biggest paydays over the NFL too. I think there’s going to be a flood of talent, plus with international leagues, its not too wild to see THAT many more teams being added.
MetsYankeesRedSox
Yeah!! Newark Bears!
HalosHeavenJJ
If San Jose was open territory, the A’s would move there.
Pab
SF won’t let them
cakirby
They’re making money like crazy and have one of the highest attendance records in the league. They’re not going to leave SoCal. It’s amazing to me so many think they will.
GeoKaplan
Yeah, about that…
Charlotte just took the title for highest attendance in MiLB for 2018. It was in excess of 600k, at ticket prices which are highly affordable, and for often very good AAA ball.
That doesn’t mean that metro area can provide 2-3 times the attendance for 81 MLB games, with ticket prices substantially higher. And the gorgeous stadium in the city’s uptown area wasn’t built with expansion in mind, and couldn’t be retrofitted to 30k+ seats (basically tripling current capacity).
Charlotte has a great thing going with the Knights, and the smart move is not to assume every metro area of 1M or more needs/can support a franchise for MLB.
bballblk
I gotta buy my Ohtani Portland Orcas jersey
billysbballz
Go to New Jersey.
They will do good there! Rival with Phillies and both NY teams!
citizen
Too ,many teams on the east coat.
Montreal only drew 8000 fans per game, not happening there either.
MLB frown on gambling, Las Vegas isn’t happening either.
Portland or New Orleans or Nashville.
ThatBallwasBryzzoed
So they know they play in a Anaheim but they want to be called Los Angeles angels. That’s makes so much sense. SMH. They’re not even close to LA.
HalosHeavenJJ
Played in LA for over 60 years.
Closer to LA than the Dallas Cowboys are to Dallas.
Giants and Jets don’t even play in the STATE of New York, nobody cares.
.
Angelfanforlife19
Plus it’s so densely populated that you don’t even see the county line
cakirby
It’s like a 15 minute drive into LA County
ThatBallwasBryzzoed
Anaheim to LA is an hour and 21 minutes drive. Unless you’re driving at 80mph.anaheim stadium to Dodger stadium.
Angelfanforlife19
The pacific coast angels and the mlb angels are two different this. Gene autry wanted the name and bought the name from Walter O’Malley but the mlb Angels was born in LA in 1961 when mlb expanded.
Angelfanforlife19
Two different things, sorry
Angelfanforlife19
They played in Wrigley field in south central la for 2 seasons then moved in with Brooklyn in their new stadium then to Anaheim to angel stadium in 67 til present. Ps the cap has a LA on it with a halo on top that changed to an A with a halo and then it was the California Angels etc etc etc
darkangel
right on!
darkangel
it was to Wrigley Field in South Central Los Angeles where my Dad took me for my first ever Los Angeles Angels’ game. i remember wearing the navy blue Angels’ cap with the red visor. the letters “LA” interlocked to tell you the city where they played. and embroidered on top was that iconic silvery white halo.
i was a proud Angeleno and loved my Los Angeles Angels. when the team moved to Anaheim, i didn’t really mind. i couldn’t see any demarcation line separating LA and Orange County. it all seemed the same.
but the name change to “California Angels” seemed awkward. after all, this were MY Los Angeles Angels. there was absolutely no relationship with NorCal cities. i reasoned that if the “Los Angeles” moniker was being dropped, then go with “Anaheim”, but please, not the state. this was SoCal’s team.
2002 saw the epic battle between SoCal and NorCal. i attended all four of the World Series games played in Anaheim. i didn’t cheer after the last out was made in game 7. i simply couldn’t! i was unable to soeak. i was at the mercy of tears pouring down my cheeks —
i had witnessed my boyhood dream come true.
jordanjee
Very cool! I’ve always wondered what Wrigley Field in LA was like. What do you remember about the stadium?
S2Bum
Wrigley was just a minor league park that served as a home until they could get a better deal
darkangel
my memories of Wrigley Field have faded in the blur of the ensuing decades. today i recall simply feelings i had there. t was cozy, living-room-esque. it wasn’t expansive like the football coliseum or antiseptic like Chavez Ravine. i’ve been several times to Fenway Park and get that same feeling there although there one can feel a bit crowded given the way everything is “pushed in” to squeeze every possible seat in.
Frank kemble
I don’t think they’re going to move, probably negotiate a new lease..but it would be fun to see a team find a new market, since they’re lagging on expansion. Portland or Montreal would be quick to give em a stadium right now..as they’ve trying and pushing mlb. Nashville, charlotte, San jose, Mexico city, all could support a team, and also want one.
nickyfives
Les Anges de Montreal…..
Angelfanforlife19
We we or no no
Angelfanforlife19
Artie saved us from Disney, but has put the is a bad situation no new stadium, hanging on to scioscia 15 years to long, messing around while we watch trout possibly walk. Had he approached this from a position of power trout would have had a couple of rings by now in a new stadium with 4 or 5 million fans per year if that mathematically possible instead of a bouncy of empty threats. Moving would be another disaster in his long line of disasters. Stop focussing on those apartments and a bear get cut position yourself to have cities fight for you and not know that your a coward. At least scioscia is gone your on the right. Keep the direction and move forward.
GeoKaplan
Proofreading is your friend.
No team has ever had “5 million” fans per season. Only a few franchises have EVER topped 4 million in a season (Yankees 4x, Blue Jays 3x, and first season of the Rockies, the all-time record of just under 4.5M). The fact the Angels have had 3M or more paid tickets per season for 16 straight years says something about a loyal fan base and a management which isn’t “messing around”.
Most of the rest of that, I really have no idea what you’re trying to say. “A bear get cut position”…wtf?
merizobeach
“Stop focussing [sic] on those apartments and a bear get cut [sic] [wtf?!] position yourself to have cities fight for you and not know that your [sic] a coward.”
It usually amuses me when internet commenters completely sabotage their own (misguided) arguments with poor spelling, poor grammar, sloppy typing, and incoherent thinking; but I would still prefer that such people have their fingers and tongues amputated; I am capable and willing to derive my amusement from other extant sources.
yamsi1912
Seek help for your autism….
Angelfanforlife19
Phone change a bunch of words good luck try to understand my passion for my team.
yamsi1912
Millville, New Jersey Angels!
Angelfanforlife19
F u yamsi1912 can you understand that?
Angelfanforlife19
And merizobeach
Palmerpark
Juicemane has it right, VEGAS…..Arti is a class guy and loves the history of Baseball and he will exhaust all options to keep history in its place. If the City screws this up he would have no choice but to leave and who could blame him he offered 150 million to upgrade – how many owners are willing to do that???? Vegas Is totally logical option for him.
Angelfanforlife19
I hope not that will kill tradition, there is no other home than LA/OC.
Angelfanforlife19
No room in sin city for Angel…….hehehe
GrandpaBaseball
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are never going to book a flight out of town.. Never. Oh and the days of a city or county picking up the tab for a stadium, well Elvis has left the building. And if the wandering Clippers who have no home of their own are worth 2 billion that would mean that Forbes missed with it saying the franchise is worth 1.8 billion. Yikes! Nice profit. BTW, have you ever met anyone cares what the name is of the Angels? Everyone just says Angels, enough said.
GeoKaplan
Correct. Even the road uniforms say simply “Angels”, not “Los Angeles” or “Anaheim” as other teams would do.
It is worth repeating that nobody with the team has asked the city to pay anything on the stadium, which belongs to the city. The team offered the $150M to repair and renovate an asset of the city of Anaheim. That is the opposite of the false narrative the city puts forward, that the team is somehow trying to enrich itself on taxpayer money.