Yesterday's name change was the most absurd thing I've heard all year - granted, it's only four days into the year. But still...it'll be hard to top this one all year long. Looking to tap into some extra advertising revenue, Arte Moreno, the owner of the Angels, changed the team's name from Anaheim Angels to...the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Being of hispanic descent, I'm sure he knows what Los Angeles means in English, so once we get past our team being "The The Angels Angels of Anaheim" we now have to deal with the ridicule that comes with two city names in the name of the team.

Now, I understand Moreno's reason for changing the name - more advertising revenue from the Los Angeles television markets. But, realistically, how much will this help? It's certainly not enough to bring another high-profile player to Anaheim. It may pad the linings of Moreno's pockets a little bit more, but in all honesty, until this brings better players to Anaheim, it's all in vein...and, quite simply, just sounds stupid.

I guess I wouldn't really mind all that much if we just went back to Los Angeles Angels - at least it's a former name of the team. In fact, California Angels would be a much better name if we're going to have a history lesson. But...Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim? There's always been a non-spoken feud between Orange County and Los Angeles. Whereas Los Angeles is a democratic stronghold, Orange County always goes with the red states of the country. We've always tried to separate ourselves from Los Angeles and create our own county and all this does is undermine our identity. It's not good enough to just be the Anaheim Angels or the Orange County Angels...no...we have to try and go after the Los Angeles fans who have already jumped on the bandwagon following the 2003 World Series victory. Last year, attendance at Anaheim Stadium was third in the league behind New York and Los Angeles. I'm sure we'd be number one if the stadium hadn't been beautifully retrofit after the Rams left and it was changed to a baseball-only stadium. Why were we third? Most likely because Yankee Stadium holds 57,478 per game, Dodger Stadium holds 56,000 and Anaheim Stadium holds 45,050. Last year we had a record attendance, record number of sell-out games, and fan interest in the Angels was higher than ever. But still, Moreno believes he can get a new contract with a Los Angeles-based television station worth more money if we're the Los Angeles Angels. Hope it all pans out - otherwise, you've made a fool of the team for nothing.

URL: ESPN.com - MLB - L.A. Angels of Anaheim have ...