Anaheim decides to appeal over name change

[CaliforniaCajun]

http://www.latimes.com/sports/baseba...rts-mlb-angels
From the Los Angeles Times
Anaheim Decides to Appeal Court Loss
Mayor cites Angels' push to be reimbursed for legal fees in case over name change.
By Bill Shaikin
Times Staff Writer

May 31, 2006

With the prospect of Los Angeles Angels T-shirts for sale across the land, and with the Angels unwilling to relent on seeking reimbursement for the $7 million they spent to defend themselves, the Anaheim City Council voted Tuesday to appeal its defeat in its lawsuit against the Angels.

The vote was 4 to 1, with Councilman Harry Sidhu opposed. City attorneys plan to file the appeal this week. A ruling is not likely until after the 2007 season.

Mayor Curt Pringle said settlement talks had failed, citing "the Angels' insistence on getting ... a portion or all of their attorneys' fees paid by the taxpayers of Anaheim."

Said Angels spokesman Tim Mead: "The club is the defendant. We didn't sue anybody."

Orange County Superior Court Judge Peter Polos has yet to rule whether the Angels are entitled to any reimbursement. The parties could revive settlement talks once Polos issues that decision.

When the Angels added Los Angeles to their name last year, the city sued. In February, a jury found the new name did not violate the stadium lease.

Pringle said Polos made numerous errors during the trial, including not allowing several city witnesses to testify, not mandating jurors to consider the intent of the parties negotiating the lease and not rejecting the testimony of a former Disney executive who said he envisioned the addition of a second city to the team name but could not recall telling that to city negotiators.

Several jurors told city attorneys those rulings could have influenced the outcome, Pringle said.

Pringle also said that Polos' post-trial ruling that the Angels could market themselves as the Los Angeles Angels, with no mention of Anaheim, "goes far beyond what the jury has stated."

The city's legal bill stands at $3.8 million, with an appeal capped at $150,000.

In dissenting, Sidhu said most appeals are unsuccessful and an appellate loss could subject taxpayers to added liability in a case in which "we have lost every inning."

[JohnGelnarFan]

What a mess over such a silly thing! I can't believe that almost 4 million dollars has been spent on the team name. Do you have a preference or even care? I liked the original name(without the "of Anaheim") and the California Angels.
CalifoniaCajun,I love the logo you have at the bottom of your post. The good old days! I have the teams first game ever in 1961 on audio tape.

[mojorisin71]

Give me a break. There are more important things in Anaheim to worry about.

I don't like the name change, but the city of Anaheim is really looking stupid.

[Elvis]

Originally Posted by mojorisin71

Give me a break. There are more important things in Anaheim to worry about.

I don't like the name change, but the city of Anaheim is really looking stupid.

Years from now, when the Angels are playing in Las Vegas or Carson, Anaheim will still be trying to sue over this. Talk about a Mickey Mouse city counsel.

[CaliforniaCajun]

Originally Posted by JohnGelnarFan

What a mess over such a silly thing! I can't believe that almost 4 million dollars has been spent on the team name. Do you have a preference or even care? I liked the original name(without the "of Anaheim") and the California Angels.
CalifoniaCajun,I love the logo you have at the bottom of your post. The good old days! I have the teams first game ever in 1961 on audio tape.

I have been planning to buy that tape for quite some time. Did it meet your expectations?

As far as preferences go, I thought the Anaheim name was fine, but after examining the history of the club and their struggles, it really made sense to me to change to Los Angeles Angels and represent the entire market you're trying to tap with your name. Arte Moreno has already gone from half the broadcast revenue of the Dodgers to parity in just three years. I also think some LA road caps and Los Angeles road jerseys would be big sellers. How about doing like the Nationals and use the current red attire for home and navy on the road? This Moreno is the best thing to happen to the Angels, yet the City is treating him like excrement seemingly for political reasons.

After being a fan for over 40 years it appears to me that the club is finally on the right track toward long-term success, yet the City is still trying to punish them for trying to better themselves. I wish I could vote when these people face re-election.

I'm attaching the full-size logo. Someone bitched about its size so I had to reduce it. I'll include a picture of Dean Chance.

[Outta Here]

Originally Posted by mojorisin71

Give me a break. There are more important things in Anaheim to worry about.

I don't like the name change, but the city of Anaheim is really looking stupid.

I agree, there's more important things, like the state of the team at the moment!!!

[Disney_del]

How about the Brooklyn Dodgers of Los Angeles?
Or the Los Angeles Rams of St. Louis?
Or the Oakland Raiders of Los Angeles of Oakland???

What a waste of time and money, let's play baseball for cryin out loud!

[CaliforniaCajun]

Originally Posted by Disney_del

How about the Brooklyn Dodgers of Los Angeles?
Or the Los Angeles Rams of St. Louis?
Or the Oakland Raiders of Los Angeles of Oakland???

What a waste of time and money, let's play baseball for cryin out loud!

I agree with you. Arte Moreno took over a World Champion, but he saw some cracks in the armor that explained why the franchise was unsuccessful for most of its existence. The first thing was to clear up this misconception that the Angels were an Orange County team alone. They have the same territorial rights as the Dodgers, because they paid either $300,000 or $350,000 to get them. Someone sponsoring an Angels broadcast needs to know that the target audience is the entire Los Angeles market so they can make the necessary revenues to compete. The other thing Arte Moreno has done is to try to keep the "ballpark experience" as affordable as possible.

In 2005, the Angels had either the third or fourth highest payroll and the second lowest prices in terms of the ballpark experience (tickets, parking, concessions, etc.).

So why waste time bashing one of the true good guys in the game?

[wbaxter1]

Originally Posted by CaliforniaCajun

I agree with you. Arte Moreno took over a World Champion, but he saw some cracks in the armor that explained why the franchise was unsuccessful for most of its existence. The first thing was to clear up this misconception that the Angels were an Orange County team alone. They have the same territorial rights as the Dodgers, because they paid either $300,000 or $350,000 to get them. Someone sponsoring an Angels broadcast needs to know that the target audience is the entire Los Angeles market so they can make the necessary revenues to compete. The other thing Arte Moreno has done is to try to keep the "ballpark experience" as affordable as possible.

In 2005, the Angels had either the third or fourth highest payroll and the second lowest prices in terms of the ballpark experience (tickets, parking, concessions, etc.).

So why waste time bashing one of the true good guys in the game?

__________________________

I think Arte Moreno is right--The City is attempting to run him out of town, with or without the team (preferably without). I don't like the new name, I converted to being a Dodger Fan because of this name change, but this is something that never should have been fought in court, and definitely there should have neen no appeal.

The Mayoral Election is next month (November). If a new Mayor is elected, maybe the appeal will be dropped.