Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim technically aren't a Los Angeles team. Located in Orange County, the team's stadium is 30 miles away from Downtown Los Angeles. But because they have the Los Angeles name, they are considered an L.A. team.

History
The Angels started as the Los Angeles Angels in 1961. In 1966 they found their permanent home in Anaheim and became the California Angels. The Angels lived in the shadow of the Dodgers until Disney took control of the team in 1996 and renamed it to the Anaheim Angels. In 2002, the Angels won their first World Series after winning one of the most memorable World Series games in the history of baseball - they were down 5-0 with only 3 innings remaining in a must-win game six against the Giants. They scored 3 runs in the 7th and 8th innings to win the game. They went on to win game seven and take home the trophy. The Angels have won the AL West division three times since then, but have failed to make it back to the World Series.

Current Situation
Things are looking pretty good for the Angels. They won 94 games last year and the team only got better. They picked up all-star outfielder Torii Hunter and he is playing awesome - hitting .333 with four home runs through 20 games. Chone Figgins is having an all-star year as well, hitting .341, and Casey Kotchman is tied for the American League lead with 6 home runs. The Angels are tied with Oakland for first place in the AL West and have the second-best record in the A.L.

Fun Fact
They played their first season in Wrigley Field, located just south of Downtown between San Pedro St. and Avalon Blvd. Wrigley Field (which was named before the Cubs' stadium) would be the home of the Angels for only one year. The field was constructed in 1925 and demolished in 1966. A park now sits where the field used to stand.

Why People Like Them
The Angels have obvious ties to Disney. Their stadium is located within walking distance of Disneyland and Disney produced the 1994 hit-movie, "Angels in the Outfield." The Angels are extremely marketable and give off the fun-for-the-whole-family vibe. When they won the World Series in 2002, they introduced the world to the Rally Monkey. The Rally Monkey plays on the big screen whenever the Angels are in need of a comeback. The crowd loves him. The players love him. Heck, everyone likes him. Except Sportscenter.


Why People Hate Them
I don't think that anyone really "hates" the Angels. In general, people either like the Angels or they have no opinion about them. As Chris Suellentrop, a writer for Slate said in an article after the Angels won the World Series, "But nationally, the Angels don't have that image. The situation is actually somewhat worse: They're not known for anything. The Cubs are bumblers. The Red Sox are stumblers. The Montreal Expos are losers. But the Angels? They have no reputation at all." The biggest knock on the Angels is that in the midst of sports in Los Angeles, the Angels are pretty near the bottom. Part of that is the location. While 30 miles may not seem that far, the main way to get to Anaheim is the Interstate 5 Freeway AKA the absolute WORST freeway to be driving on after 2 P.M. Trying to leave for a Angels game at 6 o'clock? Don't even think about it. Luckily the train station is less than a mile from the stadium, so public transit may be the way to go when going to Angels games.

#1 Fan
Uhm. Hmmm. Let's see..... They don't have one. That's how insignificant the Angels are. They don't even have a high-profile fan to attend games. This forum tried to list every celebrity baseball fan - the Angels didn't get one mention. I'm not surprised.

Best Player
The Angels' best player is Vladmir Guerrero. The 2004 AL MVP, Vlad the Impaler is an eight-time all-star with no signs of slowing down. Last year he hit .324 and the year before that .329. He's started off a bit slow this year, but he is sure to find his touch and try his best to lead the team to a division title.

Venue
Angels Stadium sits just off the freeway in Anaheim. The stadium opened in 1966. In 1980, the Los Angeles Rams moved in and the stadium became fully enclosed to increase capacity. When the Rams moved out, Disney took over and decided to tear down a section of the seats to return the stadium to a baseball-only facility. After the remodel, Angels Stadium became one of the nicer venues in baseball. The "Big A" is one of the most recognizable landmarks in Los Angeles.

Simers Says
The Dodgers didn't think Mike Scioscia would be a good manager.

Dwyre Says
Buy some world series tickets now.

Verdict
If you don't mind the commute to Anaheim, the Angels aren't a bad team to support. The fans they have are friendly and everyone seems to have a good time at the games. It also helps that the Angels are successful and have a pretty exciting team. If you want to be the average baseball fan and you want to support a team that won't make your friends mad at you, the Angels are the team for you.