Like many die-hard Los Angeles Angels followers, Robert Torres has combined emotions concerning the information that proprietor Arte Moreno is exploring a sale of the crew.
A brand new proprietor might assist the Angels, who've gone twenty years with no World Collection title, by investing cash in a deep bench slightly than big-name gamers previous their prime.
However a brand new proprietor might additionally change the kid-friendly vibe of the stadium or transfer the crew out of Orange County, which might devastate followers.
Torres has weighed the professionals and cons and determined to lean into cautious optimism.
“From 2003 to 2014, we at all times had this hope that this was the 12 months we’re going to win one other collection, and typically we’d make the playoffs and simply bomb,” stated Torres, 53, of Orange. “I miss that, and if a brand new proprietor comes and brings that aspect again, properly, that’s what results in extra thrilling seasons and makes the sport enjoyable to observe.”
For Angels loyalists, the crew is a supply of Orange County satisfaction, even once they’re shedding. The family-friendly stadium, Rally Monkey mascot and principally well-mannered followers are a stark distinction to the rival Dodgers, followers say — and so they like that.
The one factor they aren’t apprehensive about is Moreno’s exit. Except for just a few well-liked strikes early in his tenure — like decreasing beer costs on the stadium — most followers don’t have an allegiance to Moreno, stated Daniel Durbin, the director of the USC Annenberg Institute of Sports activities, Media and Society.
However they're notoriously loyal to the franchise itself. The fan base was constructed over a 60-year interval, and the actually hardcore followers nonetheless take a look at the crew to some extent because the “cowboy’s crew” led by Gene Autry. Being overshadowed by the Dodgers solely provides to their distinct sense of id, as do marquee stars similar to Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani who dazzle amid shedding seasons.
“They’ve solely had one championship,” Durbin stated. “So followers have stayed with the Angels by thick and skinny, and principally skinny. The really devoted Angels followers have been devoted by loads.”
Torres has been a kind of followers since his household moved to Orange County from Norwalk in 1979. He spent his childhood watching video games and driving his bicycle together with his brothers and fogeys from their residence in Backyard Grove to the stadium. He nonetheless goes to about 27 video games a 12 months, and when he’s not there in individual, he’s watching them on TV.
When Torres’ late father retired as an offshore oil inspector, he took a job as an usher on the stadium, serving to followers discover their seats and ensuring everybody in his part was snug and secure.
“We fell in love with the Angels as a result of it’s our native crew. Through the years going to video games has been one thing enjoyable we will all do collectively and one thing we will all speak about with out killing one another,” Torres stated, laughing. “It’s been a giant a part of our household and our upbringing.”
Some followers hope a change in possession would possibly imply a return to the Anaheim Angels identify. The change to Los Angeles Angels, which Moreno made after he bought the crew in 2003, angered many O.C. followers.
“We’re not L.A.,” stated Beth Mackenzie, 61, of Costa Mesa. “We’re behind the orange curtain. We’re separate, and now folks assume once they go to Disneyland, they’re going to L.A.”
On Tuesday, Angels followers cozied as much as the bar at Lopez & Lefty’s, lower than two miles from the stadium in Anaheim, to observe the Halos as they battled the Tampa Bay Rays.
Patrons strolling into the bar handed by a pair of white feathered wings with the phrase “The place Angels Play” painted on the wall adjoining to the patio.
Angels satisfaction was evident all through the house, from the beer mirrors on the wall to the black plastic coaster stand adorned with a big purple haloed “A.”
Lopez & Lefty’s proprietor AJ Parmar stated a attainable sale raises quite a lot of questions and uncertainty for followers. Most troubling, he stated, is whether or not a brand new proprietor would uproot the crew from Orange County. Parmar, like many others, hopes not.
Angels workers usually hang around and seize meals on the bar throughout residence stands. It might be troublesome to lose that enterprise, he stated, and it might even be devastating for locals who make a residing working on the stadium.
“In the event that they transfer, it might bum out lots of people. The Angels have been right here for a very long time, and there’s quite a lot of satisfaction round right here for the crew,” stated Parmar, 30, who lives in Anaheim. “It’s a part of the id right here.”
On the bar, David Solomon, 34, sipped a beer whereas protecting his eyes skilled on the big-screen TV behind the bar. He groaned because the Rays scored a run, pushing their complete nearer to double digits whereas the Angels had just one run from a homer by Trout.
After a promising begin to the season, the Angels (52-71) endured a 14-game shedding streak in June. They’ve gone from 11 video games over .500 in mid-Could to 19 video games beneath .500 after Tuesday’s loss.
It’s been twenty years since Solomon watched the stadium erupt in cheers as outfielder Darin Erstad caught a fly ball hit by the San Francisco Giants to offer the Angels their first — and solely — World Collection championship. Solomon, who was in highschool on the time, was so elated that he skipped class together with his siblings to attend the victory parade.
“It was a fantastic second for Angels followers,” Solomon stated. “We’ll get again there. It’s irritating to lose, however sooner or later, it’s going to show round. I’m not going to say we’re on the backside, however for those who get fairly low, typically the one path is up.”
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