Angels Top Organization

ESPN the Magazine ranked the top sports organization in sports and it should come as no surprise that the Angels are the top of the list.

What, were you expecting the Raiders?

Some teams preach commitment to excellence, others live it. The Angels are that organization. The Angels excel where organizations such as the Raiders and Dodgers lag far behind.

Here are some of the reasons given by ESPN the Magazine. A damn fine magazine that, although I have never read it, must be pretty good.

• The fans love going to the stadium. The Angels have had a couple of incidents this year with a fan getting punched down the stairs and an off-duty cop (a Los Angeles cop, mind you) firing at some fans. But even with those incidents, an Angels game doesn't seem unsafe. There's never a take-your-life-in-your-hands feeling that you get from going to Dodger Stadium. And that's just on the drive up. Raiders violence is legendary and doesn't need embellishment. The only time there are really uneasiness at Angels Stadium is when the Dodgers, Red Sox and Yankees are in town. Even then, the tide has turned so that Angels Stadium is at least half-filled with Angels fans now.
  

• Angels fans also show up to games. The article mentions that even during a recession, the Angels have faced a dip of just over 200 fans per game. That antiquated notion of Angels fans not showing up in force clearly isn't at work here, even in this economy. Obviously this town supports a winner. Which isn't a bad thing. Why do people always complain when fans only support winners. That's what you should do.
  

• Here's one of the kicker: Tickets to root-root-root for the 2009 Halos cost an average of just $20.05, and the total fan cost to attend an Angels game is the fifth lowest in MLB and 32% less than it costs to attend a Dodgers game. The fifth lowest in MLB. Dodgers fans are paying more money to drive to LA, risk their lives on the road and in the stadium, and the product hasn't reached the Angels level in recent years. Hard to believe that these teams lose money. And the Raiders, how do they even get fans in the stadium? Are these the kind of people that find prison showers welcoming?

• Mike Scioscia Imagine that, having a competent field general leading your team. This is where the Angels kind of lose it for me. The team would be much better if they had a puppet in the manager's chair, with the actual decisions coming from Artie Moreno. Either that, or maybe the Angels could take the manager from the Ayres Inn on Douglas and make him the hitting coach. The Raiders basically did that with Tom Walsh a few years ago.
  

The biggest reason is the owners. Moreno lowered beer prices as his first act as owner. That makes Moreno seem like one of your drinking buddies is running the team. Like a cooler version of Mark Cuban -- sans the too-tight T-shirts. Moreno might boooze at the games, but he isn't in the dugout suites yelling at officials. He keeps the players happy for the most part unless they turn down generous contract offers like K-Rod and John Lackey did. Beer prices are fair with $6 Pacificos all over the stadium. The stadium food is good as the Ruby's chili cheese fries dominate. Parking is only $8, and the only real hassle comes with the d-bag trinity (Dodgers, Red Sox and Yankees). Angels fans have it pretty good with Moreno. Take a look at some of the other owners in sports.

The Dodgers put all of its marketing into Mannywood, and he ended up testing positive for steroids. Note, the Rally Monkey will not test positive for steroids. You cannot tailgate in the parking lot, even after paying $20. Ticket prices are way higher. They put in a beach party in the upper deck (which should get more scorn in this space) and sold endless hotdogs during the height of the Swine Flu.

Making fun of Davis is too easy now. Davis does try, give him that, but time has past him by. Much like your uncle who still cracks racist jokes at Thanksgiving and forwards unflattering, off-color jokes about the President.

The Clippers and Donald Sterling are rated as the worst, just one step -- I figure -- ahead of the Raiders. The only difference between Davis and Sterling is that the Raiders do want to win. The Clippers are just another Hollywood accessory.

Angels fans should feel pretty fortunate for the situation that they have.