ANGELS TAKE L.A. NAME: IT'S A SALE OF TWO CITIES.

Byline: Brent Hopkins Staff Writer

Los Angeles ``officially'' got a new baseball team Monday - the only catch is that it's not in Los Angeles.

Response to the newly renamed Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim was far from glowing.

That other Los Angeles baseball team, the Dodgers, insisted it was still the only game actually in town. The city of Anaheim threatened a lawsuit by week's end. Los Angeles rebuffed the interlopers' entreaties. Marketing experts called the move a major gaffe. And loyal fans scratched their heads in confusion and disgust.

``It's in the same class as New Coke, the same kind of stupidity,'' scoffed Hal Kassarjian, an adjunct professor of marketing at California State University, Northridge. ``They're just looking for more prestige than they'd get out of Anaheim. I think it's damaging, and they look like fools.''

Kassarjian, who branded the decision ``a dopey move,'' said the team had its eyes on greater advertising dollars by latching on to the Los Angeles brand name.

But at a time that Orange County's hipness is rising, thanks to Fox's popular prime-time soap opera ``The O.C.,'' experts questioned why the Angels would try to venture into territory already claimed by one of the major leagues' most storied franchises.

``The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim? Sounds like an English family, doesn't it?'' said Jack Kyser, chief economist for the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. ``I'd say forget about it. If you're going to change the name, call it The O.C. Angels.''

Los Angeles' reigning major league franchise did not take the new kids on the block's announcement lightly.

``Regardless of any attempt at a public relations or marketing spin, true Angelenos know there is only one baseball team in L.A., and that is the Dodgers,'' the club said in a statement.

The Anaheim-based team started out as the Los Angeles Angels in 1961, swapping the city's name for ``California'' when owner Gene Autry relocated to Orange County in 1966. In 1997, after The Walt Disney Co. took ownership, the team was given the moniker ``Anaheim Angels'' and retained it when current owner Arte Moreno bought the team in 2003.

``When you have a decision with an emotional attachment, you'll get feedback from across the spectrum,'' said Tim Mead, the team's vice president of communications. ``Hopefully, people will see our commitment to an upper-tier payroll and affordable ticket prices and understand that this is an important part of the long-term health of this franchise.''

Beyond its sentimental ties to the Angels, Anaheim believes that the team has a legal requirement to keep its old name. Under terms of the 33-year lease for the city-owned Angels Stadium of Anaheim, set to expire in 2029, the city contends that the team must keep its location in the name. As such, the Anaheim City Council has instructed the City Attorney's Office to seek a temporary restraining order barring Moreno from ditching its namesake.

``Why would someone who truly understands Southern California want to hurt this relationship?'' said John Nicoletti, an Anaheim spokesman. ``What about the rest of Orange County? What about an L.A. fan? Now that they've stolen the name from the Dodgers, will they come down and want to see another L.A. team?''

The Los Angeles City Council has been equally standoffish, unanimously passing a resolution decrying the name change when it was proposed last month and asking its own city attorney to explore options to keep the ``Los Angeles'' name actually in Los Angeles.

``Last we checked, the Angels play in Anaheim,'' said City Council President Alex Padilla. ``We don't think it's right that they benefit from our good name, which is all they're out for. This is the city of Los Angeles. Someone who plays baseball 40 miles down the freeway shouldn't be able to profit from our community without being a part of it.''

Even local Angels fans such as Paul Preston weren't pleased with the name swap. The 34-year-old Hollywood resident, who says he has loved the team since the days Reggie Jackson swatted home runs and patrolled the outfield, frowned on any attempt to change the brand.

``It's a slap in the face of a city that's supported them,'' Preston complained. ``If Moreno thinks this is a good marketing move, he'd do a lot better by just winning another World Series.''

Other sports fans shared his sentiment. Mark Watts, a 38-year-old cook from Burbank, doesn't consider himself a Dodgers backer, but he's not planning on making any trips to see the renamed franchise in the county to the south.

``This is weird,'' he said, chuckling. ``This reminds me of Prince changing his name to The Artist Formerly Known as Prince. They'll probably change it back in a couple of years, too.''

After winning the World Series in 2002, the Angels have been immensely popular with fans. Moreno made a series of popular moves, adding such high-profile free agents as American League Most Valuable Player Vladimir Guerrero and lowering beer, program and souvenir cap prices. Accordingly, they drew 3.3 million fans last season, the most in franchise history and third behind only the Dodgers and New York Yankees.

``It would be very hard to displace the Dodgers in Los Angeles because they have such a long history,'' Nicoletti said. ``Mr. Moreno wants the team to be the Yankees of the West Coast, but by doing this, he's just become the Mets.''

Brent Hopkins, [phone]

brent.hopkins(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

A billboard advertising the Angels baseball team sits just east of downtown Los Angeles on Monday, the day the baseball team has added ``Los Angeles'' to its name.

Ric Francis/Associated Press