GaryMrMets
01-11-2002, 02:46 PM
http://angels.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/ana/news/ana_news_story.jsp?article_id=ana_20020109_reddawn _news&team_id=ana
News
1/9/2002 6:19 pm ET
Halo there: Red rules
By Tom Singer
AngelsBaseball.com
Somewhere, Rudolph's Red Nose was burning brighter than ever. And Gene Autry crooned his signature song with a wink through the clouds.
The Anaheim Angels entered a new era Wednesday amid considerable pomp and circumstance, unveiling their fresh look with a festive ceremony at the mouth of Edison Field.
New? Much of the overwhelmingly favorable reaction to the team's red-is-rad makeover centered on how it pays homage to the past, of both the Angels and the game of baseball.
"This is awesome. A good baseball look," said outfielder Garret Anderson, one of several current Angels who strolled down the catwalk to model the new uniforms.
"It brings back a lot of memories," echoed erstwhile left-handed ace Mark Langston, one of the former Angels who participated in the event.
It particularly brings back memories of Autry, the late Angels owner who, as club vice-president Kevin Uhlich recalled, loved the color red.
"It was Gene's favorite color. He used to say that it reminded him of his own childhood, that red made him think about the circus coming to town," Uhlich said. "He'd be proud to see us all decked out in red."
Appropriately, a giant blow-up on uniform No. 26 retired in Gene Autry's honor formed the backdrop as the crimson tide turned.
About 800 students representing various schools in the Magnolia School District formed a sea of red around the catwalk and in front of the stage, upon which Angels broadcaster Rex Hudler and Orange County media icon Ed Arnold co-emceed the briskly-paced festivities.
Supervisor Cynthia Coad presented a proclamation on behalf "of all the people of Orange County" to Paul Pressler, chairman of Disney's Parks and Resorts division, and so did Anaheim Mayor Tom Daly on behalf of the county's 34 mayors, many of whom were present.
Then it was time for Mayor Daly to help pull the strings that lowered the cloak from that majestic No. 26 jersey, revealing the Angels' new look as swirling red confetti filled the air and the Katella High School band played.
And it was time to clear the catwalk . . . delivered one-by-one by Anaheim Fire Department trucks, current Angels Anderson, Troy Glaus, Tim Salmon and Matt Wise and alumni Langston, Bobby Grich and Jim Abbott each modeled different elements of the new team wardrobe.
Uhlich, as the Angels' Vice-President of Sales, Marketing and Operations, was point man for the design and deployment of the new uniforms, with the considerable help of Major League Baseball.
Significant design touches include a return to a block "A" topped by a halo, and the introduction of "Anaheim" to the front of the traveling gray uniforms.
"We wanted to turn it back a notch, to come up with something our fans can identify with," Uhlich said. "It's dynamic. It's unique. It's the right fit for us."
As for the choice of red as the dominant color, the bow to Gene Autry aside . . .
"We've always used red in the past, but the dominant look was blue," Uhlich explained. "To me, red really stands out, unlike any other color. Just take a look at a Nebraska football game. We hope it catches on, and that our fans start dressing in red.
"And we'll now be the only American League team wearing red. The other teams which have used it -- Boston, Cleveland, Texas -- have all moved away from it, to blue."
Angels Manager Mike Scioscia was present, but conspicuously absent from the catwalk.
"They're still trying to find enough cloth to make one for me," he said, grinning.
Scioscia added, "But I'm excited about this, by just the fact that we're going back to a more classic look that is more connected with Angels tradition.
"Personally, I don't know if I'd look 'good' in any color. As for our players, most of our guys are such hard-core players, they'd play in a bathrobe if they had to."
"This is a big improvement," Abbott summed up. "I like red, and I especially like the fact that it's a color that was close to Mr. Autry's heart."
Tom Singer is the site reporter of AngelsBaseball.com and can be reached at tswriter@att.net.
http://angels.mlb.com/ana/photo/ph_news_unifoursome288_0109.jpg
UNI-FOUR: Tim Salmon, Troy Glaus, Garret Anderson and Matt Wise (left to right) show off various configurations of the Angels' new wardrobe.
News
1/9/2002 6:19 pm ET
Halo there: Red rules
By Tom Singer
AngelsBaseball.com
Somewhere, Rudolph's Red Nose was burning brighter than ever. And Gene Autry crooned his signature song with a wink through the clouds.
The Anaheim Angels entered a new era Wednesday amid considerable pomp and circumstance, unveiling their fresh look with a festive ceremony at the mouth of Edison Field.
New? Much of the overwhelmingly favorable reaction to the team's red-is-rad makeover centered on how it pays homage to the past, of both the Angels and the game of baseball.
"This is awesome. A good baseball look," said outfielder Garret Anderson, one of several current Angels who strolled down the catwalk to model the new uniforms.
"It brings back a lot of memories," echoed erstwhile left-handed ace Mark Langston, one of the former Angels who participated in the event.
It particularly brings back memories of Autry, the late Angels owner who, as club vice-president Kevin Uhlich recalled, loved the color red.
"It was Gene's favorite color. He used to say that it reminded him of his own childhood, that red made him think about the circus coming to town," Uhlich said. "He'd be proud to see us all decked out in red."
Appropriately, a giant blow-up on uniform No. 26 retired in Gene Autry's honor formed the backdrop as the crimson tide turned.
About 800 students representing various schools in the Magnolia School District formed a sea of red around the catwalk and in front of the stage, upon which Angels broadcaster Rex Hudler and Orange County media icon Ed Arnold co-emceed the briskly-paced festivities.
Supervisor Cynthia Coad presented a proclamation on behalf "of all the people of Orange County" to Paul Pressler, chairman of Disney's Parks and Resorts division, and so did Anaheim Mayor Tom Daly on behalf of the county's 34 mayors, many of whom were present.
Then it was time for Mayor Daly to help pull the strings that lowered the cloak from that majestic No. 26 jersey, revealing the Angels' new look as swirling red confetti filled the air and the Katella High School band played.
And it was time to clear the catwalk . . . delivered one-by-one by Anaheim Fire Department trucks, current Angels Anderson, Troy Glaus, Tim Salmon and Matt Wise and alumni Langston, Bobby Grich and Jim Abbott each modeled different elements of the new team wardrobe.
Uhlich, as the Angels' Vice-President of Sales, Marketing and Operations, was point man for the design and deployment of the new uniforms, with the considerable help of Major League Baseball.
Significant design touches include a return to a block "A" topped by a halo, and the introduction of "Anaheim" to the front of the traveling gray uniforms.
"We wanted to turn it back a notch, to come up with something our fans can identify with," Uhlich said. "It's dynamic. It's unique. It's the right fit for us."
As for the choice of red as the dominant color, the bow to Gene Autry aside . . .
"We've always used red in the past, but the dominant look was blue," Uhlich explained. "To me, red really stands out, unlike any other color. Just take a look at a Nebraska football game. We hope it catches on, and that our fans start dressing in red.
"And we'll now be the only American League team wearing red. The other teams which have used it -- Boston, Cleveland, Texas -- have all moved away from it, to blue."
Angels Manager Mike Scioscia was present, but conspicuously absent from the catwalk.
"They're still trying to find enough cloth to make one for me," he said, grinning.
Scioscia added, "But I'm excited about this, by just the fact that we're going back to a more classic look that is more connected with Angels tradition.
"Personally, I don't know if I'd look 'good' in any color. As for our players, most of our guys are such hard-core players, they'd play in a bathrobe if they had to."
"This is a big improvement," Abbott summed up. "I like red, and I especially like the fact that it's a color that was close to Mr. Autry's heart."
Tom Singer is the site reporter of AngelsBaseball.com and can be reached at tswriter@att.net.
http://angels.mlb.com/ana/photo/ph_news_unifoursome288_0109.jpg
UNI-FOUR: Tim Salmon, Troy Glaus, Garret Anderson and Matt Wise (left to right) show off various configurations of the Angels' new wardrobe.