Mighty Gargoyles of Anaheim

This had me rolling. If you haven't heard, the Anaheim Angels baseball team renamed themselves the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim - so now the team is being sued by the city of Anaheim. All fine and dandy and not very interesting - except for this fun little tidbit that came out in court last week. Apparently after the Walt Disney company bought the Angels from the Gene Autry family, they considered a name change.

From the L.A. Times (1/14/06)-

[Angel co-counsel] showed an internal Disney document that included 41 "name suggestions" for the team, including... Anaheim Gargoyles.

The ANAHEIM GARGOYLES? Do you fathom how hysterical this is? This is empirical evidence showing that Disney was considering renaming a major league baseball team after the (excellent) animated series created by Greg Weisman.

And don't think Disney wouldn't have done it. Everyone knows that when Disney got a chance to name a professional hockey team, they named them the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. While the stupid name made them a laughing stock, no one was laughing when they got within ONE GAME of winning the Stanley Cup. If they'd won, the words "MIGHTY DUCKS" would be carved onto the oldest trophy in professional sports.

If Disney had no shame in naming a hockey team after an awful name like Mighty Ducks? What would have stopped them from renaming a baseball team after a great name like Gargoyles? The Angels won a world series championship a few years back. That could've been the Gargoyles world series champs. How would history be different if the Anaheim Angels would've been renamed the Anaheim Gargoyles?



First off, Edison Field in Anaheim would have become the scariest, most gothic baseball park in the world. Stone gargoyles on every ledge, a big creepy Phantom-of-the-Opera-like pipe organ, dry ice fog machines. Imagine that haunting bellowing Gargoyles theme song played on an enormous organ before every game? Talk about a home field advantage - other teams would be intimidated to step inside that place.

And the Gargoyles would have the best mascot in the world. Imagine a 7 foot tall Goliath walking around and entertaining the kids? Visiting the sick kids in the hospital? And Gargoyles baseball caps? Getting yourself a form fitted Gargoyles baseball cap?

And if there's a God in heaven... GARGOYLES BOBBLE-HEADS!

Someday I hope to create an animated television show. I can only hope that what I create is as cool as Gargoyles. And I can only pray that my show ends up on the L.A. Times Sports Page as a piece of evidence in a lawsuit between the city of Anaheim and a professional sports team.