ANAHEIM, CALIF. — The Angels knew they were headed for an attendance drop-off after Monday's season opener against the Twins, so they used gimmicks and giveaways to lure people back to The Big A.
On Tuesday, the Angels handed out red Snuggies and asked fans to use them at the same time, setting a Guinness world record for blanket coverage.
On Thursday, the team handed out bronze-painted Mike Scioscia busts, commemorating his 2009 AL Manager of the Year award.
"That's a sin," Scioscia said. "I don't even know if it looks like me. This is a face you want to forget, not make a bust out of."
But anyone who's followed baseball in Los Angeles for the past decade knows Scioscia is king. The Dodgers made a big mistake in 1999 when they let him slip from their grasp.
The franchises have reversed roles since Scioscia made the jump. The Dodgers used to be the model organization. Walter O'Malley broke hearts in Brooklyn when he relocated the franchise to L.A., but under his son Peter's stewardship, the organization was the definition of class and stability. The Dodgers had two managers from 1954 to 1996 -- Walter Alston and Tommy Lasorda.
But when Peter O'Malley sold the team to the Fox Corp. in 1998, the organization soon lost its roots. Scioscia had helped the Dodgers win two World Series as a catcher before he began coaching and managing in their minor league system. Instead of recognizing him as someone they couldn't lose, the Dodgers let him go down the freeway.
At the time, the Angels were run by Disney and something of a laughingstock. But by 2002, Scioscia led them to their first World Series title.
