Angels Name Update: For at least two weeks, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are still a professional baseball team. A judge denied a temporary restraining order late last week that would have immediately blocked the name change. This is not a surprising development, as these type of orders are difficult to get. The judge ruled that the city would not be irreparably harmed if the team used its new name until the hearing in a fortnight.



The next step, the injunction hearing, is key to the legal battle. A loss by the city of Anaheim at that level would be disastrous, as the team could operate as Los Angeles for a year or more, until the completion of a trial. The team has already announced that it should be referred to as "Los Angeles" or "LAA," as opposed to Anaheim or "ANA." This move surprises me, as it seems to bolster the city's argument that the team is getting rid of the Anaheim name, which seems to violate the spirit, if not the letter, of their contract with the city. A more prudent move may have been to wait the two weeks until the hearing, but baseball owners are not always known for being practical.



Depending on the outcome of the hearing, some kind of settlement may be reached, but exactly what terms each party will demand remains to be seen.



The LA Times has more on the reason behind the name change: increasing revenue.

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