Angels Will Unveil Their Summer Line

The doors were locked. The windows were shut too and all inquiries went unanswered Monday.

Yep, the area was sealed tighter than some top-secret military installation. The big news being guarded?

Why, the Angels, oops, the Anaheim Angels’ new uniforms, of course. The Angels will unveil their new duds today at a noon press conference at the Pond.

But on the day before this made-for-a-slow-news-day event was scheduled, the Angels’ top brass wasn’t talking. After all, loose lips sink ships.

“We want to keep it secret, but we feel they will be cutting edge,” Angel spokesman Bill Robertson said. “[Today] is the first time we’ve unveiled the entire package, so we want to wait.”

What is known about the new uniforms is that they include slight modifications from the current model in lettering and design. They also feature a shade of blue known as periwinkle.

We know this much because the Angels previously released their new logo, which also included periwinkle. The new logo has been in stores since November and is selling “phenomenally well,” Robertson said.

Some players have seen initial sketches and working designs for the new uniforms, but Robertson said “only a few” people have seen the finished product first-hand. That inner circle, he said, doesn’t include players.

“They’re going to see the entire package for the first time,” Robertson said. “They’re going to be wearing them in spring training at the end of the week. We feel this is another positive step for the team.”

This may be progress, but not everyone views change as progress. The Angels have changed their logo six times in their 36-year history and they’ve had three names. This is the sixth uniform change but the first major overhaul, Robertson said.

“There is just too much change going on,” said Anaheim resident Bernie Ginsbarg, an Angel season-ticket holder for 32 seasons.

“I mean, they’re just baseball uniforms and there’s nothing wrong with them. It’s their team and they can run it how they want to, but here’s my question: Are the new uniforms going to help them play better?”

Disney sports people know that the uniform game can be tricky business. Hockey fans were, ah, less than enthralled when the Ducks’ design was unveiled.

Now, the Ducks have the most fashionable uniform in sports, according to a panel judging uniforms last week for an ESPN awards show televised Monday. Millions of dollars in sold team merchandising was probably enough to convince the Disney bosses.