O.C. Sports Hall in Disarray Despite Stadium Cleanup

The Orange County Sports Hall of Fame is an invisible attraction, without any sign to direct visitors.

Even if visitors found the door at Edison Field, they could not pass. The door opens into a hallway, which leads to Angel offices and to the hall. But the door remains locked during Angel games, and so does the hall. The plaques honoring the seven members of the Class of ’98 will be on display at tonight’s induction ceremony at the Anaheim Marriott, but does anyone know when the public can see them at the hall of fame?

Not Ed Munson, president of the Hall of Fame.

“We want people to know about this place as much as the Angels want to generate enthusiasm about their new field,” Munson said.

Convinced the Angels needed to offer more than baseball to generate repeat business, Disney built such attractions as bandstands, interactive games, geysers and fake rocks into its $117 million stadium renovation project. Yet Disney has done nothing to promote the hall, the 7,000 square-foot facility in inherited with Edison Field.

“It’s something we’ve got to take a look at relatively soon,” said Ken Wachter, the Angels’ vice president of sales and marketing. “I know I haven’t given it as much thought as I probably should have.”

The hall, founded in 1980, moved into its home in 1993, on the second floor of a stadium administration building behind right field. The building is connected to the main stadium concourse, and hall and team officials agreed to close the facility to daily visitors during the bulk of the construction.

“We’re in limbo because of the construction,” Munson said. “That really slowed our momentum.”

The hall remains closed to the public and, after months of neglect, resembles a cluttered basement.

Caps have fallen from display boards, display cases have been moved and folding tables have been set up in the middle of the main gallery.

“We’ve got to get together and figure out a way to better utilize it,” Wachter said. “It’s a nice Hall of Fame, and it’s not something you’d have to put a lot of money into.”

Munson envisions reopening the hall in June, at the same time the Angels unveil the interactive games that promise to generate traffic in the outfield concourse adjacent to the hall. Munson suggests opening the facility before and during Angel games and, with a volunteer staff, charging $1 per person to cover operating expenses.

“It’s really part of the ballpark,” Wachter said. “It shouldn’t cost an extra two or three bucks to go through it.”

So would Disney consider subsidizing those operational expenses, allowing fans to visit for free and allowing the Angels to sell another attraction at Edison Field? Wachter deferred to Anaheim Sports President Tony Tavares, who could not be reached to comment.

The hall, run by an all-volunteer organization, generates much of its revenue from the annual induction banquet. Munson, a Brea-based public relations consultant, said the hall hoped to raise $15,000 from tonight’s ceremony to maintain current collections and develop new ones.

When the facility reopens, Munson said, officials at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., have promised to donate artifacts for temporary display in Anaheim.

Munson and the Angels agree a partnership can be fruitful. The Angels borrowed busts of Gene Autry, Rod Carew and Bobby Grich from the Anaheim facility for their Grand Slam Van. The Angels also bought two tables for tonight’s banquet and donated memorabilia for the accompanying silent auction. Tim Mead, the Angels’ vice president of communications and a former hall board member, said the team would post signs to direct fans to the facility when it reopens.

The hall houses many surprises and delights from Orange County’s sports history. The first Olympic gold medal won by a county resident is here (Fred Kelly, high hurdles, 1912), and so is a Heisman Trophy (John Huarte, Notre Dame, 1964). Women and girls in sports merit a display here, and so do the Negro Leagues. The Angels and Mighty Ducks live here, and so do the departed Rams, Surf (soccer), Dukes (tennis), and Sun (football).

“A lot of parents grew up watching some of these athletes perform in Orange County,” Mead said. “I think this establishes pride in the athletes and the teams that have been out here, and I think that’s what we’re missing out on.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Hall of Fame

* What: Orange County Sports Hall of Fame’s 16th induction banquet

* When: Tonight, beginning with reception at 5:30.

* Where: Anaheim Marriott Hotel

* Class of ’98 inductees: Bob Boone, Bob Boyd, Steve DeBerg, Debbie Green, Johnnie Johnson, Dan Quisenberry and Leon Wood. Receiving special awards: Paul Salata, Ken Purcell, Bill Cunerty, Jim Gattis and the late Duncan Clark.

* Tickets: The event is sold out.

Forgotten Fame

The Orange County Sports Hall of Fame, adjacent to Edison Field, remains closed to the public. Officials of the hall hope to increase the profile of its historical exhibits.