Angels Hope to Stir Interest With Caravan

If you won’t come see the Angels, the Angels will come see you. Players, coaches and broadcasters will appear Saturday at four Orange County locations, trying to generate enthusiasm for the new season.

Autographs and ticket giveaways will be on the program at each location. While teams traditionally organize such caravans before spring training, designed to stir interest and ticket sales before the season starts, the Angels hope fans might pay closer attention now.

“We’ve only got eight home games in April anyway, and the season is still young,” Angel vice president Kevin Uhlich said. “It’s very much in the public’s mind now more than in January, when people are thinking about the Super Bowl and just getting out of the holidays.”

Teams count on such events to attract new fans to the ballpark--for instance, the kid who gets Mo Vaughn’s autograph and persuades his parents to take him to a game--and count on converting some of those new fans to season-ticket customers.

“You’re always trying to replenish that base,” said David Carter, who teaches sports business at USC.

That task is critical to the Angels, who have lost money each year under Disney management and whose attendance has dropped from 2.5 million in 1998 to 2.3 million in 1999 to 2.1 million last season.

Carter suggested the Angels could generate more interest among children and families by tying the team to Disney’s promotional machine--player appearances at theme parks and openings of animated movies, for example, or distribution of pocket schedules and ticket order forms at local McDonald’s restaurants.

“This is one instance where having corporate ownership could pay huge dividends,” Carter said. “It does not appear to me they are exploiting that advantage as much as they could.”

For the first time, Uhlich said, Disney is including the Angels and Mighty Ducks in travel brochures sent to guests inquiring about visits to Disneyland. And the new ESPN Zone restaurant in Anaheim plans to sell tickets and provide shuttle service to Angel and Duck games.

However, Uhlich said, Disney is wary of mixing cartoon characters with athletes.

“There are two distinctly different products,” he said. “We’re selling sports.”

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Angel Visitations

Angel players, coaches and broadcasters are scheduled to appear Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the following locations:

Westminster Mall: David Eckstein, Lou Pote, Daron Sutton

Shops at Mission Viejo: Mo Vaughn, Shawn Wooten, Steve Physioc

Brea Mall: Jorge Fabregas, Matt Wise, Mario Impemba

Downtown Santa Ana (Fourth St. and Santa Ana Blvd.): Benji Gil, Bengie Molina, Bobby Ramos, Jose Tolentino.

Galleria at Tyler (Riverside): Adam Kennedy, Joe Maddon