Don’t Be an Angel Spoilsport, Mr. Mayor

Curt Pringle never has struck me as the anguished type. Not that he’s ever invited me over for private consultation at his challenging moments, but I’ve always sensed that he keeps himself under control. I doubt he even chews his nails.

This week, however, the Anaheim mayor went public again on a matter of grave import and, whether he wants my help or not, he’s going to get it. Call it part of my responsibility in helping Orange County public officials figure out which end is up.

All season long, Pringle has boycotted Angel home games because of owner Arte Moreno’s decision to rename the franchise the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The city is suing the team, and Pringle reasons (I guess) that it’s inappropriate for him to show up at the ballpark while leading the city’s charge.

Pringle and a couple of Anaheim councilmen have maintained this profile in courage all season long. It’s a significant protest for Pringle, because he says he’s a big Angel fan.

Now, however, the Halos are going to the playoffs. The season is about to get a whole lot more interesting.

What’s a poor boycotting mayor to do? Sit home like a lump of coal while everybody else is screaming their heads off at the park?

During the Angels’ giddy 2002 run to the World Series championship, Mayor Tom Daly was making bets right and left with other mayors. He got to ride in a parade down Katella Avenue. Who’s going to make the bets for the Los Angeles Angels?

Somehow, I don’t picture L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa getting into it. And where does the World Series-winning parade run? Through downtown L.A.?

If it does, that would answer the question: What happens if you throw a parade and nobody comes?

This is difficult for me to say, because I’d love some free tickets, but this mess must be left at Moreno’s doorstep. His nutty idea to change the team name may make business sense but not common sense. You see the bind he’s put Pringle in.

You can spend a season at Angel Stadium and never hear the words “Los Angeles.” Moreno has created The Team That Dares Not Speak Its Name.

With that prelude, I offer this free advice to Mr. Mayor and all other conflicted Anaheim council members:

Go to the playoffs.

Normally, I would urge public officials to stand by their convictions, but not this time. I strongly urge them to cave. I suggest they fold up those convictions like musty old uniforms and stick them in a drawer for later use.

Why?

Because it’s playoff baseball. There’s nothing like it.

A San Francisco Giant fan hauled me down to San Diego on Monday night for his team’s game against the Padres. Generated mostly by Barry Bonds’ presence, there was a buzz in the stadium from the first inning on.

With the Padres leading, 2-1, going into the ninth, the stadium boombox cued up the bells of doom that signaled the arrival of Padre closer Trevor Hoffman and, presumably, the quick end to the Giants’ evening. The ritual is a crowd-pleaser, complete with the prerecorded ear-splitting playing of “Hells Bells,” by the heavy-metal group AC/DC.

The Padre fans in our midst gave my friend the business, reveling in the pain he was about to feel and politely explaining how unhittable Hoffman was. Roughly 10 minutes later, with the Giants claiming a 3-2 victory with as exciting a ninth inning as you’d want, my friend leaned into the Padre pack and said quietly, “Hells Bells.”

The exhilaration on my friend’s face was priceless.

Mr. Mayor, do you really want to miss a moment like that? Do you want to TiVo your way through the playoffs?

The first rule of politics is don’t shoot yourself in the foot. If you boycott the playoffs, you won’t have any feet left.

You want to get back at Arte Moreno?

I wish I’d thought of this first, but I didn’t: Living well is the best revenge.

Dana Parsons can be reached at (714) 966-7821 or at dana.parsons@latimes.com. An archive of his recent columns is at www.latimes.com/parsons.