The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim? That’s the dumbest name for a sports team since the Utah Jazz. Worse even, because at least you’re allowed to listen to jazz in Salt Lake City, as long as you keep your clothes on and your hands to yourself. It’s the most awkward name since the Mighty Ducks of, well, Anaheim. But at least they’re not the Azusa Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, or the Cucamonga Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.

It’s the worst name for a baseball team since the Minnesota Twins (sorry, but just think about it). Come to think of it, maybe under this new system where prepositions are allowed, the Twins can revert to their original name and call themselves the Washington Senators of Minnesota. That would open up a world of possibilities, starting with the Baltimore Orioles of New York and ending with the Montreal Expos of Washington.

Since when does a team get to change its name to include two cities? If that were allowed, couldn’t the Twins be the St. Paul Twins of Minneapolis? The Milwaukee Brewers are having attendance problems, right? So why not rename them the New York-Chicago-Los Angeles Brewers of Milwaukee? A whole new fan base is opened up, and all they need is new letterhead and a slightly larger logo.

The Angels set a bad precedent many years ago when they moved to Anaheim and decided to call themselves the California Angels, as if there weren’t a half dozen other major league baseball teams in the state. It took them a long time to become the Anaheim Angels, and now they want to reclaim the Los Angeles market without moving out of Orange County?

It’s not as if the name change is going to win them any new fans or sell any more souvenirs. They already have the third highest attendance in the majors, so apparently name recognition hasn’t been much of a drawback. The biggest impact might just be to alienate their own current fan base. It’s not as if nobody’s heard of Anaheim anyway, what with the famous Mouse living there and all.

I’d say this plan was silly and unnecessary, but if it tweaks the hated Dodgers, I’m all for it. Let them change their name to the Los Angeles Dodgers of Los Angeles, then. Or maybe the Brooklyn Dodgers of Los Angeles, since that’s where they came from. At least the Angels played their first game ever in Los Angeles. The Dodgers can’t make that claim.

The Angels’ web site, at least so far on this first official day of the name change, doesn’t acknowledge either the change or any controversy it might be causing. It barely mentions either Los Angeles or Anaheim. Maybe they’re concerned about the impending lawsuit by the city of Anaheim. Or maybe they’re just afraid of being laughed at.