Disney Offers Preview of Angel Uniforms

By CHRIS FOSTER

June 29, 1996 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

ANAHEIM — Disney Sports Enterprises showed its colors Friday, or at least described them.

The new Angel uniforms will be red, white and blue, club president Tony Tavares announced at a hastily called press conference at Anaheim Stadium.

The Angel colors currently are red, white and blue. Ah, but this will not be the same red, white and blue color scheme.

“The colors will include red, white and blue, but different shades,” Tavares said. “There will be three hats and three different uniforms.”

The new uniform design, which still needs to be approved by major league baseball, will be unveiled in late August or early September.

Tavares also reiterated that the team will be called the Anaheim Angels--Disney’s deal with the city requires the team use Anaheim in its name. But Anaheim will not appear on the jersey.

It was a very un-Disney-like ceremony--no charts, no models and no fanfare. Just Tavares explaining that he wanted to end the rumors once and for all.

“A lot has been said about the Mighty Ducks and purple and green,” Tavares said. “We never came close to changing the name. There is no reason to change something that works.”

And the uniforms?

“They will be significantly different,” Tavares said. “They won’t look anything like the uniforms today. It’s new, but I don’t think baseball traditionalists will look at it and say, ‘Ugh, I hate that.’

“I’m happy and I think the fans will be happy.”

The fans, for the most part, are not so sure.

“I love these uniforms,” said Don Hann, a season ticket holder from Whittier. “They look classic. I don’t know why they want to change it. They should put money into a new third baseman and some middle relievers. Don’t put it into all this hoopla.”

But Tavares said the change won’t be too upsetting.

“It won’t be as big a change as the difference between the old Star Trek uniforms and the Next Generation uniforms,” he said.

Others were ready for a new look.

“We haven’t done anything in these uniforms, let’s change the whole thing,” said Nancy Rawitz, a season ticket holder from Cypress.

But her father, Leonard, who was wearing a Los Angeles Angel cap--complete with halo--shook his head.

“I like these uniforms,” he said. “We just need some players in them.”

That, for the moment, isn’t in the works. The uniform design, on the other hand, was being shipped overnight to the major league baseball office for approval.

“The uniforms are about the only tradition this team has,” said Roland Chocon, a season ticket holder. “It’s all about merchandising.”

Tavares denied that.

“The fact is no one makes money off merchandising except major league baseball,” Tavares said. “It’s just a new ownership group. It’s time for a new look.”

Just in time for the sequel to “Angels in the Outfield.”

Said Tavares: “I think they will wear the new uniforms in it. It depends on when they start filming.”