Los Angeles Angels Memorabilia

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name is a tribute to the minor league team.  The Angels have been based in Angel Stadium of Anaheim since 1966. The Angels franchise was established in the MLB in 1961 through former owner Gene Autry, the team’s first Major League owner who purchased the rights to continue using the franchise name from Walter O'Malley, the former Los Angeles Dodgers owner who acquired the franchise from Phil Wrigley, the owner of the Chicago Cubs at the time.

In 2009, the Angels were AL Western Division champions for the third straight season. 2011 marked the ninth straight year in which the Angels had drawn more than three million fans in attendance for the regular baseball season. In 2011, ESPN ranked the Los Angeles Angels number four on its list of “Ultimate Team Rankings” ahead of every team in baseball and any franchise in Los Angeles.

The team's founder, entertainer Gene Autry, owned the franchise for its first 36 years. During Autry's ownership, the team made the playoffs three times, but never won the pennant. The team has gone through several name changes, first changing their name to the California Angels on September 2, 1965, with a month still remaining in the season, in recognition of their upcoming move to the newly-constructed Anaheim Stadium for the start of the 1966 season. When The Walt Disney Company took control of the team in 1997, it renovated Anaheim Stadium, which was then renamed Edison International Field of Anaheim. The City of Anaheim offered $30 million to the $118 million renovation with along with a lease providing that the names of both the stadium and team contain the word "Anaheim". The team was renamed the Anaheim Angels and became a subsidiary of Disney Sports, Inc. later renamed Anaheim Sports, Inc. Under Disney's ownership and the leadership of manager Mike Scioscia, the Angels won their first pennant and world championship in 2002.