Controversy? Lets talk about a real controversy.

We have to do something about the name “Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.” We simply must. We can’t let this develop into the “New York Mets of Queens,” or the “Kansas City Royals of Blue Springs.” It’s a slippery slope my friends, and if we don’t stand up now, when will we stand up?

I’ve been bothered by this for some time, as I’m sure many of you have been, but I was reluctant to wade into more controversy this soon, given that my last article was only slightly less controversial than A-Rod buying the Timberwolves. Actually, it may have been more controversial than that, but at least it didn’t seemingly drive J-Lo away, and I’m hopeful it didn’t drive Twinkie Town readers away. Sometimes writers write and readers read, and we can’t always agree on everything. But as the Twins visit Anaheim for the first time this year, it’s time to address the elephant in the room.

What hurt, about the comments to my last article, was being told that such “controversies” didn’t belong, or couldn’t be discussed in such a venue….as for me that was the death penalty being applied to Twins conversation. As I can assure you, living in New England, nobody out here wants to hear anything about the Minnesota Twins. None of my friends, or even my family, really seeks to engage in Twins conversation about any player…ever.

As much as we loathe those who speak of Minnesota as “fly-over country,” as a Minnesota native transplanted in New England, I can vouch for the accuracy of that description in the minds of most people east of Pittsburgh....which, by the way, is considered the “far west” or at the very least “the midwest” for many of my friends and neighbors out here, who have extensively traveled throughout the United States, as long as that includes only New England, New York, Florida, and possibly, California. We all know how much the national networks and the MLB network seem to love Boston and New York, and occasionally the Cubs...but even for them, the rest of us, are mostly “fly-over.”

Which brings me back to the point of all of this, unity,…if we’re going to go to war with each other over ideas, and suggest that some things cannot be so….then we need to find a cause around which we can all agree. A cause that defies the old adage that “there are two sides to every issue.”

I think demanding that the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim change their name may be that cause. It really is ridiculous, I mean how about the Tampa Bay Rays of St. Petersburg? Maybe the New York Yankees of the Bronx. It seems borderline insane, to be so very hung up on the degree of accuracy that seems to be necessary for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. After all, other teams simply accept that they may actually play a few miles from the major city that is central to their identity. Talk about “get over yourself”....the Angels need that discussion as much, or even arguably, more than I do.

I am grateful that we all love our “Minnesota Twins” so that we need not deal with this issue in our own lives. I trust that fans of the Colorado Rockies and the Texas Rangers feel the same way, not that I’d trust a fan of either the Rockies or the Rangers, I mean, what, why?