Bucking tradition: These days the ‘Big A’ halo lights up, win or lose
Good morning. It’s Wednesday, June 28. We are Carol Cormaci and Vince Nguyen, bringing you this week’s TimesOC newsletter. Together we’ve aggregated the latest local news and events.
For years, when the Angels won a baseball game, you would know.
Standing at 230 feet tall, the “Big A” at Angel Stadium overlooking the three nearby freeways was the beacon that alerted everyone of an Angels victory. Topped with a halo encompassing the structure’s peak, the ring would light up if the team came away with a win.
The longstanding tradition carried with it four of the most famous words in franchise history courtesy of the late Angels broadcaster Dick Enberg: “The halo shines tonight!”
Well, it seems like nowadays, whether it’s a win or a loss, the halo shines bright for everyone to see, a move highlighted by Los Angeles Times sportswriter Bill Shaikin in his latest column.
“I noticed that,” Mike Trout told Shaikin. “When did they start doing that, last year?”
The familiar tradition was rewarding for fans and players alike, especially Jarrod Washburn, the Game 1 starting pitcher in the Angels’ only World Series. Washburn said looking up to see the halo shining brightly brought him joy when leaving the stadium after a hard-earned victory.
And in a sport where superstitions and traditions reign supreme, the decision to keep the halo shining regardless of the result might be unsettling for some.
When Victor Rojas, who called Angels games on television from 2010-20, found out the organization went against tradition, he told Shaikin “the tradition demanded otherwise.”
“That’s how I would want it done: If the halo is not shining, then, clearly, the team did not win,” he told Shaikin.
Angels officials confirmed the change predates this season, but that’s not the only change that comes with the new year.
Now, the halo also displays messages and can be lit in different colors. If the team is victorious, the halo glows with the words “Angels win!” orbiting the “Big A.”
The idea stemmed from Angels’ owner Arte Moreno, according to Shaikin. The messages are being used creatively for promotional uses as well, displaying information on ticket sales and upcoming events to more than 200,000 motorists driving along the 57 Freeway daily.
In 2002, when the Angels won that World Series, the first words of Shaikin’s story in The Times, paid homage to Enberg: “The halo shines tonight, and forever.”
Win or lose, the halo shines bright, regardless.
MORE NEWS
• Costa Mesa’s effort to aid the city’s homeless population took a giant step last week with a pair of decisions to expand housing. The City Council June 20 allocated $4 million toward the renovation of a Bristol Street Travelodge that, when finished, will house another 76 residents. City officials also approved a proposal to increase the capacity of the city’s Bridge Shelter from 72 to 88 beds, as well as improving service contracts for meals and shelter management and enhancing an occupancy agreement with Newport Beach, which uses a portion of the space.
• Rancho Pescadero Hotel, a luxury resort in Baja California Sur, was temporarily shuttered out of caution for its guests, according to hospitality chain Hyatt, amid investigations into the deaths of an Orange County couple that we wrote about in last week’s newsletter. Officials have said the June 13 deaths of John Heathco, 41, and Abby Lutz, 28, were caused by “poisoning by [a] substance to be determined.”
• The State Bar of California has argued that John Eastman, the former dean of Chapman University’s law school and an adviser to former President Donald Trump, should lose his law license for taking part in a legal strategy designed to overturn the 2020 election. Eastman has been accused of ethics violation for promoting false claims that electoral cheating cost Trump the election.
• Neurotoxins produced by a massive algae bloom that began earlier this month are poisoning sea lions, with reports of the animals having seizures or dying on Orange County beaches funneling in daily, according to Pacific Marine Mammal Center officials.
• Santa Monica-based environmentalist group Heal the Bay released its 2022-23 “Beach Report Card” report earlier this month, evaluating water quality at nearly 500 beaches from Washington state to Tijuana. Orange County beaches were left off the report’s honor roll as a result of a prolonged rainy season that hampered water quality along the West Coast.
• Severe weather in the Midwest and East Coast led to flight cancellations and delays at John Wayne Airport early this week. As of late morning Tuesday the local airport had experienced 24 delays and eight cancellations, according to FlightAware. The issues were related to storm conditions, tornadoes and heat waves, according to a City News Service item, and were impacting travelers at airports nationwide.
• On a 4-3 vote, the Huntington Beach City Council, as was widely expected when we mentioned the proposed agenda item in last week’s newsletter, decided it was the city’s responsibility to make sure children visiting the public library could not get their hands on what the city deems is “obscene” or pornographic materials. Our Daily Pilot colleague Matt Szabo covered the marathon Tuesday night meeting a week ago that lasted until the wee hours of Wednesday morning and elicited more than 100 public comments.
PUBLIC SAFETY AND COURTS
• Flames consumed one unit in a Costa Mesa mobile home park Saturday evening, leaving two people in need of shelter over the weekend, according to fire officials. The fire was reported at 7:49 p.m. on the 1600 block of Whittier Avenue, Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue Battalion Chief Chris Coates said.
• Laguna Beach police have launched a joint task force alongside the Huntington Beach, Newport Beach and Tustin police departments, and the Bureau of Automotive Repair, to curb speeding motorists and those operating vehicles with loud exhaust. On June 17, authorities stopped 80 vehicles for code violations and wrote 69 citations linked to the issue.
• Two nonprofit groups, Waymakers and the Salvation Army, helped 357 people who had been trafficked in Orange County between 2019 and 2020, according to a report from the Orange County Grand Jury. Law enforcement and other groups have used a “trauma-informed” approach to support human trafficking survivors, but urge more funding to further improve survivor’s lives.
• Costa Mesa police seized around 2,800 pounds of illegal fireworks in the weeks leading up to the Fourth of July holiday, department officials told Daily Pilot reporter Eric Licas last week. Most of the explosives were confiscated in two operations, with more than 2,300 pounds of fireworks taken in a June 8 raid where the Orange County Bomb Squad was called in to help safely take the four pallets of explosives.
• Olivia Clay, 7, was honored at Fountain Valley City Hall for her life-saving efforts rescuing an infant’s life in a near-drowning incident on May 25. Video footage shows Olivia diving into to help her young cousin, Paisley, who fell into the family’s backyard pool after chasing a dog. Olivia received certificates of recognition from the fire department and Mayor Kim Constantine, the latter telling her, “You are such a hero.”
LIFE & LEISURE
• Tanya Tra was shot trying to escape Vietnam at 15 years old, but that didn’t stop her from living and fulfilling the American Dream, according to Daily Pilot contributor David Hansen. Now, nearly 40 years later, owns the Wharf restaurants in Laguna Beach and Garden Grove, along with the highly rated Wild Crab in Garden Grove. She also owns residential properties throughout Orange County and North Carolina.
• Gerard Basil Stripling’s newest sculpture “Emprise,” featuring abstract shapes arcing upward and outward and bound together by ties, was unveiled by Festival of Arts leaders June 21. As Daily Pilot reporter Sara Cardine reports, the rare commissioned work built for and inspired by the Laguna Beach site was created through the bonds Stripling forged with artists he met as an exhibitor of the festival’s juried fine art show from 2003 to 2011. Stripling was named Laguna Beach Arts Alliance 2023 Artist of the Year in May.
• Live music returned in full force in Fullerton during the ninth annual Day of Music Fullerton on June 21 and documented by TimesOC reporter Sarah Mosqueda. Live music performances filled the plaza and tucked away in nearby businesses like Night Owl and Comic Book Hideout, featuring artists such as Ironside Collective, Doll House, Burnt Ramen and many others. The festival is part of a larger event that originated in Paris in 1982.
• Movie Mondays get underway at Segerstrom Center of the Arts starting July 10 with a free screening of the animated feature “The Lion King.” The selection is inspired by the upcoming 2023-24 Broadway series coming to the center. Guests are encouraged to bring their own kits — chairs, blankets and snacks — and can arrive as early as 5:30 p.m. for preshow activities. Films start around 8 p.m., and food and drinks will also be available to purchase at George’s Cafe and other food trucks.
SPORTS
• The 24th annual Jones Cup tees off at Newport Beach Country Club this afternoon. The community golf tournament matches five professionals and club champions from Santa Ana, Newport Beach, Big Canyon, Mesa Verde and Shady Canyon. Santa Ana will hope to repeat after winning its first Jones Cup title last year.
• Local water polo standouts Newport Harbor graduate Ben Liechty and Sailors senior Peter Castillo, as well as Huntington Beach High grad Chase Dodd and brother Ryder, a JSerra senior, helped the U.S. men’s Junior National Team to a historic bronze-medal finish. The team defeated Greece 11-6 in the third-place match of the World Aquatics Junior World Champions in Bucharest, Romania on June 17, the first time the U.S. men’s team ever medaled at the tournament. The U.S. squad finished 4-3 overall in the tournament.
• Marina High graduate Mika Ikemori and Corona del Mar incoming senior Jack Cross each reached the title match of the 121st annual USTA Southern California Junior Sectional Championships June 18 at Los Cab Tennis Club. Ikemori, bound for UC Davis, capped her junior career against Claire Zhang of San Diego in the girls’ 18s title match, while Cross, who is committed to the University of New Mexico, faced Woodbridge graduate Avery Tallakson in the boys’ 18s final.
CALENDAR THIS
• It’s almost the Fourth of July! The Old Glory Boat Parade hosted by the American Legion Yacht Club returns to Newport Harbor on Tuesday to mark the occasion on the water. In conjunction with the event, Newport Harbor American Legion Post 291 and Newport Harbor Post 291 Sons of the American Legion will celebrate with a pancake breakfast from 7:30 to 11 a.m. in their parking lot at 215 15th St. The breakfast costs $15 for adults, which includes two drink tickets, and $8 for children. The group will also hold a barbecue lunch, from 1 to 5 p.m., for a $30 donation. In addition to that Newport Beach tradition, there are a host of Independence Day activities taking place throughout O.C. EnjoyOrangeCounty.com provides a comprehensive list of events.
• The United Ukrainian Ballet, a 60-member company made up of professional dancers forced to flee their country following the Russian invasion, will make its West Coast debut tomorrow at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa for performances of Alexei Ratmansky’s “Giselle.” The performances run until July 2, and proceeds from the ticket sales will benefit BlueCheck, which provides humanitarian aid to those affected by the conflict in Ukraine. Tickets and more details can be found here.
• Arvida Book Co., an independent bookseller in Tustin, this week announced its inaugural Summer Reading Fest, a free three-day celebration to kick off summer reading for all ages featuring more than a dozen children’s authors and illustrators. The event takes place from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, July 1; 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, July 2 and from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Monday, July 3. Arvida Book Co. is located at 115 W. Main St., Tustin. The festival schedule is here.
KEEP IN TOUCH
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