Bradley Leads Yorty, Pro Sports in Orange County, May 9, 1969

Creative financing by L.A. Unified: Balance the budget and avoid cutbacks by overestimating the amount of money it will receive from the state.

Hipshot Percussion sends a bad hombre to meet his maker in Stan Lynde's "Rick O'Shay." It's fun to be able to enlarge these panels to see the detail. I can't think of a single comic published today that is drawn with such realism -- and certainly nothing today has violent death as a recurring theme. At left, John Hall visits the Main Street Gym. Above, Times reporter Dick Bergholz vs. Mayor Sam Yorty. I would have paid money to see that.

The Times' Mitch Chortkoff posed an interesting question: Why can't pro sports make it in Orange County? Of course, the definition of pro sports was a bit limited in 1969 to a bad baseball team, a semi-pro football team, a first-year ABA team and some golf and tennis tournaments. Depending on your point of view, the consensus seemed to be Orange County sports fans were choosy or they were snobs. "People in football generally feel that Orange County is a tremendous market. But they also know the area is sophisticated," said Irv Kaze, business manager of the Chargers and a former public relations director for the Angels. "You can't bring in a team without name players and expect to draw." Chortkoff wrote: "The days, if they were ever here, are gone when Orange County fans will flock to an event merely because it is happening. They must be told of the significance of the contest and if they believe the pitch, they will attend." Not sure I buy that. Back in 1969, the common characteristic of Orange County teams was performance -- they stunk. People had other options, whether it was the beach, the Dodgers or USC football. It's good for sports fans to have options. -- Keith Thursby

Comments

[Richard H]

"The Times' Mitch Chortkoff posed an interesting question: Why can't pro sports make it in Orange County?"

Orange County doesn't have a metropolitan, urban identity.
Orange County is a collection of suburbs that used to be small towns. In 1969, Orange County was much closer to being small town that suburban. Now, I would say it is sububan, not urban.

Witness exhibit A: the "Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim".

When the Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA championship in 2000, they held a parade and rally in Downtown Los Angeles attended by hundreds of thousands of fans.

Where did the the "Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim"
hold their parade when they won the 2002 Baseball World Series. Wasn't it in Disneyland's Mainstreet?

[Richard H]

"Bradley leads Yorty by 16%."

The first observed instance of the "Bradley Effect"?