Rich Tells Angels Fans Why They Should Be VERY Happy That Stan Kroenke Has Just Bought Team

Breaking news hit the show in real time, and Rich admitted he hadn't heard a whiff of a rumor. According to Sam Farmer of the LA Times, Kroenke Sports & Entertainment has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire controlling interest of the Los Angeles Angels from the Moreno family.

Chris read the details. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2027, and no price had been reported yet.

Then came the resume. Stan Kroenke owns the Rams, the Colorado Avalanche, the Denver Nuggets and Arsenal. Asked what all of his teams do, the answer on set was "just win, baby."

The Angels have not, for almost 25 years. The names from that era came up, Percival, Tim Salmon and Garret Anderson, "may he rest in peace," along with the concession that Erstad is "not walking through that door."

Which is exactly why Rich thinks Angels fans are about to get "a considerable upgrade." His case was about competence. "They know how to run organizations. They know how to run a business in that world of sports and they know how to spend money in the right way. And man, are Angels fans going to be happy about this? They should be."

The surprise was the seller. Rich thought the Moreno family was never going to sell, and the table recalled a deal that almost happened recently before Moreno backed out. The running joke had been that two things were certain in Anaheim: "Moreno's never selling and Trout's not leaving."

That led to the scenario Rich wants most. Mike Trout is 35, about the age Matthew Stafford was when he arrived with the Rams after all those years in Detroit, and Rich sees the parallel. "We're waiting to see what Trout can do in freaking October." The Kroenkes, he believes, will come in and figure this thing out, and the Dodgers "have gotten some competition in this town."

Rich couldn't resist using the moment on TJ. The Angels, he suggested, could make it an Angels town "like the Mets have made it a Mets town" since changing ownership. TJ, a Mets fan, didn't love the comparison and fired back about the Yankees, who made a World Series but didn't win it. Rich had a reply ready. "Just ask Juan Soto and his great returns he's given the Mets."

Getting to the ballpark is another matter. The stadium is very nice, but getting there "ain't easy," and the name itself took a hit, since Los Angeles County "ain't in it." A return to the California Angels got an endorsement for the uniforms and the logo alone.

Nobody on set pretended the ceiling was unlimited. It is a Dodger town and always will be. Clippers fans can tell you they had Steve Ballmer come in and are still waiting. "Kroenke's got that track record," Rich said. "I'm excited for Angels fans."

TJ asked the real question. The Angels are 53 and 85, so does ownership actually turn that around? The answer on set was that ownership matters a lot, and Rich explained why Kroenke's version of it is rare. His teams span hockey, basketball, the Premier League and the National Football League, which are "different in terms of the way fans are expected to watch a product, but they're also different in the way of caps and how you can spend. And to figure out each one successfully? It takes a lot."

"Congratulations, Angels fans," Rich said. "You're going to make it an Angels town real soon."

It ended on a bet. Who wins a World Series first, the Angels or the Dodgers? Chris pointed out that Indiana won the natty last year, so anything can happen in sports now. Rich told Chris exactly what isn't going to happen: "the Angels winning the World Series before the Dodgers."