Angels cursed by Moreno's mistake

You don't do that with a curse attached.

Sadly, Moreno didn't recognize that.

As with all curses, they're not accidents. They are rooted in things that defy good behavior. They're punishment, if you will.

The Curse of the Bambino resulted when Frazee sold one of baseball's best players to finance his Broadway shows.

The Curse of the Billy Goat happened because Cubs management caved in to fans who didn't want to smell a goat during a World Series game in the friendly confines of Wrigley Field.

And the Curse of the Moreno Mistake is a result of his decision to put a "Los Angeles" moniker on a team that plays in Orange County.

He made the decision for business reasons, but so did Harry Frazee and the Cubs management.

I wrote at the time that Moreno was entitled to rename the team because he owned it. But I also wrote that that didn't make it right or sensible.

A curse was born.

A pity, because it is Angels fans and players who must pay the price.

You think it's the fault of the Angels' most potent sluggers that they turned into singles hitters? That one of the team's best bunters couldn't lay one down in the ninth inning with the game on the line against the Red Sox, which could have sent the series back to Anaheim?

Hardly.

Ah, you say, but how cursed can the Red Sox be if they've won two World Series this decade and might add a third this year? True, but they waited 84 years to do it.

Strap yourselves in, Angels fans.

When Moreno bought the team, I warned him in print that baseball can eat you up. I advised him to expect heartbreak.

Little did I know he'd bring it on himself.

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Dana Parsons' column appears Tuesdays and Fridays. He can be reached at (714) 966-7821 or at dana.parsons@latimes.com. An archive of his recent columns is at latimes.com/parsons.