DODGER STADIUM: THINK BLUE
UPGRADES ARE IN ORDER
With the new ownership in Dodger land brings a renewed focus on things that need to be changed. Dodger Stadium is now the 3rd oldest stadium in the major leagues. With little to no changes in its 50 years, Dodger stadium could use some welcome upgrades. I would like to propose the following to Stan Kasten and Magic Johnson:
Allow fans to walk around the ballpark! The Dodgers seamlessly keep fans in their section of which they purchased a ticket. So for instance if you buy a ticket in the upper deck you are not allowed to move down or walk around the lower concourses. If you buy a ticket in the 100 level sections however you can go to the top of the ballpark. So essentially you can move up just not down. As for the outfield, you are stuck in right field if you buy a right field ticket and vice versa. What I would like Stan and Magic to do is allow people to walk around the ballpark by taking away the ushers who check your ticket at each stair well. This isn’t a prison. We all pay to go into the ballpark. If you are that concerned about having people that pay $5 for their upper deck ticket sitting in the lower reserves stake out more ushers. Every major league ballpark is like this; Dodger Stadium can do it to. I often times buy a upper deck ticket for games and by the 7th inning I move down to the lower sections. It is baseball; nobody really should care when there are 10,000 open seats. People would like to walk around the entire ballpark and take pictures or just get different vantage points, point said…
Get rid of the steamed Dodger Dogs! Nobody likes this crap. The Hot Dog should only be eaten one way, grilled. The Dodger Dogs are in some sections grilled and in other sections steamed, only people with knowledge know where to go to get them (fyi located near the back walls of the stadium). The grilled Dogs are considered the classic version and as the stadium turns a new leaf with ownership they can finally end the monstrosity that is a steamed weiner.
Upgrade the concessions area! As of right now Dodger Stadium might have some of the worst concessions in baseball, Oakland aside. Dodger Stadium is smack dab in the middle of one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world. Why not create food that is “LA.” Why not have an Oliver Street section in which Hispanic food is served including Chili Relleno, Tamales, Fish Tacos etc. Have a China Town section, Korea Town, Sea Food served from Redondo Beach etc. Also, try and get hard to eat at restaurants like Fogo de Chao, Pizzeria Mozza and others have a promo night in which fans can sample food they normally couldn’t obtain. You could give out a voucher to the first 1,000 fans or something to try it at the ballpark if quantity is a concern. This city could get major sponsors for this and charge a premium for these items. I don’t know about you but going to a ballpark now a days is just as much about the food as is the game. LA is a foodie town and this new ownership needs to recognize that a major over haul of this area is essential to profitability and bring people back.
Embrace Dodger heritage! Yankee Stadium has a wonderful museum that documents Yankee history. Dodger Stadium has nothing of the sort. Why not create something sooner rather than later as proposed on the Dodgers official webpage http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/la/ballpark/next50/project.jsp. This museum could be placed in between Left and Right Field where as of now contains the large speakers and batters eye. They could even build this sucker above ground and you could watch games from it. How about connecting Left and Right Field together and build a monument park thing like Yankee Stadium? Dodgers need to cherish their storied history better and this could help in that avenue while bridging the gap between left and right field.
Add more to the All You Can Eat Seats in right field. As of now you can only get steamed hot dogs, popcorn, peanuts and nachos as well soda/water. Why not include pretzels, cracker jacks and cotton candy? Also, why not move the all you can eat seats to upper deck and limit that section to wristbands only? I mean looking at Dodger Stadium nobody sits in the last section of upper deck on both sides. Could be fun to change it up.
Allow people to go down to the field before games even if you don’t have tickets for that section. Going to baseball games is about the experience, most fans will never get the experience to sit in the front rows of a major league baseball stadium like Dodger Stadium because they are simply priced out. At Dodger Stadium if you show up early to watch batting practice and don’t have tickets for the “box seats” you aren’t allowed down. This is dumb, let the kids have a chance at an autograph of to snag a foul ball before the games; it doesn’t hurt anyone by doing it.
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