Dodger Stadium

[Elvis]

0000000000000000000

[Lafferty Daniel]

“When the sun sets at Dodger Stadium, I am impressed first of all with the mountains because, at this time of year, they are fully defined. It makes me think of some of the great artists who did Western paintings — Frederic Remington, Charles Russell, Frank McCarthy, to name a few — because they must have been inspired by that.

And then the cloud formations. At sunset, they turn pink. And as it continues, the closer you are to sunset, the clouds are still kind of gold. Farther away in center field and right field, you’re away from the sunset and the clouds are turning purple. So you think of an artist’s palette with various colors, and it just takes your breath away.

Down on the field, a ballgame is just beginning. But the sunset becomes a major distraction because it’s so overwhelming it’s hard to take your eyes off it. And then the palm trees — there’s a group of palm trees on the hill behind left field — they are defined against the sky, and they are turning colors with the sunset. You can’t see that anywhere else in a ballpark.”

Vin Scully
Los Angeles Times, August 21, 2003

I love the Southern California sunsets. It's true, the clouds over Dodger Stadium become pink, with the San Gabriel mountains turning purple. And even in the heart of the summer you can feel the cool ocean breeze as soon as the sun goes down.

[Doug Miller]

On a somewhat related note, I've heard Dodger Stadium is pretty strict on not letting you "cheat," i.e. sneak down to closer seats after buying the cheap seats. (Not that I would ever dream of doing such a thing, of course. )

Is that still the case?

The problem is the definition between the upper deck and lower field seats. If you have field seating, they don't care where you sit. If you have upper deck seats, you're pretty much upper deck seats. That's the limitation of a park like Dodger Stadium's age, vs. the new parks. (Like Coors Field, where I can buy a $5 Rockpile ticket and sit 10 rows up from 1st base.)



Doug

[Elvis]

That's the limitation of a park like Dodger Stadium's age, vs. the new parks. (Like Coors Field, where I can buy a $5 Rockpile ticket and sit 10 rows up from 1st base.)


Doug

Just for the record, this "problem" with Dodger Stadium is not unsolvable. In fact, the McCourts plan, within the next few years, to build a main entrance/plaza beyond the CF batters-eye, connect the pavilions to the grandstand and make all sections of the park accessible to all ticket holders.

[Lafferty Daniel]

http://www.baseball-fever.com/attach...1&d=1187707066

[Lafferty Daniel]

http://www.baseball-fever.com/attach...1&d=1187707124

[Lafferty Daniel]

http://www.baseball-fever.com/attach...1&d=1187707348

[Lafferty Daniel]

http://www.baseball-fever.com/attach...1&d=1187707858

[Lafferty Daniel]

http://www.baseball-fever.com/attach...1&d=1187708074

[Lafferty Daniel]

http://www.baseball-fever.com/attach...1&d=1187708218

[Lafferty Daniel]

http://www.baseball-fever.com/attach...1&d=1187708465

[Lafferty Daniel]

http://www.baseball-fever.com/attach...1&d=1187708605

[Lafferty Daniel]

http://www.baseball-fever.com/attach...1&d=1187708823

[Lafferty Daniel]

http://www.baseball-fever.com/attach...1&d=1187709090

[Lafferty Daniel]

I can't wait for the next homestand.

[Lafferty Daniel]

Just for the record, this "problem" with Dodger Stadium is not unsolvable. In fact, the McCourts plan, within the next few years, to build a main entrance/plaza beyond the CF batters-eye, connect the pavilions to the grandstand and make all sections of the park accessible to all ticket holders.

What other renovations is Frank planning?

[nymTom]

I have never been there so obviously i have an opinion based only on pics .. But it seems many love this ballpark?? I dont really know why. Can Anyone explain the highlites of this ballpark. From what i see it looks pretty bland on the outside exterior, the upper deck looks as high and far back as the avg stadium and has the suites in between the decks.. The seats along the outfield foul lines look to be facing the outfield, not towards the infield.. No great characteristics in the park and just bleachers past the outfield wall.. Is it the views, the sunken in stadium into a hill?? The colors of the seats?? It looks as plain a ballpark as you can get and since it was the stadium built for the team leaving Brooklyn and built by O'malley, i would think many more would hate it .. Althoguh from what ive heard it was Omalley's vision to stay in Brooklyn but the powers that be woudlnt allow it, so Moses got his new stadium in Flushing which is Shea stadium. Now ofcourse i like Dodger stadium's looks better then Shea, who wouldnt, but it doesnt seem to be that much out of the box IMO!!!

After only 2 pages on this thread i now see why Dodger stadium is so highly regarded, its looks beutiful and the personal stories sum it all up. I will get there one day!!!

[bbfreak8]

Vin Scully.

That's all you really have to say right there. That man is AMAZING!

I live in Houston and have been to Dodger Stadium a few times (I'm a big Dodger fan) but when I watch baseball on tv it really is hard to watch a game without hearing Vin Scully's voice. Milo Hamilton here in Houston isn't bad, but Vin Scully blows him outta the water. He has to be one of the greatest announcers ever!

[Elvis]

What other renovations is Frank planning?

This off-season they're supposed to be doing renovations and upgrades to the concession stands and restrooms. They also might add another picnic terrace.

[Elvis]

-------------------------

[PJ-34]

One of the most beautifull pictures of Dodger Stadium.

[Lafferty Daniel]

[Lafferty Daniel]

[sflnyc]

Question for Elvis and Lafferty Daniel, etc.

From the day it opened in 1962, the capacity of Dodger Stadium has always been listed as 56,000. Every stadium/arena in this country has had fluctuating seating capacities (+/- 1,000 or so) over the decades, and I’m not including the ones that have undergone major expansions. Chavez Ravine: 56,000, no changes, no matter what.

Even with the addition of those field level seats expanding the original field level some 10+ rows towards the diamond (and the obvious increase in capacity to the eyes), the capacity is still listed as 56,000.

Same thing with parts of the Pavilion seats closest to CF never being sold in order to increase the size of the Batter's Eye backdrop.

Is there some deed restriction, zoning law, fire law in City/County documents dating back 40+ years that states that the listed capacity must never go above 56,000? I would like to know.

I remember in South Florida when Dolphin Stadium first opened in 1987, there was some restriction (number of parking lot spaces?) that was placed leaving the stadium capacity at 73,000, with the last row of seats left uncompleted on purpose. The only exception was for the 1989 49ers-Bengals Super Bowl, where the last row was temporarily installed. Only in the early 1990’s were the seats permanently installed bringing the capacity up to its present 75,000.

Another example is the UM Hurricanes new basketball arena which can hold 10,000. However, City of Coral Gables (a very wealthy and exclusive city with ridiculously strict zoning laws where the UM campus is located) limited the number of seats to 7,000 the first couple of years in order to gauge traffic impacts on the neighborhood. Part of the reason why the arena took some 8 years to build.

If you can answer the Dodger Stadium question, it will answer something I’ve wondered about for almost 30 years.

[Elvis]

Question for Elvis and Lafferty Daniel, etc.

From the day it opened in 1962, the capacity of Dodger Stadium has always been listed as 56,000. Every stadium/arena in this country has had fluctuating seating capacities (+/- 1,000 or so) over the decades, and I’m not including the ones that have undergone major expansions. Chavez Ravine: 56,000, no changes, no matter what.

Even with the addition of those field level seats expanding the original field level some 10+ rows towards the diamond (and the obvious increase in capacity to the eyes), the capacity is still listed as 56,000.

Same thing with parts of the Pavilion seats closest to CF never being sold in order to increase the size of the Batter's Eye backdrop.

Is there some deed restriction, zoning law, fire law in City/County documents dating back 40+ years that states that the listed capacity must never go above 56,000? I would like to know.

I remember in South Florida when Dolphin Stadium first opened in 1987, there was some restriction (number of parking lot spaces?) that was placed leaving the stadium capacity at 73,000, with the last row of seats left uncompleted on purpose. The only exception was for the 1989 49ers-Bengals Super Bowl, where the last row was temporarily installed. Only in the early 1990’s were the seats permanently installed bringing the capacity up to its present 75,000.

Another example is the UM Hurricanes new basketball arena which can hold 10,000. However, City of Coral Gables (a very wealthy and exclusive city with ridiculously strict zoning laws where the UM campus is located) limited the number of seats to 7,000 the first couple of years in order to gauge traffic impacts on the neighborhood. Part of the reason why the arena took some 8 years to build.

If you can answer the Dodger Stadium question, it will answer something I’ve wondered about for almost 30 years.

Wonder no more. It's just a permit restriction from the L.A. City Fire Dept.. When the seating changes were added certain sections were decommissioned. For the 2000 season, the new dugout club seats forced two small sections in the pavilions to be closed. When the baseline box seats were added last year, the same number of upper reserved seats (1,600) by the foul poles were decommissioned, however, when those seats were redone for this season, they reduced the number of seats by 1,000, so those 1,000 seats were put back into use in the reserved level.