So with the boring nfl season over, that means that we are all just a few weeks away from the start of major league baseball! whoooooo! I decided that I wanted to get ready for the season by taking a tour of Dodger Stadium. It's one of those things I've been meaning to do for a while, but never got around to it.
Being that today is a holiday (Lincoln's Birthday) I wasn't sure if the stadium would be open, given that everyone I know had the day off. Amazingly, I was in luck and the tours were still going. I woke up too late for the 10 am tour, but was right on time for the 11:30 one. Here is my trip report:
The firs thing our tour guide showed us was the unique position where you can look out and see 3 different parts of Los Angeles:
The City Skyline
The Hollywood Sign/Santa Monica Beach - when not smoggy
The Snow Capped Mountains
From here we got in the elevators. Did you know that Dodger Stadium has 9 levels? Level 8 is Dodger Jail and First Aid Center. So I guess that is where you go if you beat someone up, or if you got beat up. We went to a room on that floor where we watched a video on the history of the Dodgers.
Next up we went over to the Press Box/Suite Levels. The Suites I learned go for $4000-$7000 (per game) depending on where its located, the day of the game, and the opponent. So a suite at the far end on a Tuesday afternoon vs. the Nationals is cheaper than a Saturday night game vs. the Giants. At the press box we all sat down with a placard to show which media group usually sits in that location (ESPN, Fox Sports, KFWB, etc). I didn't get anything that exciting:
Next up we went down to the clubhouse level, where you can sit for just $465 per game. It is also where the players from both teams come in and out of so you have a chance of seeing them as well as sharing a drink at the martini bar (which many players do, usually only after a win though). When you get out of the elevator there is a wall of the more than 1600 players that have worn a Dodgers uniform at some point in the team's history.
Our tour guide was able to point out some of the more popular Dodgers like these:
Naturally, being the kind of Dodger fan that I am, I wanted to find those names that truly represent the team that pisses me off year after year. Ah yes, here they are:
Ah....crap. My tour guide saw that I was taking pictures of these players names and he thought I genuinely liked Carlos. Darryl I admit, but more when he was on the mets and not doing crack in the open. When he did it and no one knew he was cooler.
Next we proceeded into the Clubhouse area where they have a bar, tables and lots of memorabilia. Our tour guide tells us that we should be happy we came for a Dodger Stadium tour rather than one for the Giants, because this way we get to see Championship Trophies....see what he did there?
Here is the 1988 World Series Trophy. Look at this team and you'll be amazed they made the playoffs, let alone win a World Series.
Here is Home Plate taken from Ebbets Field when the Dodgers left Brooklyn for Los Angeles.
Vin Scully has been with the Dodgers for 58 years! Here are 2 of his many Emmy Awards.
In 1984, Dodger Stadium hosted events for the Olympics. Other events that the stadium has hosted include: Concert by the Rolling Stones, a visit from Pope John Paul II, and even an exhibition basketball game. They may have hosted some other concert too, not sure who though...
Back to the tour. In order to get to the stadium we pass through the Clubhouse walkway at the end is the locker room, and then a stairway to the field. In the walkway are all the retired Dodger Jerseys, followed by this:
Dodger president Jamie McCourt had this empty frame put up in order to motivate players to try to get their number up there. By last year's showing, it's totally working!
The field...up close.
The Dugout...up close!
Here are the only seats that have covers on them right now at the stadium. Hmm I wonder whose they are?
On the way back to the elevators we passed the Umpire's Dressing Room. Notice the bottom left part of the sign....oh those Dodgers! They bring the funny!
After that we went back to the Top of the Stadium, coincidentally where the big gift shop is, and it was open despite the of-fseason!
That concludes my tour around Dodger Stadium, it was a fun way to kill a couple of hours and get ready for the upcoming season. Our guide told us that this was the year, so I think I'll go to Las Vegas next weekend and put some money on them. I mean, who knows the team more than the tour guide?
Piece of random information: There are 1943 names listed in the closing credits to The Matrix Reloaded.
