Dodger Thoughts

Jon Weisman's outlet for dealing psychologically with the Los Angeles Dodgers, baseball and life

Dodgers hire stadium planning executive

Old friend alert: On Sunday, John Lindsey reached base eight times in one game, going 5 for 7 with two singles, a double, three walks and home runs in the third and 19th innings for Triple-A Toledo.

Rockies at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m.
Shane Victorino, LF
Mark Ellis, 2B
Matt Kemp, CF
Hanley Ramirez, SS
Juan Rivera, 1B
Jerry Sands, RF
Luis Cruz, 3B
A.J. Ellis, C
Chris Capuano, P

The Dodgers have dedicated a newly hired executive, Janet Marie Smith, to lead the franchise’s Dodger Stadium upgrades.

Smith, who has been named senior vice president of planning and development, had most recently been the Baltimore Orioles vice president of planning and development.

“Dodger Stadium is one of the most iconic venues in sports and Janet Marie is one of the few people I would trust with its future,” Dodger president Stan Kasten said in a statement. “She respects baseball’s tradition and knows how to retain a ballpark’s distinctive charms while providing fans with the amenities and comfort they’ve come to expect. Any fan that has walked through the gates at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the renovated Fenway Park or Atlanta’s Turner Field has been a beneficiary of her understanding of what a ballpark means to its community.”

Added Smith: “Dodger Stadium is a treasured piece of the Los Angeles community and a special place where I watched more than a dozen games per season when I lived in L.A. during the early 1980s. It’s important to all of us that we restore and enhance the park in a way that honors its heritage and highlights its distinctive appeals, while still capturing what fans want and franchises need in a modern venue.”

More from the press release:

… Prior to rejoining the Orioles in 2009, Smith had spent seven years with the Boston Red Sox as Senior Vice President of Planning and Development, overseeing preservation of and improvements to historic Fenway Park and its surrounding neighborhood. In Atlanta, she held the positions of President of Turner Sports and Entertainment Development, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, and Vice President of Planning and Development for the Atlanta Braves, where she helped transform the 1996 Olympic Stadium into Turner Field for the Braves, and oversaw the development of the Philips Arena, home of the NBA Atlanta Hawks and NHL Atlanta Thrashers.

From 1989-1994, Smith worked with the Orioles as Vice President of Planning and Development overseeing the design and construction of Oriole Park at Camden Yards, which opened in 1992. Camden Yards is considered the archetype for new ballparks and ushered in a wave of downtown ballfields that capture the warmth and appeal of classic older parks while offering comfortable, state-of-the-art facilities. …

 

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164 Comments

  1. Anonymous

    If she can extricate the McCourt tribe from the parking lots, I’ll give her money in her future gubernatorial race.

    Or at least buy her a beer.

  2. Anonymous

    I haven’t been to Dodger Stadium for a while, but its challenges seem very different from those of more strictly urban stadia like Fenway. Preserving views of the mountain is critical, but if some remodel feature can prevent or reduce camera shots of “Dodger fans leaving early,” that would be a big improvement.

    • Anonymous

      It took people 2 hours+ to leave the lot on opening day.  Leaving early is like beach balls, Nancy Bea and “the wave” happening at tense moments in the game, just part of the dodger experience. 

      The 110 is just ancient, and there’s nothing anyone in the dodgers organization can do about that.

      • Anonymous

        Leaving early is part of the experience at every stadium in major league baseball.  Including the worst fans in baseball, at Busch Stadium.

        • Anonymous

          Especially at The Phone Booth To Be Named Later, though Gnatfans will never admit it.

          • Anonymous

            With all that milling about behind the outfield seats, who could tell. 

    • Anonymous

      >> if some remodel feature can prevent or reduce camera shots of “Dodger fans leaving early,” that would be a big improvement.

      DFA’ing (insert rule 8 violation here) would prevent/reduce such camera shots.  :)

  3. Anonymous

    RIP Robert Hughes.

    • Anonymous

      I didn’t like moving him there, but I don’t think he’s been defensively bad, perhaps even a bit above average.

      • Anonymous

        At the time the above post appeared, there were only eight players shown in the starting lineup, with no one at third base. Jon corrected it since then.

  4. This will be an interesting architectural challenge. The unique thing about DS of course, is that it is built into the side of a hill. It’s an amphitheater. It makes it very difficult to do anything about enlarging concourses outside of truly major reconstruction. For me…I would just want the renovations to preserve the wonderful view, while updating the big scoreboards in the outfield to something at least resembling state-of-the-art. Reconstituted concessions and redesigned/remodeled restrooms are a must. Finally, some public plaza space outside the major gate areas, with a permanent Dodger HOF, perhaps a restaurant/bar, and a Dodger gift shop, all accessible year ’round in PERMANENT structures, designed in the same early ’60’s style of the stadium itself.

    • I would like some sort of transportation changes for getting up to the Ravine. The last game I went to I decided to take the free Dodgers Express bus from Union Station, and while I saved money on parking it did not make getting into the stadium any easier. I knew going into it the bus would have to take the same streets that we do so it had no advantage over any other commuter but I gave it a shot anyways. I don’t know anything about the cost, time it would take to build, or even feasibility of putting in some sort of a trolly to the stadium… but I think it would be a wonderful thing.

    • Anonymous

      For me, part of preserving the wonderful view would mean dismantling those team store tents beyond the bullpens.  I always relished that lush, verdant backdrop, until McCourt came in and halfway covered it up.

      • Anonymous

        We need to rip out the kiosks that wreck the flow on the lowest level, too.

        Those make it a horrible pain to leave when you have the good seats.

    • Anonymous

      i’ve never been to any of the other stadiums she’s remodelled but i just hope she doesn’t repeat her self (surprise us Janet Marie Smith! you obviously know what your doing) JTIII has the right idea, also, the restroom situation is a must i agree. Adding to the natural beauty of DS i think would be a good starting point.

  5. Anonymous

    Neither SV nor HR have Dodger hits vs LHP.

    • Anonymous

       Well, we face 5 lefties this week, so I imagine that will change, hopefully tonight. Sands should get ample playing time this week as well. Looking for a big week from Matty as well

  6. Anonymous

    Can we assume this is just a day off (against a LHP) for Ethier?  I haven’t seen any word regarding an injury of any sort.

    • Yes. Donnie said he wanted to give him rest, and he plans on resting Kemp and Ramirez as well at some point during the week.

      • Anonymous

        That was quick.  Thanks for the good news.

    • Anonymous

      So far I can say I’ve seen no bad news either. But it is always a thought when a Dodger suddenly gets a “day off”. I am scared for Ethier and I think you should be too.

  7. Item 1: New Diamond Vision (one that includes more stats such as OPS and WHIP like in Phoenix).

    Item 2: Good speakers (been waiting for the current ones to blow up for years now. 

  8. Anonymous

    Four of the eight starting position players were not on the opening-day roster.

  9. Anonymous

    ZLee is pitching well (0 R 0 BB 2 H through five) but he hasn’t gotten any run support.  Welcome to the Dodgers, kid.  :)

  10. Anonymous

    Those who were concerned by Castellanos getting yanked early from last night’s game, will be relieved to hear that he’s in the starting Isotopes lineup tonight, playing third and batting third.  http://www.milb.com/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2012_08_06_tucaaa_albaaa_1

  11. Anonymous

    B Belt thought he had a double, was thrown out by Beltran.

    Thankfully, our 1B never has that problem.

  12. the very top ranked dodger prospect from 2010 to 2000

    Dee Gordon
    Andrew Lambo
    Clayton Kershaw
    Andy LaRoche
    Chad Bills
    Joel Guzman
    Edwin Jackson
    James Loney
    Ricardo Rodriguez
    Ben Diggens
    Chin-Feg Chen

  13. Anonymous

    Not mentioned on her resume is her work on tragic paving-over of Pershing Square.  I’m sure she also strove to honor the park’s heritage while capturing what citizens wanted in a modern park.

    I get apprehensive when I hear talk of “modernizing” Dodger Stadium.  These “upgrades” tend to take away from the game, and are ruled by a fear of not keeping up with the Joneses.  Expanded, pertinent stats can be conveyed in a tasteful manner that doesn’t dominate its surroundings.  Instead, I imagine the full-on desecration that Kansas City got, complete with giant LED billboards (oh, sorry, “scoreboards”) all over the outfield wall, on the playing field.  Ads on LED signs always cost more than their analog counterparts because – guess what – they’re designed to get your attention.  

    The first thing they need to do (okay, maybe the second or third) is rip out the LED ribbon around the loge section (not to mention it obstructs the view of the last few rows on the field level).  Major League Baseball should not be ad-supported.  People complain about ads before movies, and pay a premium for ad-free iterations of mobile apps and web subscriptions, so why do baseball fans accept that the intrusion of advertising into the game is The Natural Order of Things?

    • Anonymous

      Especially when tickets already cost a fortune, but hopefully there at least won’t be an illuminated soft drink bottle behind the LF fence.

      • Anonymous

        Growing up, my observation was, unlike the ad-plastered AA stadium I frequented (in Janet Marie Smith’s hometown, no less), MLB was gloriously ad-free.  This has changed.  As a result, with the influx of cash, salaries and ticket prices have skyrocketed, and a class chasm has opened up, relegating the general public to the cheap seats.

        • Anonymous

          >> Growing up, my observation was, unlike the ad-plastered AA stadium I frequented (in Janet Marie Smith’s hometown, no less), MLB was gloriously ad-free.

          Not true.  At least, not for the past eighty years or so…

          • Anonymous

            Fair enough. There was a good 30-or-40-year lull though that ended with Selig. Advertising was formerly a tenth as intrusive, at least thru the Bowie Kuhn thru Fay Vincent eras.

    • Let’s Get Back To Basics. Strong foundation.

      1. bathroom improvements
      2. concession improvements

      both are woeful and shouldn’t be the biggest problems at Dodger Stadium

      • Anonymous

        Agreed.  We REALLY don’t need bells and whistles when the infrastructure is lacking.

  14. Anonymous

    With a run-scoring single off Gnatt Cain, Old Friend Furcal has given the Cards a 2-1 lead.

  15. Old friend alert: On Sunday, John Lindsey reached base eight times in one game, going 5 for 7 with two singles, a double, three walks and home runs in the third and 19th innings for Triple-A Toledo.
     atmilb.com/MJKjVE 

    • Anonymous

      Unfortunately for him, he’s a first basemen for a minor league team in the Detroit Tigers organization, so the chances of him getting to the show again are approximately zilch.

  16. It doesn’t get more quixotic than asking MLB to become non-ad supported. I can only imagine what the premium would be if MLB charged fans in attendance the amount to make up for the lost stadium ad revenue. 

    • Anonymous

      Yup.  You can want the elimination of ads and billboards, but it just ain’t gonna happen.

      And this isn’t anything new (other than the fact that the signs are electronic).  I remember advertising signs/billboards all over the stadiums when I first went to MLB games in the early 1960s.

      Here’s a photo of Ebbets Field: http://www.ballparksofbaseball.com/past/ebbets5.jpg

      • Anonymous

        but they are beautiful; and a player could win a suit

    • Anonymous

      Correct, if only because we’re way past the point of no return.  We could certainly take a few steps back, though.  Fans should draw the line somewhere, because our commissioner won’t.  One needn’t look any farther than the NBA’s footsteps approval of on-uniform advertising, and Selig’s equivocal denial that it would ever happen in MLB.  
      Instead, we just accept it because, well, we want to sign [insert high-priced free agent here], don’t we?  

  17. Anonymous

    Jon  – what do you think the Dodgers will do and should do with Dee Gordon in 2013.
    Looks like HanRam is the ss for the near future. Gordon to 2b? Traded? Chained to AAA for another season of seasoning?

    • Anonymous

      I don’t see him being traded right now, since he’s a “work in progress” (hitting and fielding need work) so his trade value is low.  I see him getting called up in September, and perhaps getting more seasoning at AAA at the start of next season.  If he’s moved elsewhere in the infield, he could get that experience at AAA also.

      • Anonymous

        I think he will play ss as soon as he is able

        • Anonymous

          But where?  For L.A. instead of Hanley? (If I’m Donnie, I’d rather have Cruz in the lineup than Dee, at least right now.)

          • Anonymous

            I don’t think there is any urgency, is there? There are bigger issues with the team than worrying about how to clear playing time for a no-bat, no-glove SS.

          • Anonymous

            -x

          • Anonymous

            I see I was confusing. For the Dodgers. That is what they have said and I think they mean it.

  18. Anonymous

    Last night, I found myself thinking about what the Dodgers would do if they are not ready to be done with Uribe. I thought one thing they could do is cut Gwynn. In that light, Eric Stevens has disappointing comments on the team’s current plans for Sands at truebluela.com

    • Anonymous

      Seriously, if the Dodgers are not ready to be done with Uribe, they would have been playing him more than they have the past few weeks.  I think it’s finally time for the team to DFA him.

      • Anonymous

        I think that opinion is nearly unanimous here.

        • Anonymous

          I know one thing, putting in Sands for Ethier is stupid. 

          • Anonymous

            Wow, what a silly thing to say!

          • Anonymous

            I get it, you think Sands is a better player than Ethier.  Guess that is just silly.

          • Anonymous

            I am not going to make excuses for Sands or any other player.   He should not be Ethiers replacement.  His stats are there for you or anyone to see. By the way, Sands is playing for Sands, he is not playing to give Ethier a rest.

      • Anonymous

        I hope you didn’t misunderstand me. Uribe should not be on the roster. 
        However, looking at another player who we thought was done but is currently in MLB, I can sympathize with management possibly saying let’s find a way to have him back in spring trading with the Dodgers then adding play him as little as the manager wishes but don’t cut him; it’s just 4 more weeks ’til rosters expand.

      • Anonymous

        Sands makes 3 that can’t hit.

        • Anonymous

          Wrong.  We don’t know that.  Sands has never been given a chance to play every day. Until he does, we just don’t know. I’d rather give him the chance to see whether he can be as good as his minor league performance indicates he might be.

          • Anonymous

            .749 career AAA OPS away from Albuquerque.

          • Anonymous

            We know he played in 61 games last year and hit .253 and was slugging a cool .389, s/o 51 times.  This year was even better in the 8 games he played he was hitting around 2 bucks.  Not too good I would say.  You will learn that new management won’t play that type of player.  How many games to you want him to play before you get it?

          • Explain to me how Loney and Rivera get playing time then.

  19. Anonymous

    The Snakes’ defense is helping provide a comfortable 4-0 lead for the Piratas in Pittsburgh.

  20. Anonymous

    After the Gnats tied it up in the sixth, Gnatt Cain gives the lead right back.

  21. Anonymous

    Capuano hasn’t been himself the last 2 starts, i’m hoping for a good start tonight. 

  22. KT

    Come on DP

    • Anonymous

      you think some rest for Capuano might be needed KT? 

      • KT

        They were talking on the pre-game about dead arm after surgery and I can clearly relate to that so maybe a skip in rotation would do wonders

  23. Anonymous

    i’m o.k. with that run given up, now lets get the double play. 

  24. Anonymous

    Is it too much to expect a scoreless first?

    • Anonymous

      The Dodgers streak of surrendering a run in the first inning has now stretched all the way to two games.

      • Anonymous

         I stand corrected. It seems like a lot more.

  25. KT

    Time to get that run back

  26. KT

    Good hit Shane

    Come on Mark

  27. KT

    Nice hit Mark
     
    Come on Matty

  28. KT

    Come on Hanley

  29. Anonymous

    If Mattingly sends the runners, that’s a hit.

  30. Anonymous

    With the Gnats cooperating, it’s time to take over first place.

  31. How does Kemp manage to get his left shoulder point grass stained before every game, even before it begins?

  32. Anonymous

    man, that’s one thing about Sands, very athletic out there. great arm too. 

  33. Anonymous

    The Redbirds were confident enough of their lead to let Brian Fuentes pitch the ninth v. the Gnats.

  34. Anonymous

    you guys notice the pattern right, not only is the top of the lineup abusing Capuano (like Vinnie mentioned) but his pitches aren’t sharp & are middle up. 

  35. KT

    Come on DP

  36. Anonymous

    well if anything, there catcher is perfect for the DP. 

  37. Anonymous

    it’s almost as if Mark Allis is at one with the baseball, reads it so well. unassisted DP. 

  38. KT

    Goodeye Shane
     
    Come on Mark…move him to third

  39. Anonymous

    Hit and run, somebody?

  40. KT

    Goodeye Mark
     
    Come on Matty…you’re due

  41. So glad the 1 & 2 hitters are getting aboard so that the 3 & 4 (& 5) hitters can all look ridiculous while stranding them.

  42. can only blame the big dogs right now. they need to do a lot better than that with nobody out.

  43. KT

    That’s 2 wasted opportunities…Hope it doesn’t come back to bite us

  44. Anonymous

    I’m disappointed the Dodgers let the Rox pitcher of the hook. 

  45. Anonymous

    the dreaded swinging bunt, better lucky then good says the rox pitcher. 

  46. Wow Juan is slow, I thought he had the double easily.

  47. Anonymous

    Terrific play by Cargo.

  48. KT

    oh right on the ankle

  49. KT

    come on AJ

  50. KT

    Come on Chris help yourself

  51. Anonymous

    Is it just me, or has there been a marked decrease – if not outright elimination – of gratuitous baby shots and the resulting Scully-cooing the last couple years?  How could they? 

  52. Anonymous

    all of a sudden Capuano settles down, plenty of time to score.  

  53. Anonymous

    Tonight’s trivia question from Vinny was ‘Todd Helton is 1 of 4 players who’ve hit 40+ HR’s against the Dodgers, who are the other 3?’

    I’ve got Hank & Barry, but who’s that 4th player?

    • Anonymous

      I assume this is for the LA Dodgers; is that correct?

    • Anonymous

      Vinnie just gave the answer, 3 giants. yikes! for those outside california: Barry Bonds, Willie Mays.Willie McCovey. 

      non giants -> Helton & Aaron.  

      • Anonymous

         Helton and Aaron were true giants; the rest were Gnats.

    • Anonymous

       It seemed as if McCovey hit that many off Drysdale alone.

  54. Anonymous

    This is getting really tiresome.

  55. Anonymous

    you wonder sometimes, the rox pitcher was born & still lives in brooklyn ny, here & in florida we have the luxury of playing year around, i wonder how they do it in cold states. 

  56. KT

    That ball bounced into the stands then hit the dude as he was reaching

    • KT

      no his hand was just inside the playing field

      • Anonymous

         either way, Ellis should have been awarded second.

  57. Anonymous

    that was very VERY close but the umpire was correct.

  58. KT

    I think trap

  59. Vin’s interpretation of Tracy’s tirade is hilarious.

  60. Anonymous

    No runs through 7 against the last place Rockies, yikes.

  61. Anonymous

    the umpires (in this case) just got together & got more confused. 

  62. KT

    We’ll take it Matty
     
    Come on Hanley..base hit

  63. Anonymous

    Zona lost & the giants lost, let’s get a W Dodgers!

  64. Seems like a good time to get Ethier up no? 

  65. Anonymous

    the rox are giving us every opportunity…

  66. KT

    Let’s go Dre…drive the ball

  67. KT

    Come on Luis…do it again

  68. Anonymous

    it’s just one of those games man, dude even the umps are giving us opportunities. 

  69. Anonymous

    Agony is worse when augmented by having to watch Brandon League enter the game.

  70. Anonymous

    This team can’t play 2 good series in a row lately, weird trend

  71. Anonymous

    Now we’ve seen the real Brandon League.

    • Anonymous

      When we traded for him I wrote, this means more work for Choate

  72. Anonymous

    if we get out of this i’m still liking our chances, if we don’t, its just a higher mountain to climb. 

  73. Anonymous

    Here’s a weird stat that amazed me. Dodgers are 27-8 in games without Hairston

  74. KT

    RALLY CAPS

  75. Anonymous

    What a pathetic performance

  76. KT

    Wasted opportunities
     
    Night all

  77. Anonymous

    Worst game of the year.

    • Anonymous

      I think it actually ties with a few others.

      • Anonymous

        The Kenley one comes to my mind personally, but that was a sudden attack of terrible, this was 3 and a half hours of it.

  78. Anonymous

    I know the games were in Denver, but the Giants outscored the Rockies 35-13 in sweeping their three-game series, and we get shut out?!?!

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