We all know that seats at Dodger Stadium are pretty easy to come across these days, but that doesn’t make the trip any less expensive with parking and concession costs being what they are. Fortunately, the Dodgers are giving everyone a break on Monday (and doing their best to come up with creative ways to spark attendance) by offering dollar Dodger Dogs for the Memorial Day game against the Rockies.
Looks like there will be a 4 Dodger Dog limit per transaction.
Well, looks like Dodger players and front office staff will be getting their direct deposits on May 31st. Dodgers owner Frank McCourt has successfully made the 5/31 payroll of approximately $9.8 million according to a blog post at the Los Angeles Times.
June 15th payroll appears to still be at risk, as the same LA Times blog report indicated that McCourt was still searching for funds to enable him to pay staff and players for June.
Late June becomes even more problematic for the team, as Manny Ramirez is owed more than $6 million in deferred compensation in addition to regular team payroll according to the Times.
We’ve held off on commenting on the events of the last 24 hours here at dodgerfan.net given the complete media blitz on the topic (other than a few tweets). The action by Bud Selig and Major League Baseball signals that there are serious issues afoot in the McCourt camp and the $30 million loan needed by McCourt to make Dodger payroll (as reported by the Los Angeles Times)was as red a flag as I’ve seen in my 30 years of watching baseball. The consensus is clear – McCourt’s alleged financial difficulties make it next to impossible to for him to manage the team and MLB is no longer willing to be an idle party in what could otherwise be the destruction of a proud franchise.
Jon Wiseman of ESPN Los Angeles had, what I consider, one of the most thoughtful views on what has transpired over the past several weeks in this article posted yesterday evening. I’d encourage you to stop reading my post and click through to his assessment and then come back.
Wiseman makes the observation that this is more than the alleged mismanagement of the team’s finances – at the core is the horrific Bryan Stow beating and the shock of the initial reaction of McCourt who felt nothing could have been done to prevent that ruthless attack. Many fans simply decided making a trip to Dodger Stadium wasn’t worth it – whether it was for safety reasons, performance reasons (the team’s record), or financial reasons.
Wiseman also points out that, while this wasn’t an organized protest, it’s clear that many fans have simply thrown up their hands and turned their back on the organization:
The thing is, it hasn’t been an organized boycott, not on any widespread level. It’s been people on their own coming to the conclusion that life was too short to waste on a franchise in this condition.
This includes people like my father, who chose during the offseason not to renew my family’s season tickets for a 30th season. It also includes the people who typically would improvise their ticket purchases after the season was underway.
That’s not to say Dodger Stadium was or would be empty. Some still show up because they love the team through thick and decidedly thin. The game’s pull remains strong. I myself have been trying to figure out when to get my kids to their first game of 2011.
But things haven’t been this low at Dodger Stadium before, have they? I think back to 1992, the worst team in Los Angeles Dodger history playing against the backdrop of a city torn by riots, and there was not such bitterness over the state of ownership.
Dodgers fans have been wandering through a desert of uncertainty and dismay for well more than a year since the McCourts’ marital strife put control of the team in limbo. What the Bryan Stow incident did, besides put the life of a man in jeopardy, was amplify the fear that with McCourt in charge, there might be no bottom.
Selig’s actions yesterday have certainly limited how much further the team could tumble down the rabbit hole, but what now? Can McCourt really make a comeback from this? Does he have any supporters left? I can’t think of a way out of this other than a forced sale at this point, but perhaps I’m wrong on this one. I do hope, however, that Jon Wiseman and I are right – because that hope is what many of the remaining Dodger fans are clinging to at this point.
Well, it’s official – Jerry Sands has been called up and will play his first game for the Dodgers tonight (April 18th). Sands will initially start in left field but has said he is comfortable at first base also and saw a fair amount of time at that position during spring Training.
Sands is batting .400 (10-for-40) with five home runs and 17 RBIs with an OPS of 1.297 in his 10 games thus far in Albuquerque. While many expected Sands to hone his play in the minors until later in the season, the Dodgers clearly saw a need to try and spark the offense beyond Matt Kemp’s strong performance this season.
From Dodgers.com:
Dodgers management wanted Sands to remain in the Minor Leagues at least until midseason, but his hot bat, coupled with the Major League club’s inconsistent offense, forced the move.
Sands will be sporting number 47 and is slated to bat 7th tonight against Atlanta.
Alex will be joining Daniel Shoptaw of C70 @ The Bat tonight at 7:45 p.m. to discuss the upcoming Dodgers – Cardinals series. You can catch the show and even call-in questions by clicking here.