Seeing red over blue-lined real estate at Dodger Stadium

Turns out all Dodger fans are not created equal: only the ones who can afford those pricey box seats can get autographs (and please, let's not even talk about the cost of Dodger Dogs).

That's right, a new rule (thanks, Frank!) keeps all but box seat holders away from field level. To quote T.J. Simers, only the rich kids to get autographs.

In fact, let's quote him some more, as he tries to get to the bottom of another elitist move by the team's current owner.

I CALLED Dodgers customer service, got "Joe," and he confirmed the new rule. He said he wasn't quite sure now how youngsters were supposed to get autographs.

"I don't have any information on that," he said.

He mentioned an area in  center field where fans are allowed to come on the field before games.

"I'm pretty sure you can get autographs out there," Joe said, and I'd like the name of the major league baseball player who turns his back on batting practice, fly balls landing all around him, just so he can give someone an autograph.

When I asked if I could discuss the situation with someone else, he said he was the guy, and took down my name and number.

I didn't hear from Joe again, so I called the Dentist, the Dodgers' new PR guy, who doubled as PR guy and dentist for the Red Sox.

He said the biggest complaint from Dodgers field box-seat holders "was the crowded conditions pregame at their seats and on the concourse from fans trying to get close to the players."

There's lots more, in the initial column here, and a follow-up today. Bloggers are all over this, of course: Josh Springer, Sons of Steve Garvey and Blue Heaven, to name just a few.

So what are the Dodger brass going to do about this nonsense situation? They've taken a page from your local (and state and federal) governments and -- you guessed it -- will study things some more.

--Veronique de Turenne

Photo: AP

Comments

[Carmela Marlas]

WOW !! how sad is that !! ??? My boys are in their late teens now. When they were young and as I was a single mom it was one place I could take my boys for fun at a pretty good price. I was struggling so the outfield was where we sat. But they were so full of excitement because they were at a game and they knew after the game they would get to go wait by the fence in the parking lot with the other kids just as excited to try and get a ball player to give them a autograph on their ball. Well I guess the old " take me out to the ball game song" should be retired !

[tim]

To be honest I am a partial Dodger fan. I go to a few games a year, but only jump onto the bandwagon when there is something to jump on. In the past few years there really has not been anything to get excited about.

This year, I thought it would be different. The legendary Joe Torre has taken over the helm and with some added talent, I was looking forward to seeing the Dodgers. But after reading the article from the L.A. Times about how the regular fans aren’t able to seek an autograph, it really turned me off. How can an organization be so short sighted and callas to not allow a kid seek an autograph. It is just part of the tradition of going to a game. It’s not like he or she would really get the big name players to sigh the ball or hat, but just to be apart of the excitement of “seeking” is what brings these parents and kids out and enjoy the game. The parents are there to have some fun with their kids and create memorable memories of going to the “game”. But now that the kids aren’t able to enjoy this part of the tradition of going to a game to get an autograph, it makes me wonder why I would want to over pay for some hotdogs and soda on top of the other items that my kids seem to get me to purchase. Why I would want to take me kids to support such an organization that is just wrong, mean and not caring enough to want to have their fans to have the best “fan” experience possible? How we miss the O’Malley family! They were a family that would not need to be told what the fans want or expect when they go the park. The best thing for the McCourts to do is to take out an full page ad in the Times and tell the city that they were wrong and sorry for their mistake. How they really do want the fans to create these happy memories with the Dodgers so that they too would grow up wearing Dodger Blue. The McCourts aren’t the Dodger’s, without the city backing the Team there won’t be any team. Let the McCourts court the wealthy patrons that buy those over priced box seats. Let them kiss their well heel feet, and enjoy the quietness in the rest of the stands when the “regular” fans stop coming.

This year, I am going to spend my money on my kids going to Disneyland, the movies, see the Angels and having fun creating those memories that we all cherish with our kids. So good luck Dodgers, I really hope that the rest of the city does not feel the way I feel.

Tim Gray

Regular Fan

[tim]

To be honest I am a partial Dodger fan. I go to a few games a year, but only jump onto the bandwagon when there is something to jump on. In the past few years there really has not been anything to get excited about.

This year, I thought it would be different. The legendary Joe Torre has taken over the helm and with some added talent, I was looking forward to seeing the Dodgers. But after reading the article from the L.A. Times about how the regular fans aren’t able to seek an autograph, it really turned me off. How can an organization be so short sighted and callas to not allow a kid seek an autograph. It is just part of the tradition of going to a game. It’s not like he or she would really get the big name players to sigh the ball or hat, but just to be apart of the excitement of “seeking” is what brings these parents and kids out and enjoy the game. The parents are there to have some fun with their kids and create memorable memories of going to the “game”. But now that the kids aren’t able to enjoy this part of the tradition of going to a game to get an autograph, it makes me wonder why I would want to over pay for some hotdogs and soda on top of the other items that my kids seem to get me to purchase. Why I would want to take me kids to support such an organization that is just wrong, mean and not caring enough to want to have their fans to have the best “fan” experience possible? How we miss the O’Malley family! They were a family that would not need to be told what the fans want or expect when they go the park. The best thing for the McCourts to do is to take out an full page ad in the Times and tell the city that they were wrong and sorry for their mistake. How they really do want the fans to create these happy memories with the Dodgers so that they too would grow up wearing Dodger Blue. The McCourts aren’t the Dodger’s, without the city backing the Team there won’t be any team. Let the McCourts court the wealthy patrons that buy those over priced box seats. Let them kiss their well heel feet, and enjoy the quietness in the rest of the stands when the “regular” fans stop coming.

This year, I am going to spend my money on my kids going to Disneyland, the movies, see the Angels and having fun creating those memories that we all cherish with our kids. So good luck Dodgers, I really hope that the rest of the city does not feel the way I feel.

Tim Gray

Regular Fan

[J Soul]

Thanks, Veronique, for linking my blog post on here.

As a fan of the game, here in New York City, I would be appalled is the Mets Organization announced a rule such as this. As a kid, I would always try to get to games during batting practice so I could see my favorite players up close, and possibly rack up some autographs.

I hope the Dodgers Organization gets rid of this crazy rule, and let's all fans get to see the players up close.

[Trampled in Box]

I just have to ask - Have any of you that have posted comments sat in the front row of a box seat at Dodgers Stadium? They are small enough to begin with and when you've paid alot of money to sit there and mobs of people come to invade your space, little as it is, and trample all over you, knock your food over, falling on you, and put alcohol in the mix, its not cool. It is not just little kids that come down there, kids would be fine, cause they don't take up much room, but when you get adults, teenagers and little kids, fans can get pushy trying to get those autographs, and that's a recipe for disaster. I was sitting in one of those boxes, and do you think I got an autograph - NO. I wonder why!! So unless you've experienced the front row box seat, I would keep mum.

[J Soul]

Understandable, Trampled, but I've experienced the exact same thing at Shea, and I'm not about to keep mum because I've never been to Dodger Stadium. There's zero leg room in the Shea seats, and I've been on both sides of the fence, as a fan looking for an autograph before a game starts, and as a front row box seater that's trying to get comfy in my seat before a game starts. You're absolutely right, it's not cool. So why not minimize the rule to disallow anyone who's been drinking, or is holding an alcoholic beverage (that isn't a box ticket holder). Why punish the kids for what adults and teenagers are doing? It sounds like a teacher punishing the whole class by not going on a trip, because 1 kid in the class did something to disrupt the class.

Maybe the ushers should do a better job of reinforcing the rules during batting practice (as far as getting into the field box sections and waiting for autographs), and keeping the ruckus to a minimum. They do so at Shea, and every other ballpark I've been to for batting practice. There shouldn't be any non box seat fans around there when that ends anyway. Pay the ushers more money to do a better job, but don't shaft the fans.