From the LA Weekly’s Marc Cooper.
By the second inning of last Friday™s Dodger shutout against the Padres, my neck and back were starting to turn numb. Certainly not out of boredom. Derek Lowe™s pitching was stellar. So were the back-to-back homers by Kent and Bradley.
At least that™s what I was told. My problem was that even though my sister, nephew and I had plunked down the $300 face value for a trio of those new field-level baseline seats, we couldn™t see the game. We were no more than 10 rows off the field and just a few rows behind first base, but every time I tried to follow the ball, the bald spot of the guy in front of me kept blocking my view.
Seems like new Dodger owner Frank McCourt was in such a hurry to cram 1,600 of the pricey new seats into former foul territory that he didn™t have anyone figure out the physics. The new seats are only slightly graded upward and bolted down in a straight line, so when I sat back comfortably I found myself staring out, literally, into left field.
I had been hoping that new owner McCourt would reverse the slide into excessive commercialism, but no way. Besides the outfield clutter and over-priced seats, spending an additional $88 on Dodger dogs, suds and Cracker Jacks didn™t do much to alleviate the evening™s frustration. A $400 tab for a ball game that gave you bursitis is something to remember.
Replies Ben Schwartz,
This is what I’m talking about with the Dodgers — like last year, they field a better than expected team and yet Frank McCourt manages to blow any positive coverage by making one dumb and meaningless move after the next. McCourt seems to have alienated reporters at every level, even non-sports rags like the LA WEEKLY. If I read this correctly, this writer would rather see mediocre O’Malley teams than McCourt’s winners.
Perhaps, but it also seems that the gist of his complaint is not being able to see anything, period.