Dodger Thoughts

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

Category: Dodger Stadium (Page 4 of 12)

Nancy Bea Hefley announces retirement

By

On October 2, 2015

In Dodger Stadium

IMG_2115
NBH

By Jon Weisman

After 28 years, beloved Dodger Stadium organist Nancy Bea Hefley is retiring at the conclusion of the 2015 season.

Hefley lives in Silver Springs, Nevada, and has been making the commute for each homestand, while renting a second home locally. She brought her family to Dodger Stadium tonight as she made her announcement.

“I have had a wonderful time playing for the Dodgers and their fans,” she said. “My husband and I felt that this was the right time to settle down in our home in Silver Springs and eliminate all the travel.  The Dodgers have told me I can come back and make guest appearances and I greatly appreciate this gesture.  I hope to get back to Dodger Stadium on occasion.”

It’s the end of an era similar to the one the Dodgers enjoyed from 1954-1996 with managers Walter Alston and Tommy Lasorda. In the 45 seasons since 1971, the Dodgers have had two stadium organists: Helen Dell and Hefley, who came aboard before the 1988 season. Bob Mitchell, Don Beamsley and Donna Parker (a high school student when she was hired) preceded Dell and Hefley at the organ in Los Angeles.

Hefley played for more than 55 years at Bellflower Baptist Church, where she met her husband Bill. She was a substitute organist for the Angels before auditioning for the Dodger job on Valentine’s Day 1988, at an exhibition game between the Dodgers and USC.

“Nancy Bea has been a very dedicated Dodger employee, who has entertained our fans for many years, and we are most appreciative of her contributions each and every night,” Dodger executive vice president and chief marketing officer Lon Rosen said “We wish Nancy Bea and Bill well in their plans for retirement, and we’re looking forward to her coming back for special performances at Dodger Stadium.”

A thoughtful farewell not only honors their legacy but also sets a positive tone for their post-retirement engagement, such as returning for special performances. In preparing for retirement, offering feedback to your manager can be a crucial part of the process. It provides an opportunity for employees to express their thoughts on their experiences, contributing to a culture of continuous improvement. Constructive feedback helps managers understand what has worked well and where there might be room for enhancement, ensuring that the organization can build on its strengths and address any areas for growth.

Our fondest best wishes and thanks to Nancy Bea.

https://twitter.com/Dodgers/status/650122161206657024

Dodger Stadium field on track for post-AC/DC play

By

On September 29, 2015

In Dodger Stadium

IMG_2094

By Jon Weisman

With Monday’s AC/DC concert at Dodger Stadium behind us, I went down just now to speak with Dodger groundskeeping guru Eric Hansen, who said that the Dodger Stadium field would be “more than playable” when the Dodgers return Friday for their final three regular-season home games.

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Dodger Stadium of yore: Name the game

By

On September 11, 2015

In Dodger Stadium

Name the Game

Here’s a rustic photo from Dodger Stadium’s history. Click to enlarge the picture above or the scoreboard portion below — and for you Internet sleuths, see if you can figure out the date of the game.  I tested it on Eric Stephen of True Blue L.A., and he solved it in under seven minutes.

— Jon Weisman

Name the Game partial

In case I missed it: Notes from a three-game winning streak

By

On August 17, 2015

In Awards, Dodger Stadium, In case you missed it

Jill Weisleder/LA Dodgers

Jill Weisleder/LA Dodgers

By Jon Weisman

LOS ANGELES DODGERS V CINCINNATI REDSWell, that worked. Three games away, three victories in the books. And a nice opportunity to celebrate them, with an off day today and Clayton Kershaw on the mound at Oakland on Tuesday.

Let me take this opportunity to tie a bunch of loose ends together …

  • With 13 innings of one-run ball last week (14 baserunners, 14 strikeouts), Zack Greinke managed to reassert control in the National League Cy Young Award race, even as Kershaw threw eight shutout innings of his own.
  • Could Greinke, whose adjusted ERA (in an MLB-leading 165 1/3 innings) is the best in baseball since Pedro Martinez in 2000, follow Kershaw as a Most Valuable Player? The award remains Bryce Harper’s to lose, and though the Nationals have slumped terribly, Harper (.415 on-base percentage in August) isn’t to blame. I don’t believe that MVP contention should be tied to a team’s record, but for those voters who do, Greinke’s top competition if the Nationals disappear would probably be San Francisco’s Buster Posey.
  • Would most people be surprised to find that the Dodgers are on pace for a record number of home victories? Los Angeles is playing .677 ball at Dodger Stadium, which would yield a 55-26 home record if that plays out over their final 19 games here. That would match the 1980 Dodgers in victories, but that team unfortunately lost home game No. 82, the one-game NL West playoff against the Astros.
  • Looking for the next test? The Dodgers’ next two home series will be against NL playoff contenders Chicago (August 28-30) and San Francisco (August 31-September 2). The Dodgers have lost three home series all season, to the Cardinals, Giants and Mets.
  • Since sitting out two of the three games against the Angels, Joc Pederson is hitting .167/.447/.400. In 47 plate appearances, he has two singles, a double, two homers, a hit-by-pitch, a sacrifice fly and 15 walks. There are worse things in the world from a No. 8 hitter than that, plus great defensive range.
  • Yasiel Puig’s 10th homer of the year Saturday gave the Dodgers eight players with double-digit homers, their most since a team-record nine players in 2004. The Dodgers will need one more homer from Howie Kendrick when he comes off the disabled list to tie the record, but what about breaking it? Four more homers from Kiké Hernandez in the final 44 games of the season no longer seems like crazy talk.
  • Carl Crawford’s OBP in August as a Dodger: .353 in 2013, .360 in 2014, .538 in 2015 (27 plate appearances).
  • Dad-for-the-second-time Kenley Jansen’s four-out save Sunday was his first of 2015 and eighth of his career. He has never had a longer outing for a save. But in 34 outings of more than one inning in his career, Jansen’s ERA is 0.50 with 23 hits, 18 walks and 80 strikeouts in 54 innings.
  • Jansen has entered 29 games with a lead this year, and the Dodgers have won them all. After his only blown save of 2015, when Arizona’s A.J. Pollock hit a ninth-inning solo homer June 10, Kendrick had a walkoff single in the bottom of the ninth.

Grandson of former Dodger Stadium PA announcer making MLB debut tonight at Dodger Stadium

By

On August 14, 2015

In Dodger Stadium, History

John Ramsey
LambBy Mark Langill

If he can’t pitch in his “home” ballpark in Cincinnati, at least Reds rookie pitcher John Lamb can make his Major League debut tonight in the stadium his grandfather worked as the iconic public address announcer from 1962-82.

John Ramsey’s booming voice (you can hear it in these 1978 World Series introductions) was well known by Southern California sports fans because he seemed to work every event in town – Dodgers, Lakers, Kings, Angels, Rams and USC football. Ramsey joined the Dodgers in 1958 when the team played at the Los Angeles Coliseum.

The New Hampshire native graduated from USC in 1954 and later obtained a Master’s degree in Business. Ramsey was also the first Super Bowl public address announcer when the Packers and Chiefs played at the Coliseum in 1967, although the game was billed “The First AFL-NFL Championship Game” at the time. Ramsey passed away at age 62 in 1990.

Lamb graduated from Laguna Hills High and was originally selected by Kansas City in the fifth round of the 2008 draft. A veteran of Tommy John surgery, Lamb came to the Reds in the recent Johnny Cueto trade.

Fireworks upon fireworks July 3-4 at Dodger Stadium

By

On June 30, 2015

In Dodger Stadium, Promotions

Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers

Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers

Dodgers at Diamondbacks, 6:40 p.m.
Joc Pederson, CF
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Justin Turner, 3B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Yasiel Puig, RF
Andre Ethier, RF
Yasmani Grandal, C
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Carlos Frias, P

By Jon Weisman

In addition to the usual Friday Night Fireworks that will kick off the Dodgers’ next homestand, Dodger Stadium will host a special 4th of July Fireworks show Saturday.

So as if you needed another reason to attend, with Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke taking the mound for those two games, there you go.

Saturday’s fireworks show will begin at approximately 8:45 p.m. and is presented by Cirque du Solieil (which will bring its upcoming touring show, “KURIOS — Cabinet of Curiosities” to Dodger Stadium on December 10).

With the Dodgers’ game against the Mets on Saturday beginning at 4:15 p.m., there will be a musical program featuring the USO Show Troupe between the end of the game and the start of the fireworks.

The series with the Mets concludes Sunday with a double dose of pregame activity: Photo Day, when fans can take photos of their favorite Dodgers on the field prior to the game, and Viva Los Dodgers (presented by State Farm and Time Warner Cable), located at the historic 76 station. Viva begins at 11 a.m. and will feature photos with Dodger broadcaster Fernando Valenzuela.

Surprise friends, family with Ribbon Board message at Dodger Stadium

By

On June 24, 2015

In Community, Dodger Stadium

PITTSBURGH PIRATES VS LOS ANGELES DODGERS

By Erin Edwards

Do you know a Dodger fan who is about to celebrate a birthday, anniversary or promotion? Why not honor them in front of upwards of 50,000 people at Dodger Stadium?

You can do just that by displaying your message at Dodger Stadium on the Ribbon Board, located below the left-field Dodger Vision screen.

Ribbon Board messages can be purchased online for a cost of $75. This purchase will delight the recipient, and all proceeds go to the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation for its mission is to aide underserved youth in the greater L. A. area.

Ribbon Board message details:

  • The message will appear once during the game, at the end of the fifth inning.
  • In approximately six to eight weeks, you will receive a 5×7 color photo of the message.
  • Two lines of text each limited to 34 characters.
  • Purchase online at dodgers.com/ribbonboard.

Dodger dog: $5.50, Ribbon Board message: $75. Seeing your name in lights: priceless.

Zack Greinke’s Dodger Stadium domination

By

On June 7, 2015

In Dodger Stadium, Pregame

Oldtimers Day Luncheon

Cardinals at Dodgers, 5:08 p.m.
Joc Pederson, CF
Yasiel Puig, RF
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Justin Turner, 3B
Andre Ethier, LF
Yasmani Grandal, C
Kiké Hernandez, 2B
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Zack Greinke, P

By Jon Weisman

In contrast to Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke is someone whose peripheral stats haven’t quite lived up to his ERA this season.

Though he had a streak of five consecutive starts allowing one run or less snapped Tuesday in Colorado, Greinke’s 2015 ERA is still a wonderful 1.97, but his fielding-independent ERA according to Fangraphs is 3.06 and his xFIP is 3.50. Greinke’s strikeouts per nine innings are at 7.4 this season, compared with 8.1 for his career and 9.2 in 2014.

Greinke’s WHIP is 0.95, lower than even what he had in his outstanding 2009 American League Cy Young Award-winning season. That’s thanks in part to a career-low .246 opponents’ batting average on balls in play, compared with .307 for his career.

One thing that can’t be denied is how well Greinke has pitched at Dodger Stadium. In 243 2/3 career regular-season innings here, Greinke has a 2.29 ERA with 239 strikeouts and a 0.99 WHIP.

Including the postseason, Greinke has made 17 consecutive starts at Dodger Stadium and 29 of his past 30 allowing three earned runs or less, the only exception being when he allowed four to the Pirates on June 1, 2014.

Whither the weather, Dodgers and Rockies will get it together

By

On May 14, 2015

In Dodger Stadium

top
Sun 1By Jon Weisman

We’re not out of jeopardy as far as potential rain delays go for tonight’s Dodgers-Rockies game, but there appears to be no issue as far as getting the game in from start to finish at some point.

But if you were looking for variety in the weather, today was your day.

Inside of an hour this afternoon, we went from pouring rain to sunshine and back to clouds. At 3:30 p.m., the sky actually looked like this (at right).

The Dodger grounds crew took advantage of the opportunity to push the tarp off the infield to air it out and let the tarp dry. (It ultimately created steam in the outfield grass underneath the tarp when they lifted it up, which was cool to see.) This was the view from center field …

cf

By 4:10 p.m., the tarp was back in position on the infield in case of a second wave of rain.

And by 5:15 p.m., we were back to full clouds.

515

So, you know, just a typical day in Los Angeles.

A 4:50 p.m. Wednesday game at Dodger Stadium? How will you remember?

By

On May 8, 2015

In Dodger Stadium, History

450

By Jon Weisman

Wednesday’s game against the Miami Marlins has the unusual Dodger Stadium weekday start time of 4:50 p.m. To make sure you don’t miss it, here’s a series of notes to hammer that point home.

  • Combined weight of Clayton Kershaw and Yasmani Grandal: 450
  • Career MLB hits for one-time Dodger outfielder Marcus Thames: 450
  • Marquis Grissom’s slugging percentage as a Dodger from 2001-02: .450
  • Van Lingle Mungo’s ERA for the Dodgers in 1941: 4.50
  • Duration of the Phillies’ 15-12 victory over the Dodgers on May 19, 1990: 4:50
  • Dodger uniform numbers of Duke Snider, Juan Uribe and Al Oliver: 4, 5, 0
  • Linescore of the Dodgers pennant-clinching victory in Game 4 of the 1977 National League Championship Series: 4 5 0
  • Cost of a ticket to see the Beatles at Dodger Stadium on August 28, 1966: $4.50
  • First, fourth and seventh letters of the last name of Bruce Caldwell, who had one hit for the 1932 Brooklyn Dodgers: CDL
  • Score of the Dodgers’ 2014 season finale: 10 to 5.

Join this year’s 5K, 10K and Kids Fun Run at Dodger Stadium

By

On April 23, 2015

In Community, Dodger Stadium, Pregame

[mlbvideo id=”36677365″ width=”550″ height=”308″ /]

Dodgers at Giants, 12:45 p.m.
Justin Turner, SS
Yasiel Puig, RF
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Yasmani Grandal, C
Carl Crawford, LF
Alex Guerrero, 3B
Joc Pederson, CF
Mike Bolsinger, P

By Jon Weisman

We haven’t yet mentioned this year’s New Balance Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation 5K, 10K and Kids Fun Run ((presented by your SoCal Honda Dealers), scheduled for September 13 at Dodger Stadium.

Registration is open at dodgers.com/run: $40 for the 5K or 10K and $25 for the Kids Fun Run. The first 2,000 to register for the 5K or 10K will get a voucher for a free Dodger game ticket.

All proceeds benefit the LADF, and there are incentives for those who join in the fundraising. For more information, visit the official site.

Jackie Robinson statue to grace Dodger Stadium

By

On April 15, 2015

In Dodger Stadium

PB2By Jon Weisman

Jackie Robinson Day has been one filled with baseball royalty, fond reminisces and earnest discussion of challenges yet to be met.

But the lingering memory from April 15, 2015 will be that this is the day the Dodgers announced they would erect a statue to honor Jackie Robinson at Dodger Stadium.

Details about placement, timing or design are not yet available, but the commitment was a most welcome piece of news.

“It’s the fulfillment of a dream,” said Jackie’s widow, Rachel Robinson.

In making the announcement, Dodger president and CEO Stan Kasten said that the statue would be the first of a series at Dodger Stadium. The news just keeps getting better.

Happy Opening Day, 2015

By

On April 6, 2015

In Dodger Stadium

By Jon Weisman

As the song says, is everyone prepared to face the interesting set of events that are about to take place?

Below, a quick roundup of Dodger Insider posts to help kick off your Opening Day experience.

Check the blog and dodgers.com for frequent updates, follow the Dodgers on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, follow Dodger Insider on Twitter — and have a great day!

First look: Meatball Marinara Fries and Cone

By

On April 4, 2015

In Dodger Stadium, Food

Marinara

Vertical coneBy Jon Weisman

Ever since I heard about the new Meatball Marinara Cone at Tommy Lasorda’s Trattoria this year, I kept trying to picture it.

So at my first opportunity, I went down to get a visual of the meatballs, marinara sauce and Parmesan cheese, wrapped in a breaded cone. You can see it above, alongside another of the new food items at Dodger Stadium this year, the Meatball Marinara Fries.

At right, a vertical image of the cone, in all its glory.

Below, some other pics from the first Dodger game at Dodger Stadium this year …

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Opening Day alert: Gates open at 10 a.m. — no tailgating

By

On April 1, 2015

In Dodger Stadium

No Tailgating

Stadium and auto gates will open at 10 a.m. for Opening Day at Dodger Stadium on Monday.

The Dodgers and the Los Angeles Police Department are spreading the word that fans should not park on the Avenue of the Palms (Stadium Way) between Scott Road and Academy Road. This street will have a “No Parking” restriction from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m.

In addition, in order to keep all attendees safe, LAPD officers will be patrolling the area and will enact a zero tolerance policy for drinking in public or in the parks. Tailgating also is not permitted on the Dodger Stadium premises.

The Dodgers and the LAPD wish everyone a safe and fun-filled day of baseball, and ask fans to respect the neighborhood and stay safe.

— Jon Weisman

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Attendance

1991-2013
Dodgers at home: 1,028-812 (.558695)
When Jon attended: 338-267 (.558677)*
When Jon didn’t: 695-554 (.556)
* includes road games attended

2013
Dodgers at home: 51-35 (.593)
When Jon attended: 5-2 (.714)
When Jon didn’t: 46-33 (.582)

Note: I got so busy working for the Dodgers that in 2014, I stopped keeping track, much to my regret. 

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