DODGERS NOTEBOOK: OWNER EYES STADIUM FACE-LIFT.Byline: Tony Jackson
Anthony (Antonio) Jackson, best known as Tony Jackson Staff Writer VERO BEACH Vero Beach (vēr`o), city (1990 pop. 17,350), seat of Indian River co., E Fla., on Indian River (a lagoon and part of the Intracoastal Waterway); founded c.1888, inc. 1919. , Fla. - Dodgers owner Frank McCourt
Francis "Frank" McCourt (born August 19, 1930) is an Irish-American teacher and author. said Saturday that the just-completed renovations at Dodger Stadium • • [ will be followed by the possible re-seating of the entire ballpark next winter. He also said a grand entryway eventually will be added beyond the outfield pavilions that will serve the entire stadium, a project that probably won't begin until after the 2006 season because it requires extensive planning. ``We want to continue to upgrade the entire facility,'' said McCourt, who went back to Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. after Saturday's Grapefruit League game with the Washington Nationals This article is about the current Major League Baseball team. For other uses, see Washington Nationals (disambiguation). The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington DC. was rained out in Viera. ``We want to keep the same feel of Dodger Stadium, but we also want to give our fans all the amenities of some of the newer ballparks.'' McCourt also reiterated his determination not to sell the ballpark's naming rights Naming rights are the right to name a piece of property, either tangible property or an event, usually granted in exchange for financial considerations. Institutions like schools, places of worship and hospitals have a tradition of granting donors the right to name facilities in . ``Everything in life is subject to change,'' McCourt said. ``But I feel pretty strongly that the stadium has the right name. Dodger Stadium will be Dodger Stadium for a long, long time.'' McCourt said the money that could come from the sale of naming rights can be made up in other ways, such as corporate sponsorships that could be attached to specific areas of the ballpark such as the pavilions. He offered no specifics on the entryway, but it likely would include a food court, possibly a picnic area and various other attractions. ``I envision something that will bring the fans out early,'' McCourt said. ``I want to create a family atmosphere. But I think this project is a little farther down the road.'' As part of that project, passageways will have to be added between the bleachers and the grandstand. Currently, there is no way to access the grandstand from the bleachers, or vice versa VICE VERSA. On the contrary; on opposite sides. . The reseating plan, which might also involve a change from the ballpark's familiar rainbow color scheme, probably will take most of next winter to complete if it actually is implemented. ``Once the old seats are taken out, you would need to repair all the concrete and seal it all up so the ballpark has another 50 years of life,'' McCourt said. --Roster moves: The Dodgers optioned pitchers Edwin Jackson Edwin Jackson (born September 9, 1983 in Neu-Ulm, Bavaria, West Germany) is a Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers and currently plays for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. and Frank Brooks and catcher Dioner Navarro to the minors Saturday and reassigned five non-roster players - pitcher Aquilino Lopez, infielders Jose Flores, Tony Schrager and Joe Thurston and outfielder Chin-Feng Chen - to minor-league camp. Jackson leaves with an 8.79 ERA in his second consecutive lackluster spring. Last year, he came to camp having been anointed "Anointed" redirects here. For the process of anointing, see Anointing. Anointed is a Contemporary Christian music duo consisting of siblings Steve and Da'dra Crawford. Their musical style includes elements of R&B, funk, and piano ballads. the fifth starter by manager Jim Tracy, only to pitch his way back to Triple-A Las Vegas. Tracy told Jackson the key to the right-hander getting back to the big leagues is to hone his mechanics so that he has a more consistent delivery. ``From a numbers standpoint in spring training, I figured this was going to happen,'' Jackson said. ``I can't (complain), because I can do something about it.'' Navarro, the organization's top catching prospect, was destined des·tine tr.v. des·tined, des·tin·ing, des·tines 1. To determine beforehand; preordain: a foolish scheme destined to fail; a film destined to become a classic. 2. to start the season in Las Vegas the moment the Dodgers acquired Jason Phillips from the New York Mets
Two other catchers remain in big-league camp, but the Dodgers are expected to either trade, waive or release David Ross sometime in the next week, and non-roster invitee Mike Rose was never a candidate to make the club. The Dodgers have 36 players left in big-league camp, including 17 pitchers. --Starting candidates: Although left-hander Wilson Alvarez is expected to be healthy enough to be active on Opening Day, the shoulder tendinitis that presently has him shut down might prevent him from starting. With Brad Penny beginning the season on the disabled list, Tracy might have to find someone other than Alvarez to fill Penny's vacant spot, at least the first time through the rotation. The candidates are Elmer Dessens, who threw four innings on the minor- league side Saturday, and non-roster invitee Ryan Rupe, whose longest outing of the spring was the four shutout innings he threw in a start against Baltimore 15 days ago. Tony Jackson, (818) 713-3675 tony.jackson(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: Jason Phillips is one of two catchers on the Dodgers' roster after Dioner Navarro was optioned. Rick Silva/Associated Press Box: BEYOND THE BOX SCORE |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion