MCCOURT'S ATTENDANCE GOAL ON TARGET.

Byline: TONY JACKSON  Staff Writer

It was an otherwise-lazy summer afternoon in March 2004 when the Dodgers public relations office in Vero Beach, Fla., put the voice of Jamie McCourt on the phone.

``We should be drawing 4 million a year,'' she said, matter-of-factly, to a group of reporters she couldn't see, some of whom she didn't know and none of whom really knew her.

The next day, McCourt, whose husband Frank had finalized his purchase of the club from NewsCorp less than a month before, was lambasted by some in the media. She was said to have ``lashed out'' at the previous regime despite the fact the Dodgers had drawn 3 million in home attendance -- something some organizations have never done -- every year under NewsCorp.

McCourt never meant to cause a public outcry.

What she did mean to do was make the point that there were new goals and standards for a franchise that had become alarmingly stagnant. Two and a half years later, 4 million in home attendance remains a stated objective, even if it can't be mathematically achieved this season.

What the Dodgers have done this season is guarantee themselves -- through their current season attendance, season- ticket sales and advance individual-game tickets already sold for the 13 remaining home games -- of breaking the 24-year-old franchise record for home attendance.

For that, and for the fact that 4 million now seems like a realistic goal for the next season or two, McCourt, now the team president, can look back and laugh at the uproar over her long-ago remark.

``We're just essentially thrilled over our attendance,'' McCourt said. ``I think all of us at the Dodgers should be proud of this accomplishment, and everyone here has worked really hard to get us to this point.''

Through 68 home dates, the Dodgers have drawn 3,113,718, which leads the National League by more than 300,000 and is second only to the New York Yankees in all of baseball. The Dodgers are averaging 45,790, also second only to the Yankees.

If they remain on their current pace -- and with the club in the midst of a pennant race, there is no reason to think they won't -- the Dodgers will draw about 3.7 million for the season.

That would shatter the previous mark of 3,608,881, set in 1982.

``It's a combination of a lot of different things,'' Dodgers chief operating officer Marty Greenspun said. ``One is we have created an excellent fan experience. We replaced all the seats this year. And we have some new ticket packages.''

But of course, when it comes to putting fannies in the seats, there is no substitute for a good team. And while an argument can be made that there are no good teams in the NL, the Dodgers are as close as it gets.

Perhaps most impressive, especially considering the Dodgers went 71-91 last year, is the jump in season-ticket sales, which at about 26,000 are at their highest level since the late 1980s. That's largely the result of an offseason roster overhaul by new general manager Ned Colletti.

It is worth mentioning that the club record set in `82 came when attendance was still counted at the turnstiles. Now, it is counted by tickets sold, meaning no-shows are included in the total, so it is impossible to know whether as many people will enter the gates of Dodger Stadium this season as did in `82.

[e-mail]

[phone]

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo:

McCOURT