As you may know, I used to work at Dodger Stadium while I was in high school and college. I worked there for 7 years as a vendor, walking up and down the stands selling everything from peanuts to ice cream to sodas to cotton candy. I even sold burritos and pizzas there :grin Anyway, I haven't been back there for a game since I quit working there, back in either 96 or 97; and I haven't been to a game as a fan since I was maybe 13 or 14, and I want to go. Now I'm not a big baseball guy, and what I learned from working there that whole time was that at a baseball game you're mainly there to hang out with your friends and soak up the atmosphere (or take pictures of the people around you while they're eating, if you're Steve-o :lol ), and you only really pay attention to the game at a few key moments. Generally about 98% of the time you're at a regular season game though is spent paying little attention to the game. Anyway, I think it would be a good time, and I'm interested in going.
I have one weird request when going to a game, however, and that is that I want to sit up in the top section (a/k/a the "nosebleeds" or "the roof"), and it's not because the tickets are cheap (although $6 a ticket is pretty nice, compared to $60 a ticket for field level seats): I want to sit up on the top because it's so relaxed up there. I used to love working that level because there's a great view and just the general atmosphere up there is really laid back. Also, I personally would rather go see the Dodgers play some crappy team, cause I don't want to go when it's like a real rabid sports crowd who is howling for blood; so I checked the schedule and I'm thinking maybe going to see the Dodgers play the Pittsburg Pirates in early August would be fun (the Pirates have the league's 3rd worst record right now and are last in their division). Is anyone else interested in going?
Comments (8)
I do remember that request, and we never quite managed to fulfill it because, well, I'm afraid of heights. I will say that if you're trying to entice someone to go with you, the angle you might want to take is that they're the cheap seats. Literally. I think if you tell them you want to sit as high as possible, and see a really crappy team, well, that's not exactly gonna make people drool. But that's me.
But, if I were there, I'd go. I just would need a blindfold.
Oh yeah, and why is Payton coming back? Isn't he just dead wood on the Lakers' bench?
Posted by Ponnerbell | June 25, 2004 11:57 AM
Posted on June 25, 2004 11:57
I got a call out of the blue at work today from Jen's father. He invited me to the game on sunday, but he warned me, we're in seats behind home plate at field level. So so much for my next game being in "nose bleeds". I'll see if i can get a picture somebody LARGE eating a dodger dog.
Posted by riggs | June 25, 2004 2:02 PM
Posted on June 25, 2004 14:02
Riggs, you should see if you can get your picture taken with the guy with the white hat and the radar gun behind home plate:lol
Posted by Ponnerbell | June 25, 2004 4:09 PM
Posted on June 25, 2004 16:09
John, my real motivating factor with going to a Dodger game is not for the game, which is of course why I want to see a crappy team from an almost aerial standpoint :lol If someone is really interested in seeing good baseball at Dodger Stadium, I'm probably not the guy to go with. The only team I really care about at all in baseball is the Boston Red Sox, and I'm not enough of a baseball fan to watch more than a handful of games during the regular season (I'll tune in during the playoffs, however). I am going with my Dad to an Angels-Sox game in July though, so that should be cool.
I can understand the fear of heights thing, though; although oddly enough, off the back end of Dodger Stadium the ground goes all the way up to that top level, and the huge dropoff is only towards the field. As a result, you can drive your car right up to the top level (without having to go up some parking structure-like ramps) and be right there next to the entrance gate for that level.
As for Payton staying with the Lakers, Payton had a player option from the contract he signed last summer. He had the option to keep that contract (which has one year and a little over $5 million left on it), or he could have opted out and tried his luck on the free agent market. Even though he would probably say he is staying with the team out of loyalty or something, I'm sure the main reasons for him staying are because Phil Jackson won't be the coach next year (he was pretty unabashed in slamming Phil all year) and because after the horrendous playoffs he just had, he was probably advised by his agent that he most likely wouldn't get that much money from anyone else. The Lakers didn't really have a say in him coming back, although they could always trade him if they wanted to (which might look kinda asshole-ish, considering a year ago he was considered a saint for taking a pay cut to be on the Lakers).
Posted by Yams | June 25, 2004 5:26 PM
Posted on June 25, 2004 17:26
you sold me. the less fervor the better. i actually like paying attention to the game as long as there aren't psychotic assholes screaming anywhere near me. baseball is a great game to go and watch. i'm in. sports are great as long as you delete the loud males who use it as a means to get their aggression out. unfortunately the two kind of go hand-in-hand.
Posted by fhqwhgads | June 25, 2004 9:36 PM
Posted on June 25, 2004 21:36
Right on, Matt! That's one, who's coming with us? :grin
Posted by Yams | June 26, 2004 12:59 PM
Posted on June 26, 2004 12:59
sign me up for this crazy photo shoot!
Posted by steve-o | June 30, 2004 1:12 AM
Posted on June 30, 2004 01:12
Hey - sorry- did I miss something? Baseball? Cheap seats? Dodgers in a sure-to-win-situation? Can I come?
Posted by josh | July 1, 2004 4:23 PM
Posted on July 1, 2004 16:23