29 Halos and 29 Ballparks: Dodgertown, Halo Number Two, Dodger Stadium

Post date: Oct 8, 2015 6:42:21 AM

Sunday, August 2, 2015, that was a day I left Halo number two in my seat; as I watched the Angels take on the Los Angeles Dodgers. My lovely cousin and one of her children were kind enough to accompany me into Dodger Stadium. She asked me not to wear red Angels’ paraphernalia in order not to stand out. So what did I do? I wore original blue Los Angeles Angels paraphernalia to blend in a little better and at the same time to support my team. That strategy seemed to work very well; most Dodgers’ fans had never seen the original Angels’ logo before. Some thought it was an alternate Dodgers logo, while others didn’t know what to make of it.

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Upon arriving to Dodger Stadium the very first visual impression was breathtaking. This Stadium sits atop of a hill overlooking a valley, it is quite a scenic view. One learns very quickly that it takes a long time to get in and out of Chavez ravine, but the time spent inside the ballpark is completely worth the sacrifice. We got there a little late due to traffic, by the time we arrived, someone had taken our seats. The Dodgers’ Guest Relations department was very accommodating. Rather than move the people from our seats, we were given upgraded seats; once everything was settled we ended up in the first row, field level, down the third-base line. Complementary food was included with our ticket.

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The very first thing one notices is that unlike other ball parks where walls are traditionally green, the walls at Dodger Stadium are blue, beginning the psychological warfare with visiting players and their fans; adding to the enchantment and mystique of the ballpark.

One thing that was very unique about the game was the between inning entertainment, something that I had only seen at a minor-league game, when the Salt Lake Bees played the Sacramento River Cats. A gentleman wearing a generic red hat, was given the opportunity to receive a free Dodgers’ hat, if he could guess the location of a ping-pong ball under one of three Dodger hats. In my humble opinion, this was the only thing that in my eyes that took away from the richness of the experience of the Dodger lore.

While we were sitting in our seats, I was able to have a very pleasant conversation with one of the Dodgers’ ball girls, #91 Danielle. This was definitely the most pleasant highlight of the entire experience at Dodger Stadium for obvious reasons.

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In both Angel Stadium and the Oakland Coliseum I was privileged to step onto the field, Dodger Stadium was not the exception. I am honored to say that I was able to continue that tradition by stepping on the field at Dodger Stadium.

Due to the fact that our seats were on the field, wheelchair access is only accessible through the halls of the clubhouse, exposing the rich tradition of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Access to the area was very restricted. The people that were waiting in the hall as we were leaving our seats appeared to be the players’ families.

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As far as the game, the good news was that even though we got there late, we were able to enjoy a lot of baseball because the game went into extra innings. Kole Calhoun hit a home run to left field in our direction causing a tie, making me and the rest of the Angels’ fans that were visiting explode with happiness. The bad news, the Angels lost the game 5-3, allowing the Dodgers to complete the sweep.

Overall my experience at Dodger Stadium was amazing, based on unique and unusual circumstances I was able to have an experience that I was not expecting; an experience that I will unlikely repeat.

I visited Dodgertown, and given another opportunity I would be very glad to visit Dodger Stadium again; this time however, it will be to watch my Angels win.

-ICE