The Dodgers announced last night that half-priced alcoholic drinks will no longer be part of the team's "Half Price Food & Drink Promotion," set to begin with a game against the Braves at Dodgers Stadium next Thursday. The promotion is set to take place at six midweek day games through the '11 season (Dodgers). In L.A., Dylan Hernandez notes the amended promotion comes after Giants fan Bryan Stow was critically injured in the Dodger Stadium parking lot on Opening Day. L.A. Police Chief Charlie Beck last week said that "he believed alcohol consumption contributed to problems at Dodger Stadium and that police officials were pushing the Dodgers to raise prices and stop sales at an earlier point in the game." Dodgers VP/PR & Broadcasting Josh Rawitch said that team officials will "continue to reexamine their alcohol policies" (L.A. TIMES, 4/14). ESPN L.A.'s Jackson & Shelburne noted today's Cardinals-Dodgers game will be the first at Dodger Stadium since team Owner Frank McCourt, Beck and L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced last Friday that the team "will pay for increased on-duty police officers and security at home games." A joint news conference has been scheduled for 4:00pm PT today to "discuss the new security measures." A Dodgers spokesperson said that "in addition to the increased police presence, the team has already arranged for temporary lighting in the parking lots" (ESPNLA.com, 4/13).
CHANGE WILL DO YOU GOOD: In L.A., Steve Dilbeck wrote eliminating half-priced alcohol was "absolutely the correct thing to do," and the "absolutely obvious thing to do." But it "took nearly two weeks" since Stow's assault "to reach this conclusion." Dilbeck: "McCourt has been behind on this story since the moment it happened. ... It’s like he only responds after he receives political, media and public pressure" (LATIMES.com, 4/13). Also in L.A., Chris Erskine writes Dodgers fans "should have the option of goon-free zones" at home games, so "perhaps it is time for a nondrinking section" at Dodger Stadium. Erskine: "No one will ever mistake Dodger Stadium for an opera house. Swine are everywhere from the best seats to the worst. ... But don't abandon your ballpark" (L.A. TIMES, 4/14).
