The expectation is that the Dodgers would have extended netting up and ready in AugustGETTY IMAGES
The Dodgers "plan to extend protective netting to shield fans from foul balls at Dodger Stadium by next month," according to sources cited by Arash Markazi of the L.A. TIMES. The Dodgers announced that they would "look into extending the netting" after a young woman last month was "hit in the head by a Cody Bellinger line drive and hospitalized." Dodgers P Rich Hill called the MLBPA in June following the incident to "voice his opinion: It's time to extend protective netting to ensure fan safety." Though a date has "yet to be finalized for the installation of the extended netting, the expectation is that it will be ready in August." Presumably, the Dodgers would "install the netting when the team is on the road" (L.A. TIMES, 7/24).
IN WITH THE NEW: The Dodgers yesterday unveiled plans for $100M in upgrades at Dodger Stadium, and in California, Bill Plunkett notes the renovation project will "raise the amount invested in updating the third-oldest stadium in MLB" to more than $300M since the Guggenheim ownership group took over in '12. The Jackie Robinson statue unveiled in April '17 will be "moved from the left field reserve plaza to the new center field entry," and it will be "joined by a second statue of Sandy Koufax." The Koufax statue will "not be ready" for Opening Day in '20, but a "dedication ceremony will be held at some point" during the '20 season. Meanwhile, barstool-style seating called "home run seats" will be "added in the area between the pavilions and the outfield walls and the new center field plaza will include a 'boardwalk' area where fans can stand and watch the game from a railed area." The upgrades are an "ambitious project." But Dodgers President & CEO Stan Kasten joked that Senior VP/Planning & Development Janet Marie Smith has "'assured' him it will be ready for Opening Day" (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 7/24). MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said that the renovations were "not a contingent to hosting the All-Star Game, calling them '100 percent a Dodger decision.'" ESPN.com's Alden Gonzalez noted plans for this project "began more than a year ago." The Dodgers hope it will "encourage fans to arrive earlier and leave later" (ESPN.com, 7/23). In L.A., Helene Elliott writes the renovations will "go beyond aesthetic to accomplish the essential, extending" Dodger Stadium's "usefulness and its life" (L.A. TIMES, 7/24).
DROPPING A HINT? In L.A., Bill Shaikin notes the artist rendering of the renovations distributed by the Dodgers "depicts a ribbon of odds on games" in MLB and other pro sports leagues, "suggesting the team could use the spaces as a sports bar and a sports book." In the "best-case scenario for sports betting, the earliest bets could be taken at Dodger Stadium" would be the '21 season. Kasten said that the team would "nonetheless open the sports bars next year, with no sports betting." Kasten said, "Right now, not only is it not legal in California, it's also not legal in baseball rules, to have a betting venue at a stadium." Shaikin wonders since it is unclear when sports betting might be legalized in California, why would the Dodgers "publicize a rendering that makes it appear sports betting is coming to Dodger Stadium?" Kasten: "It's a rendering for the possibilities and the capabilities. Right now, it is for sure, for the foreseeable future, going to be sports bar areas. And there is an awful lot of business for sports bars" (L.A. TIMES, 7/24).
