How you play the game

My buddy Tom Bridge emailed me about an article he read by LA Times sportswriter Bill Plaschke, all about Irving Zeiger, 86 — a lifelong Dodgers season-ticket holder who is unable to afford to keep his family’s seats thanks to the new high-price section they’ve created at Dodger Stadium by pushing the stands into the infield. His $20,000/year tickets for seats right above the dugout would now be costing him $120,000/year. Irving voted with his wallet and stayed home for opening day. Good for him.

I feel sorry for Irving only up to a point. And that point is the $20,000 he was able to spend on season tickets every year. However the businessization of the Dodgers is a separate issue, and one that I think everyone who loves the team and its history can feel sorry about. As cries of team poverty are yelled, I think we know where the real Money Ball is played, and it’s not on the field or in the clubhouse — it’s in the stands.

(Continued on blogging.la.)