1. Field a competitive team year in and year out.
Recognize that a productive farm system is of critical importance here. Invest accordingly. Strategically supplement homegrown talent with free agent signings. But again -- and I can't state this often enough -- a thriving farm system is the key here and resource allocation should reflect that understanding. The Dodgers understood this once upon a time.
2. Renovate Dodger Stadium.
Give the Loge, Reserve, Top Deck and Pavilion sections the same face lift already afforded the Field Level. Dodger Stadium will forever have going for it stunning views of the mountains in one direction and the downtown skyline in the other. But restorative work needs to be done to preserve the original beauty of this mid-century ballpark.
3. Retain talented individuals in the front office and throughout the entire organization.
Just because someone was associated with the McCourts doesn't mean s/he shares the same level of incompetence. The Dodger brand is about success that's derived from continuity.
4. Lock down Matt Kemp and Clayton Kershaw with long-term contracts.
From the Koufax-Drysdale-Snider era to the Garvey-Lopes-Russell-Cey era to the Valenzuela-Guerrero-Hershiser era to the Piazza-Karros-Mondesi era, memorable Dodger teams were all anchored by homegrown talent. In Kemp and Kershaw, the Dodgers have their cornerstones for the next 5-8 years. Don't let free agency snatch them away.
5. Provide fans who come to the ballpark with an authentic, uniquely baseball experience.
Just as baseball is best played using leather gloves and wood bats, on grass fields under open skies -- nothing artificial, 100% pure -- a fan's experience at Dodger Stadium ought to be kept as organic as possible. That means eliminating between-inning commercials on the video screen and reducing the blaring pre-recorded music. If fans had wanted those elements competing with the baseball action, they'd have stayed home and watched the game on TV with iPod speakers cranked up. The one feature that actually enhances a fan's baseball viewing experience at the ballpark is live organ music -- rarely dominating, never generic -- the same way it has been at ballparks since 1941. One exception to this is allowed: Randy Newman's "I Love LA" must still be played after each and every Dodger victory.
6. Ease Dodger Stadium's access woes.
This includes both access to the stadium and access to concessions. To address the former, scrap the current restrictions to parking areas based on lot entry point and reduce the percentage of Preferred parking spaces. Just as importantly, fund -- rather than rely on continued sponsorship from environmental agencies -- the Dodger Express shuttle buses that make feasible for fans to use public transportation to get to and from games. To create shorter wait times at concession stands, they need to be restaffed with faster, more efficient workers. I've often wondered how much quicker lines would move were the concession stands operated the team at my local Subway sandwich.
7. Maintain the family friendly atmosphere that exists at Dodger Stadium.
Unfortunately, it wasn't until after the tragic Brian Stow incident occurred that a safe, family-friendly environment returned to Dodger Stadium. Maintaining a bumped up security presence would help maintain this atmosphere. The Dodgers also have the capacity to assert a positive fan environment with two more critical steps that I believe have been overlooked: 1) Hire and train a staff -- and this includes everyone from parking attendants to ushers to souvenir store workers -- that bleeds Dodger Blue and friendly, customer service. 2) More organ music from Nancy Bea. Everyone from movie directors to supermarket operators understands the importance of the underlying soundtrack in establishing a particular mood. What does organ music do to the psyche? Does anything else more effectively elicit innocent notions of peanuts and crackerjacks at an afternoon at the ballpark? If nothing else, it'd remind folks of being at church. What room would that leave for fans to contemplate instigating in-stand nonsense?
8. Know your Dodger history.
Even Frank and Jamie McCourt understood the wisdom of making public appearances whenever possible with Tommy Lasorda at their side. In the same way, the new owner must understand the following truths:
1) Dodgertown will forever refer to Vero Beach, FL no matter what the head of marketing might suggest.
2) There is no need to respond to any challenges (implicit or otherwise) by the Angels over which baseball team dominates the hearts and minds of the majority of baseball fans in the region. Remember, you are the Dodgers. Do your job right and you will always be recognized as the one and only storied baseball franchise in the region.
3) Vin Scully is untouchable.
4) Tommy Lasorda is untouchable.
5) Jaime Jarrin is untouchable.
6) Ex-Giants and ex-Yankees must only be hired under extenuating circumstances.
7) The Dodgers are the organization built upon the shoulders of Jackie Robinson, Sandy Koufax, Fernando Valenzuela and the like. They are your resident mythological heroes. Pay homage to them accordingly. Offer sacrifices if necessary.
8) Dodger fans value a franchise that is operated with class, integrity, and innovation. We don't want the Dodgers to be like the New York Yankees or Miami Hurricane football. We do not value winning at all costs. Besides, there's more than just winning that's at stake. There always has been. Sometimes, color barriers must be broken. Other times, westward expansion must be spearheaded. We'd much rather our Dodgers continue to play a role in our nation's narrative, just as they once had.9. Be responsive to the concerns of fans.
Read this blog. And keep prices reasonable. Were it not for $5 Reserve level seats in the early 80's, this son of working-class parents may never have had the opportunity to cultivate his lifelong love affair with the Dodgers.
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