LA Dodgers: Los Angeles Not Yet Ready to House Dodgers Downtown

One day, the downtown area of Los Angeles may house the Boys in Blue, Dodger Dogs and the rattle of organ music. There is increasing thought the Dodgers may move a couple miles south of Chavez Ravine. I am all for it, just not right now. 

Let me begin by stating the obvious. I love Chavez Ravine. The valley upon a hill has given Angelenos so many memories, and when the times comes, it will be missed. 

It seems we all have our favorite ways into Dodger Stadium. I, for one, am privy to riding along Broadway until I swoop up Solano. Well, there goes that secret.

And there is hardly a more beautiful setting in baseball. The Think Blue sign on the hill looks out towards the sun-kissed caps of the San Gabriel mountains.  

As we all know, the time will come when finances, infrastructure or a new owner will move the team to another location. That will be the time to forgo outrage. It will be time to embrace a new location downtown. It could be worse after all. Just ask Brooklyn. 

ESPN Los Angeles reporter Arash Markazi filed a report that stated in no uncertain terms that AEG was not interested in building a stadium downtown.

Through a report that negates a stadium move we can glean an inevitable coup. There is the assumption that if the Dodgers are sold, Frank McCourt may still hold ownership of the land surrounding the stadium.

That would leave a new owner with no choice but to move where the team plays their games. This notion has me giddy of the possibilities.

Sadly, Los Angeles is nowhere near prepared to house a baseball stadium downtown. It is my hope that one day they will.

Imagine a world in which the bars and restaurants that fuel the fans of Fenway and Wrigley were brought to Figueroa.

The most pressing issue is infrastructure. Los Angeles is a sprawling city with an underused public transportation system.

While other cities pride themselves on the ease one can get from one part of town to the other, Los Angeles boasts only issues.

The city is only now getting closer to a train that will touch the coast. The long arms that touch all crucial areas like the BART in San Francisco is nonexistent.

With that knowledge, we can imagine a true Carmeggedon for every Dodgers home game that coincides with a Lakers playoff game in May and June.

One day, the people of Los Angeles may get to work and play by using public transportation. It will be a miracle to get the right infrastructure in time as well as convince drivers to break ingrained habits.

There is also the case of Dodgers Stadium. We Angelenos are not yet ready to say our fond farewells to the third oldest stadium in baseball—younger to only Fenway and Wrigley.

Any person that has set foot into the hallowed halls can tell you there is not a bad seat in the joint. It calls to you the same way a stadium that has been through so many classic moments does. 

It is easy to dismantle a stadium when the paint begins to peel and the insides look dilapidated. You can tell when a stadium is on its last leg—Dodger Stadium is not one of them. 

I submit that there will indeed be a time when Dodgers Stadium must close. I sincerely hope that when it does, downtown will get a once over. That area is going through a revival at the moment. Lofts and restaurants are springing up despite a recession. 

The town will one day be a bustling metropolis as it was intended to be, but not yet. One day, I might be able to meet my friends for a bite and beer at a pub, then sashay across the street to watch the Boys in Blue, but later. 

The time is nowhere near right for a move. Please don't take that to mean it is a bad idea. Downtown was meant to house the greatest jewel in the Los Angeles empire. Let's give it some time to prove it.