Dodger Stadium Renovation Plan: Why Orel Hershiser's New Rendering Is Horrible

As the Dodgers continue on with the process of finding a new owner, former Dodgers pitcher Orel Hershiser has come forward in thinking that ownership is not the only thing that could use a change in Los Angeles.

The 1988 NL Cy Young winner recently commissioned an architectural rendering of a handful of additions and renovations he thinks could help preserve and improve Dodger Stadium.

While Hershiser's passion for the franchise and its ballpark is nice to see, his ideas fall a bit short of what you would call an improvement; and many look to simply be recycled ideas from other ballparks.

To start off with, here is a look at the current Dodgers Stadium.

And, for convenience, here is another look at the idea proposed by Hershiser.

The first thing that jumps out, at least to me, is the addition of a second deck in right field, a move that would do away with the unique undulating overhang that currently encircles the outfield bleachers, and add a good deal more seating.

While that may seem like a good thing, consider that the current Dodgers Stadium holds 56,000 people, and according to Craig Calcaterra of HardBallTalk, the highest single-season attendance average in Dodgers Stadium came in 2007, at a mark of 47,614. So is more seating really necessary?

Working our way around the outfield, the next thing that jumps out is a new lawn-area batter's eye that is backed by a gaudy electronic scoreboard complete with video screen—an addition that effectively hides much of the fantastic backdrop that largely gives Dodger Stadium its identity.

Atop said scoreboard are a trio of pillars adorned with a cursive "D" Dodgers logo that is nowhere to be found in the past or present of team logos.

The new logo is rather lame, and looking at the outfield as a whole, it appears the general idea is to cram as much expensive advertising space as possible around the scoreboard.

While those are the main additions, another small thing I noticed about the architect's rendering, and this is simple patriotic nit-picking, is that the American flag is nowhere to be found in the outfield. An odd omission, as many stadiums make a point of highlighting the flag in some way.

Hershiser has commented on how worried he is about saving Dodgers Stadium, yet his proposed idea strips the stadium of its very identity, taking away the simplicity and scenery that make Dodger Stadium what it is.

In the early rounds of bidding for the team, Hershiser was part of a group that included electronics corporation LG, and one has to wonder if they were the brains behind the addition of such a significant amount of electronic pieces to the outfield.

Overall, the design falls far short of impressing, but the most troubling thing to me is how strikingly similar it looks to the outfield at The Ballpark in Arlington, home of the Texas Rangers, as a quick photo comparison shows.

Proposed Dodgers Stadium:

The Ballpark in Arlington:

In the end, after being eliminated from the running to buy the team, Hershiser's little more than a Dodgers fan giving his two cents on what the team should do at this point. And as such, chances are thankfully slim to none that any of these ideas actually come to fruition.