Stan Kasten Meets the People: Say Hello to the L.A. Dodgers' New Team President

Monday night at Dodger Stadium, several fans were surely surprised to be approached and greeted by new team president Stan Kasten. 

Hey, how are you? Those fries look good. Is your beer cold enough? Oh, no—I'm not some weird, nosy guy. I'm the team president. Stan Kasten, pleased to meet you. Oh, I see you need some napkins.

It was the first day the Dodgers' new ownership was running the show. With the Los Angeles Times' Steve Dilbeck trailing along, Kasten was strolling through his new ballpark, greeting season ticket holders, talking to ushers and other various stadium personnel, welcoming everyone to the regime change and a new era of Dodgers baseball. 

At least one fan took the opportunity to voice a complaint. And who better to do so with than someone who calls the shots?

"You have to do something about the bathrooms," the fan told Kasten.

Kasten agreed. Dilbeck didn't report if the new team president got out a mop and plunger, though. Now that would've been a photo opportunity!

Owners and team executives aren't often approachable for fans. The typical setting has them in a luxury suite, perched high above the people, looking down upon all of their little baseball kingdom. TV cameras may catch them, providing them with a bit of humanity.

But there's nothing like shaking a guy's hand and telling him what you think. 

Was this a PR opportunity for the new ownership? At the risk of being cynical, yes, that was probably part of it. This isn't Kasten's first rodeo, having served as team president for the Atlanta Hawks, Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals. 

However, this seems different.

For one thing, Kasten is actually a part-owner this time around. But the Dodgers and the Los Angeles media market are a whole other ballgame. Big things are expected from the new ownership group. 

So watch out the next time someone at Dodger Stadium asks how your ballpark experience is going. It might just be the team president taking a few moments to say hello.

Follow @iancass on Twitter.