EZC-Boston Posted March 28, 2005 Share Posted March 28, 2005 http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-plasch...ack=1&cset=true Put In His Place With front-row seats since Dodger Stadium opened, this fan won't pay the price to move up Aisle 25, first row, seats 1, 2, 3, 4. Numbers to anyone else, but a life's work for Irving Zeiger, who has had the best seats in the house for as long as there has been a house. Zeiger mailed his initial deposit for Dodger season tickets while the team was still in Brooklyn, reportedly the first check Walter O'Malley received. When O'Malley built Dodger Stadium, he rewarded Zeiger by renting him the cornerstone. His seats were in the first row directly above the Dodger dugout. He was so close he could smell the resin and spot the tobacco stains. He wore a glove not for souvenirs, but protection. For 43 years he has sat there, placing his diet soda on the dugout roof and autograph-seeking kids at his feet and embracing this town's last bit of unchanging real estate. "It may sound funny, but to enjoy these seats with my family, to share them with others, I really had an emotional feeling about them," said Zeiger, 86. Then, this winter, he received a phone call. It was a strange woman from this strange new organization known as, well, the Dodgers. The voice was cheery. The news sounded good. The Dodgers had moved the dugout closer to the field and installed four new rows of seats behind it. But Zeiger need not worry, he could retain his four stadium-best seats directly above the new dugout. It would cost him only $120,000. You read that right. It would cost him only $120,000. Irv Zeiger has cheered for Koufax, screamed for Gibson, pumped his fist for Piazza. But no Dodger has ever blown him away like that woman on the phone. "I thought she was joking," he said. "She wanted $120,000 from me to keep those seats I've had for half my life?" Zeiger was scheduled to pay $20,000 for his four seats, so the new figure constituted a 500% increase. To move up four rows. To watch a team that has won one playoff game in 16 years. To support an owner who spent the winter breaking up a division champion while slashing the payroll. And, oh yeah, the Dodgers would throw in parking and a pregame buffet. "I eat one Dodger Dog every game, with relish, mustard and onions," said Zeiger, shrugging. "I told the woman, 'You want $120,000? Are you kidding me?' " He said the woman laughed and said no. Zeiger, a retired Navy pilot and aerospace executive who long ago built his Hollywood Hills home for less than $120,000, did not share that laugh. He declined the offer and kept his four original seats. But for the first time since the stadium opened, he won't be sitting there for the home opener. In a protest that nobody will see, in a message that will change nothing, Irving Zeiger will watch the game on television from his family room chair. He will pull a diet soda from the refrigerator while Bea, his wife of 60 years, turns on the stove and makes him a hot dog. With relish, mustard and onions. To him, it's not that his seats are no longer special, although they aren't, what with a wall and waitresses and four rich rows now separating him from the field his money helped build. To him, it's the organization that is no longer special. "I just don't feel like the Dodgers are my team anymore," Zeiger said. "I doubt that they are even L.A.'s team anymore. It's no longer about a relationship. It's about a business." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Dodgers regret that Irving Zeiger no longer has the best seats in the house. But, financially, they're not going to miss him. They added about 50 seats in the first row directly behind both dugouts and sold every seat at $30,000 per season. They added a total of 250 seats in the other three rows behind the dugout and have sold every one. There will be a total of 1,600 new seats at the stadium this year, and most have been sold. The increased revenue supposedly will help McCourt sign players, although he must have forgotten about the renovations when he was dismissing Adrian Beltre. "There is obviously a demand for these seats," said Marty Greenspun, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Dodgers. "We are trying to serve all the fans." Meanwhile, pricing for 80% of Dodger Stadium seats remains unchanged, a kid can still walk up and buy a $4 pavilion seat, so it seems they're not trying to bleed the average fan. Except, well, Irving Zeiger and other longtime ticket-holders consider themselves average fans. "I've never met a player, I don't care about any of that, I'm just a guy who likes to watch baseball," Zeiger said. "I've worked hard all my life, made a better-than-average living, and I just like to watch the game." Watching it from the front row was about more than a good view of the game. It was about a good view of his life. Growing up in Cleveland, Zeiger could never afford anything but bleacher seats, from where he watched everyone from Babe Ruth to Ted Williams. "I always said to myself, if I had a chance, I would sit closer to my heroes," he said. During discussions about moving the team from Brooklyn, Walter O'Malley would publicly joke that some nut from Los Angeles had already sent him a deposit. That nut was apparently Zeiger, who sat behind the dugout at the Coliseum before moving to his prime seats at Dodger Stadium. He still has the stubs for the initial home opener on April 10, 1962. Those are the same seats he has today. The same seats that he would give up for long stretches before every game so children could stand in front of him and get autographs. The same seats he would donate to countless charity auctions. "For me to have gone from the bleachers in Cleveland to those seats, it always meant something to me," he said. Good thing he has a framed photo of himself leaning over the dugout cheering wildly for a Ron Cey homer in 1980. He has forever been pushed out of the picture. Although not far enough that he would give up his old seats. "I thought he was off his rocker," Bea said. "I said, 'If you're so mad, why don't you just give up the tickets?' He said he couldn't. He said he still loved the game too much." Zeiger knows his one-game walkout will have no teeth because, indeed, he probably will be back the next night. He doesn't care. He won't apologize for being a baseball fan. He doesn't want the Dodgers to apologize for being businessmen. He simply longs for the days when they were watching the same game. "I don't want to sound like an old guy who is mad things are changing, because I know they have to change," Zeiger said. "I know Frank McCourt doesn't have money to buy the team, so he's making everyone else pay for it. I'm not mad at him. That's business." He shook his head. "But at some point, even for one day, if only for yourself, you just have to say you don't want to be part of it." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1billsfan Posted March 28, 2005 Share Posted March 28, 2005 Sorry, but I have a hard time working up sympathy for a guy who can afford a $20,000 annual season ticket fee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
/dev/null Posted March 28, 2005 Share Posted March 28, 2005 Dodgers = RJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsFanNC Posted March 28, 2005 Share Posted March 28, 2005 Sorry, but I have a hard time working up sympathy for a guy who can afford a $20,000 annual season ticket fee. 289201[/snapback] Not the point. A 500% season ticket price hike for your most loyal fans is wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverNRed Posted March 28, 2005 Share Posted March 28, 2005 Not the point. A 500% season ticket price hike for your most loyal fans is wrong. 289232[/snapback] Face it, the Los Angeles Dodgers aren't a classy franchise. Now, the Los Angeles/California/Anaheim/Los Angeles (again) Angels - they're SoCal's team! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Cat Posted March 28, 2005 Share Posted March 28, 2005 This situation is the perfect metaphor for how major sports have gone wrong (i.e. corporate). Here you have this old guy who represents the poetic past of baseball - likely passing great narratives of baseball's giants to his children and grandchildren. He represents all that was great about baseball. Now you have the modern coporate baseball team ashewing all that is great about baseball - in a way, spitting on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabattBlue Posted March 28, 2005 Share Posted March 28, 2005 Didn't the Dodgers also take a lot of heat for letting go a long time member of their radio broadcast crew this off-season? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IDBillzFan Posted March 28, 2005 Share Posted March 28, 2005 I'm not sure what everyone is yapping about. In the Artest thread it was commented on that athletes are always in fear of being attacked by fans and are never safe. The extra money clearly will go toward providing more security so athletes can once again feel safe on the field. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1billsfan Posted March 28, 2005 Share Posted March 28, 2005 Not the point. A 500% season ticket price hike for your most loyal fans is wrong. 289232[/snapback] If he was such a loyal guy he would have dropped them when they left for LA and become a New York Met fan. I feel no sympathy for him because he's a rich LA Dodger fan who isn't rich enough anymore to afford front row seats. Tell him to try rooting for a team that lost 4 straight Superbowls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Darin Posted March 28, 2005 Share Posted March 28, 2005 Sorry, but I have a hard time working up sympathy for a guy who can afford a $20,000 annual season ticket fee. 289201[/snapback] Yeah, a guy who's 86 years old and has been going to games for 43 years is part of and can afford to buy four season ducats for $5K a pop is what's wrong with America. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1billsfan Posted March 28, 2005 Share Posted March 28, 2005 Yeah, a guy who's 86 years old and has been going to games for 43 years is part of and can afford to buy four season ducats for $5K a pop is what's wrong with America. 289322[/snapback] There's a big difference in not feeling sorry for and thinking there's something wrong with rich people fighting over ticket prices. I just don't feel sorry for him. Did he feel sorry for all of the Brooklyn Dodger fans when they bolted NYC? Probably not. He'll get to see them in the same seat he's always had, it just won't be the front row anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted March 28, 2005 Share Posted March 28, 2005 Oh look, more hatred and, dare I say, jealousy over someone who has more money than themselves. The guy came from nothing and made something of himself and wans to spend that money on season tickets for the Dodgers (god knows why), and all people here can say is, "He has too much money." The guy's 86 years old, baseball is obviously one of his true passions, he's had season tickets since day one, yet you would begrudge him his seats because he "has too much money?" And he's not even complaining about it, as much as sighing wistfully about it. To all of you who are jealous of what his hard work has gained him... Darn the red smiley is gone. Personally, I commend the guy for his silent protest. CW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1billsfan Posted March 28, 2005 Share Posted March 28, 2005 Oh look, more hatred and, dare I say, jealousy over someone who has more money than themselves. The guy came from nothing and made something of himself and wans to spend that money on season tickets for the Dodgers (god knows why), and all people here can say is, "He has too much money." The guy's 86 years old, baseball is obviously one of his true passions, he's had season tickets since day one, yet you would begrudge him his seats because he "has too much money?" And he's not even complaining about it, as much as sighing wistfully about it. To all of you who are jealous of what his hard work has gained him... Darn the red smiley is gone. Personally, I commend the guy for his silent protest. CW 289354[/snapback] Hatred? Get a grip. Try reading my post again, not having sympathy and hatred are two completely different things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted March 28, 2005 Share Posted March 28, 2005 Hatred? Get a grip. Try reading my post again, not having sympathy and hatred are two completely different things. 289355[/snapback] Everytime there's a post about how someone has money, people start posting negative comments about that person. Every time. CW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Darin Posted March 28, 2005 Share Posted March 28, 2005 Everytime there's a post about how someone has money, people start posting negative comments about that person. Every time.CW 289357[/snapback] Yep. Evil money having people. Hate them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1billsfan Posted March 28, 2005 Share Posted March 28, 2005 Everytime there's a post about how someone has money, people start posting negative comments about that person. Every time.CW 289357[/snapback] I just think there are more things to get worked up over. They are making it sound like they're taking him out to right field and putting him to sleep like old yeller. If he's 86 years old and this is the first time he found out that life's a B word then he must have led some charmed life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverNRed Posted March 28, 2005 Share Posted March 28, 2005 The guy came from nothing and made something of himself and wans to spend that money on season tickets for the Dodgers (god knows why), and all people here can say is, "He has too much money." 289354[/snapback] The guy should drive a little further down the Freeway and grab some Angels tickets. Problem solved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dwight Drane Posted March 29, 2005 Share Posted March 29, 2005 Everytime there's a post about how someone has money, people start posting negative comments about that person. Every time.CW 289357[/snapback] Section 211 Row 6 Seat 5 1998 Rich Stadium $38/game Section 211 Row 6 Seat 5 2005 Ralph Wilson Stadium $150/game Pretty much the same deal as this guy. Same seat with a warm dupa and the right to buy a $5 piece of cheesecake. Everyone was PO'd about it when it happened. Season ticket holders from the rockpile had to give up their seats because they couldn't afford them. It is a business....so is life now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jarthur31 Posted March 29, 2005 Share Posted March 29, 2005 Sorry, but I have a hard time working up sympathy for a guy who can afford a $20,000 annual season ticket fee. 289201[/snapback] Xactly! I don't know of any average fans who can afford $20,000 for tix. But the team really screwed him regardless after buying season tickets for decades. Sports today is less about athleticism as it is about the bottom line. P.S., the Dodger PR people should be falling all over themselves to help him out and grandfather him in as an exception. He's only got days left to live not years. Let his last years on Earth be more enjoyable. If this guy was a war vet, he shouldn't have to put up with this crap. It's shows you what a classy organization the Dodgers are now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gantrules Posted March 29, 2005 Share Posted March 29, 2005 That absolutely sucks. I could relate to his last line about it being a business. I think we all know it is. It's really sad though that if I get two tickets and a bus trip to NYC for me and my son for two days to watch the Braves it's going to run $800.00. That's a lot for my family. But, then again there are people out there in LA scooping up 30K seats with no questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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