The worst day in Dodger Stadium history?

The traffic problem started in the morning rush, and continued all day long. The lot wasn't opened until 10:30. (It has opened as early as 7:30 on Opening Day.) The Dodgers don't want tailgaters. (Given the drunken atmosphere and the out-of-control behavior that takes place before Chargers games at Qualcomm, I'm all for that.)

(However, given the horrible traffic conditions that were building outside the ball park, any idiot could have seen that something had to be done to let the people in, and to clear the surface streets. Only one of the entrances is a multiple-lane road. The others are all side-streets.)

So, people came early, not knowing they couldn't get in. So, the gridlock began, and lasted all day long, spreading to other freeways.

To make matters worse, one LA Times columnist took a pot shot at the ball park itself, calling it "aging," in one specific article. (Perhaps he was stuck in traffic, or he's upset about the pending sale of Tribco.)

Rob and I have attended 10 to 20 Dodgers games a year for the past several years. Can you imagine the impact if others like us decide to stop going because of this mess?

• 
  
• Jon Weisman asks for the McCourts to look within to fix the problem rather than blaming the drivers.
  
• Sons Of Steve Garvey, one of my favorite new Dodger blogs, was at opening day and wasn't happy about it.  They see it as part of a pattern of institutional incompetence, with a litany of missed opportunities and bungled plans (the new foul line seats that will have to be completely rebuilt thanks to bad sightlines that mean women and other short people can't see the field, the tumultuous 2005/2006 offseason, the tumultuous 2004/2005 offseason, the firing of Dan Evans, etc.).
  
• And of course, I have my own kvetching about Dodger flak Josh Rawitch's disingenuous reply to complaints about the parking situation.
  

Let's hope it's not one that features "institutional incompetence." (Perhaps that's what we have endured for the last 25 years, and the 50 prior to that)

Upon my vists to Dodger Stadium, even on vacation trips as a kid (My parents and I attended an Angels game at Chavez Ravine in 1967) I have been in traffic jams, but I have experienced nothing like Dodgers fans had to endure yesterday.

Really.

http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/la/ballpark/parking.jsp

Details, should you choose to read them, here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/02/AR2007040201071.html

Needless to say, in comparison I had a very positive response to the Levy Survey that was left at the Wrigley concession stands on Opening Day.

As for the game, my friend has season tickets, which come with a preferred parking pass.  We entered through the usual location and were shocked to see the sea of yellow-shirted employees running around aimlessly; obviously, the McCourts are trying to get organized, but they are failing miserably.  The season ticket lots have switched from numbers to letters, and we had no clue where to go.  We were told to go straight by one employee but from that point it was anybody's guess.  We were forced to go into a one-way loop around the stadium that cost us at least 20 minutes of time, leading to our arrival in the 2nd inning. Inside, the stadium has developed a split-personality.  The seats have all gone back to the original pastel colors and along with last year's removal of player names, the McCourts have been trying to restore a sense of Dodger tradition.  This nice idea has been muted by eye-boggling advertisements, more neon than a busy Tokyo intersection and the replacement of the classic Dodger organ with loud rock music.  It makes for a baffling game experience; in my mind, they should go one way or the other, because I don't think they're making anyone happy with the current plan.  

Finally, the concessions plain suck. In the fifth inning, I finally went for some food, and there were three people in front of me at the Dodger Dog stand.  It took me over 15 minutes to get my food! Not only that, but they were sold out of the regular Dodger Dogs, so I had to pay extra for a "Super Dodger Dog".  Their credit card system was broken down, too, so I was lucky to have cash on me.  I asked the cashier what the slowdown was, and she blamed the issues on Levy, the 2nd year concessions company.  She said that when they took over the business, everything, including employee morale, went straight downhill.  Based on my experiences there over the last two seasons, I heartily concur.

As much as I hate the Dodgers, I've been going to the stadium since the 70s, and it was always an okay experience (especially when they lost).  Unfortunately, whatever charm the stadium once held for me is long gone, so I only go to games when someone offers me a free ticket.  I can't imagine paying for the experience, unless you're the type who enjoys the whole S&M thing.