A Day at the Beach

Jamie Hoffman's first career home run sailed into the Left Field Pavilion on Sunday afternoon, igniting a 54,000-fan frenzy around Dodger Stadium. But for 800 Dodger die-hards enjoying the debut of Bleacher Beach on the Lower Reserve, the three-run blast brought about a second wave of water from what seemed liked the skies above. However, this is Los Angeles, with no threat of a rain shower until Thanksgiving. In this case, the spray was courtesy of a water hose held by the 'lifeguard' on duty, celebrating the score with a sunny day respite.

And with that, Bleacher Beach was officially christened. The latest section of Dodger Stadium to feature unlimited nachos and Dodger Dogs also included enough BBQ burgers, chicken and watermelon to keep beach goers full all afternoon. The party began with the music of KIIS-FM entertaining the crowd as they basked in the mist of the cool zones and shade of the Malibu Clout tent.

Unlike Hermosa or Santa Monica, this beach came sans sand, but did offer a view of both the field and the surrounding foliage as the sights over the side of the tiki-hut handrails made for picturesque postcards from a three-hour vacation to Dodgertown. Among the sights at this beach were flip flop beach passes, flip-flop-footed fans, and a flip of the traditional lid with drink-holder boxes turned into cardboard cowboy hats. The unusual headgear kept a group of fans protected from the sun, but not from the attention as the crew posed for more photos than the lifeguard girls.

As the day came to a close, and the Angels turned to their closer, the mist had settled on Bleacher Beach as dusk rapidly approached - this was interleague baseball with the time of the game pushing four hours. The fun-filled day in the sun, with a dash of Dodger baseball thrown in, was coming to an end. But for the first flock of fans to enjoy the bird's eye view of the game from the beach, they walked out of the Stadium with more than the joy of a victory could have provided (although that would have been a nice way to cap off the day). Rather, they walked away with misty memories, mild sunburn, and an exclusive Dodgertown beach bag given to every beach bum on their way in. Excuse the obvious plug...as I said, it would have been easier if the boys in blue had won, but I still believe the fans enjoyed the experience. In this case, it was a day at the beach.

Originally appeared on Inside the Dodgers - the front office blog of the Los Angeles Dodgers
5/26/09