Dodgers, charity and city to add or upgrade ball fields

Shards of glass, bumpy grass and rocks are what Jose Serna was used to as a kid.

Lights and modern turf on a baseball field were luxuries.

“If the ball took a bad hop, you lose a tooth,” the Roosevelt High School senior outfielder said.

So now, as he watched with his teammates on the edge of the baseball infield at Evergreen Recreation Center in Boyle Heights, Serna was pleased to hear the news. Los Angeles Dodgers’ owner Frank McCourt, a local charity and city officials announced Tuesday that they would begin a long-term campaign to remodel or build 42 baseball fields throughout the city and Los Angeles County.

McCourt and city officials offered few specifics, including how much money the Dodgers’ owner would contribute. A representative from Friedman Charitable Foundation, a local philanthropic organization, said it would match the Dodgers’ efforts up to $5 million. No timeline was set for completing the project.

The Dodger Dream Foundation, a charitable group funded by McCourt, has already remodeled eight parks in Los Angeles County since 2003. Two years ago, the foundation built a field in Koreatown on land provided by the city, team organizers said.

McCourt said he would commit as much money as necessary to bring the total number of parks to 50 -- also the number of years since the team moved from Brooklyn.

“These fields, along with libraries and schools, are the backbone of the community,” McCourt said. “And kids deserve a safe place to play.”

The Dream Foundation and Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks are asking the public to nominate parks.

Of the nearly 50 elementary and middle school-aged children who attended the announcement, few, if any, recognized the notable Dodger alumni present or the owner of their hometown team.

Fewer paid attention to the announcement, as they twirled their caps, fidgeted in their seats and stretched their arms.

And when Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa appeared and asked the children to put their caps on, two balked.

Despite their love of baseball, Javier Hernandez, 11, and Johnny Gonzalez, 12, said they didn’t want to ruin their hair.

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james.wagner@latimes.com