In Mannywood, not-so-great expectations

Arriving for opening day two hours before game time, Eric Serna — wearing fake dreadlocks, a Manny Ramirez “99” jersey and otherwise dressed exactly like the Dodgers left fielder — walked down the aisle toward the left-field corner Tuesday and found his seat in the “Mannywood” section of Dodger Stadium.

But while Serna, 28, remains a die-hard Ramirez fan, his expectations for the capricious slugger this season have diminished in the aftermath of Ramirez’s 50-game suspension last season for violating baseball’s drug policy and his sub-par performance once he returned.

Asked if he felt the same excitement about Ramirez as a year ago on opening day, the same excitement that led the Dodgers to promote a section of Chavez Ravine’s seats in Manny’s name, Serna initially responded with a deep sigh.

“Honestly, not really,” said Serna, an East Los Angeles resident who said he has been coming to Dodgers games since his childhood because his father is a gardener at the stadium. “That half a year that he first had [the latter half of 2008], I think that was his best time, I don’t think he’s ever going to be as good as that.

“But I still support him,” Serna added. “I hope he proves me wrong.”

For one game, at least, Ramirez did his best to do just that, driving a home run — his first of the season — into the left-field pavilion in the fourth inning of the Dodgers’ 9-5 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. And Ramirez overall is off to a good start, batting .304 after Tuesday’s game.

But Serna wasn’t the only Dodgers fan in Mannywood whose expectations of Ramirez — and of the Dodgers overall, for that matter — are tempered as the season gets underway.

“Personally, I’m not feeling optimistic about some of the moves we made and some of the people we let go, and it just didn’t seem like we were very aggressive” acquiring players over the winter, said Alan Anderson of Fillmore, who came to opening day with his wife and teenage daughter and son.

“I hope we at least make the wild card,” said Anderson, who has been attending the Dodgers’ opener for the last 20 years. Anderson said he was especially sorry to see the Dodgers lose second baseman Orlando Hudson.

“I really loved Orlando last year, he was my favorite player,” he said. And this year? Andre Ethier, Anderson said.

Guillermo Morales likewise was sitting in Mannywood for his fifth consecutive opening-day game but said Ethier was his favorite Dodger.

Morales, 25, of Mira Loma, also let out a sigh when asked about his expectations for this season. “They need to get more pitching, they need to spend more on the players,” he said.

How much to spend also was an issue for fans such as Serna as the Dodgers try to defend their National League West title. He enjoys dressing like Ramirez and rooting for the Dodgers from his field-level Mannywood seat, “but usually I can’t afford it,” he said.

james.peltz@latimes.com