The Papal Visit : Dodger Crew Has Frantic Field Day Over Papal Mass

When the Dodgers take the field for their first post-papal contest this afternoon, their stadium will have undergone a two-time transformation that workers say ranks only a level or two below an act of God.

“It’s obvious we’re trying to do the impossible; I’d call it a miracle,” declared set designer Rev. Vivian Ben Lima on Wednesday as hundreds of production laborers and volunteers feverishly worked to convert Dodger Stadium from a ball park to a massive open-air cathedral in only half a day.

In all, about 500,000 pounds of production gear were hauled onto the playing field just minutes after the final out of the Dodgers-Astros game shortly after 10 p.m. Tuesday.

And because the Dodgers are scheduled to start a double-header with the Cincinnati Reds at 4:05 p.m. today, the set had to be taken down just as swiftly.

Dodger Stadium has never before been party to such a frenetic logistical feat, according to stadium operations director Bob Smith. Previously, when the park was used for rock concerts or other events, there was more time before the next baseball game.

“It’s going to be tough . . . but I have no fear,” Smith said before the Mass. “We will play ball.”

Making the job somewhat simpler is that “it’s a lot easier to take it down than set it up,” according to Mike Brown, who operates a Duarte-based grandstand and stage construction firm.

The massive, 14,000-square-foot centerfield stage where Pope John Paul II delivered his sermon toward the mound was supposed to have been set up by 9 a.m. Wednesday. But the laborers took more than three hours longer than anticipated. At noon, a six-ton, 52-foot-tall steel cross was hoisted above the bleachers and set into place, completing the heavy work.

However, the pontiff’s altar was still getting its final trim even as ticket holders for the 6:15 p.m. Mass began entering the stadium at 1 p.m.

After the Wednesday night Mass, about 80 crew members began removing the 125 tons of staging and scaffolding, which previously were used on national rock tours by Bruce Springsteen and the Rolling Stones.

10,000 Folding Chairs

Catholic high school volunteers moved to carry out almost 10,000 folding chairs placed on the field over a temporary gray felt carpet that protected the outfield grass, infield diamond and pitching mound.

The regular Dodger cleanup crew swept the seating areas. Concession stands had sold all the usual food and drink--except beer--during the pre-Mass activities.

Crane operators were set to remove the cross and three altar canopies, which will be permanently relocated in an as-yet-undisclosed Catholic cemetery. And a large vacuum cleaner swept wood chips and other debris off that portion of the outfield grass beneath the staging.

Despite the scope of the enterprise, most workers seemed to be in high spirits.

“I’ve done Madonna before. I’ve done the Grateful Dead,” said stage crew member Rich McKee, 24, of San Diego. “But this is different because the Pope is a one-time thing.”

Still, there were three men who would not breathe easy until every last bit of papal paraphernalia was off the field. They were the supervisors of the Dodger groundskeeping crew, who compare the emerald-green field to a young son or daughter.

“To me, this is bigger than a World Series,” said groundskeeper Albert Meyers, 33, who cares for the pitching mound. “But if I was going to have a chance, I’d say to the Pope, ‘Bless the field, please.’ ”