Play Ball! : Dodgers’ Home Opener Has Everything but . . .

Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda might have said it was the work of that “Great Big Dodger in the Sky.”

In the morning hours before the Dodgers’ home opener Thursday, fog and drizzle hung over Dodger Stadium, threatening to dampen the spirits of the 47,126 fans who had come to see their favorite team.

But 15 minutes before the first player came to bat, the clouds and fog miraculously lifted, bathing the field, players and fans in warm sunlight.

“I’d rather be here than any place in the world,” shouted Mike Ragome, 31, from the bleachers behind center field as he took off his shirt to enjoy the sun. “It’s opening day, and the sun’s out. Can’t beat that.”

It was the Dodgers’ first regular season game at the stadium since delighting Southern California fans with a dramatic World Series victory against the Oakland Athletics last year, and the atmosphere before the game was one of pageantry and celebration.

Before the game, the Dodgers were presented with their championship rings, and the stadium was decorated as if for a World Series with red-white-and-blue bunting on the box seats along the left and right field foul lines.

Nancy Reagan--whom Lasorda called “the Dodgers’ lucky charm” when the victorious team met then-President Ronald Reagan last October--threw out the ceremonial first pitch, an underhand fastball to catcher Mike Scioscia.

Meanwhile, in the parking lot, scalpers were asking as much as $20 for $8 box seats. The last available ticket for the game with the Houston Astros was sold Feb. 24.

‘Everyone Wants Tickets’

“It was an advance sellout,” said one smiling scalper near the Stadium Way entrance. “Everyone wants tickets.”

Among those lucky enough to have tickets for the midday game were many fans, of course, who weren’t really supposed to be at the ballpark.

A 36-year-old investment banker wearing dress slacks and a tie watched the balls and strikes from a choice seat behind home plate. He said he reported to work at 8:30 in the morning and then told his boss he was going to a “meeting.”

“Actually, I’m still at work,” he said, unhooking a pager from his belt. “If I get beeped, I’ll go to a pay phone and hope they can’t tell I’m at a ballgame.”

Seven-year-old Gregory Veis had permission to be at the game. His public school was on spring vacation this week, said his mother Susan Veis, an attorney.

“I love to watch the Dodgers real close up,” the freckle-faced boy said as he sat in the dugout-level seats just behind home plate.

Despite a few off-season baseball scandals--including an investigation of Cincinnati Reds’ manager Pete Rose for alleged contacts with gamblers--Gregory hadn’t lost any of his admiration for his baseball heroes. He wore a Dodger jersey with the number 23 on the back, that of his favorite player, Kirk Gibson.

“He really tries hard,” Gregory said of the Dodger outfielder. “He always wants to do the best he can do. I hope he hits a home run.”

Gregory was not happy to see his hero strike out at his first at bat in a game that eventually went into extra innings, which was good news for David McEnany.

The 34-year-old oil company administrator, who arrived at the stadium 90 minutes after the game started, was not only late for the game but also for a meeting with other businessmen waiting for him in the stands.

“I think it’s the fifth inning,” he said as he ran toward the gate. “I missed Nancy, but that’s OK.”

The bad news for McEnany and other Dodger fans was the final score: 4-2 Astros.

GAME STORY: Sports, Part III, Page 1