Ravine of Dreams : Dodgers’ Home Opener Offers a Chance to Forget City’s Troubles

The war is over and the troops are trickling home. And up in the hills above downtown Los Angeles, so close and yet so far from City Hall, it was that time of year again . . . time for the ump to cry out, “Play ball!”

But first, there were some firsts to take care of:

* The first standing ovation was reserved not for the introductions of heroes like Darryl Strawberry and Orel Hershiser, but for such unfamiliar names as Lozanich, Jaegge, Docena and Willems. They and several other Dodger guests who served in Operation Desert Storm were in uniform, representing the branches of the armed forces. The crowd cheered and the players joined in the applause.

* The first pitch was thrown by an old movie actor wearing a satin Dodgers jacket. The name Reagan was on the back. If you bat right-handed, it was high and inside.

* The first national anthem was sung by Marine Sgt. William C. Cassell, just back from the Persian Gulf. His “Star-Spangled Banner” was strong and dignified. Cassell saluted smartly, did an about-face and marched off the field.

And only then did umpire Paul Layne say the magic words.

“Play ball!”

Once again, baseball season had come. Once again, Los Angeles could escape to its Chavez Ravine of dreams.

Even if extra-long Dodger Dogs ain’t what they used to be and the price of peanuts has doubled--as many fans grumbled--there was the feeling that opening day had come not a moment too soon.

It’s not just the appeal of baseball or affection for the Dodgers. It felt, well, American to be at the ballgame, some fans said. What with the war over, advertising man Chuck Mycoff of Upland said, “There’s this pride in America thing going on, and baseball’s all part of that.”

And, while nobody wanted to dwell on it, fans said it would be nice to forget about the city’s troubles for a while. Just imagine: The 11 o’clock news featuring Dodgers highlights, not the lowlights of the LAPD and City Hall.

“It’s the best thing to happen right now,” said Mike Aguirre of Pasadena, who came for the game wearing a “To Live and Die in L.A.” T-shirt. Dodger Stadium is so far removed from the mean streets, he said, “you don’t think about the hassles with the Police Department and everything. . . . It will ease a lot of minds.”

“If baseball can’t bring the city together, I don’t know what could,” said Lee Stahl, a retired sheriff’s sergeant.

Controversy or no, Mayor Tom Bradley’s wife, Ethel, was in her usual front-row seat near the Dodgers dugout. “I would come to the ballpark no matter what. As long as it isn’t raining,” she said. She is 72 and wants everyone to know that she and the mayor will be celebrating their golden anniversary May 4.

“She raised us on Dodger baseball,” said daughter Lorraine Bradley. “Dodger baseball has always been a release for everybody. When the season’s over, you want it to start all over again.”

Not everybody, however, shares this mystical belief that the Dodgers are important to the psyche of Los Angeles. Such highfalutin talk about baseball and its spiritual and social significance seemed lost on some people.

The biggest concern for many was the quality of the food concessions. Marriott Corp., the new stadium concessionaire, had brought in Pizza Hut and Carl’s Jr. to add more variety. That seemed fine. But as in the Freeway Series with the Angels, there were complaints of food shortages and long lines.

Dodger Dogs--now there’s a cause celebre in the making. Like many Dodger fans, Ethel Bradley is angered by the fact that Marriott took out the last hot dog grills in favor of the steamers that began showing up in past seasons.

Like Fernando Valenzuela, the inviting aroma of Dodger Dogs on the grill has disappeared.

From “down here you could smell them all the way up the elevator shaft,” said Mycoff, after ruefully accepting a steamed dog in the dugout level.

Many fans are complaining, said Brad Bryan, manager of the dugout-level concession stand. At his stand, the hot dogs used to be grilled right in front of the customer. “When you walked up, you could say, ‘Oh, I want that burned one,’ ” Bryan said. Now, instead of a stack of the extra-long wieners on the grill, there is a stainless-steel compartment filled with steamed dogs.

Bryan proudly remembered when a Japanese TV crew did a feature on Dodger Dogs. “The guy said, ‘Shame. Can only get visual. Need machine to record smell.’ ”

So the questions have been raised: Are these really Dodger Dogs? Is nothing sacred?

Incidentally, the Dodgers lost, 4-2, to the San Diego Padres. But there are 80 home games left to play.