Angels Hope to Provide a Little Extra in Bleachers

With the $35 luxury seats behind home plate sold out, the Angels turned their attention Thursday to selling the cheap seats.

And, with an audience of families in mind, Disney appeared to promise more excitement for fans paying $4 for a bleacher seat than for those paying almost 10 times as much for a premium seat.

“In ballparks of old, unless you sat behind home plate, you felt left out of the action,” said Kevin Uhlich, Angels director of stadium operations. “We wanted to change that.”

As renovation continues on Anaheim Stadium, the Angels staged a media tour of the facility Thursday, placing significant emphasis on the attractions in the outfield seating area.

For $35, a waiter can deliver food to your seat. For $4, you have to get the food yourself, but you may not return to your seat for a few innings, particularly if a child tags along with you. The outfield area will feature a picnic area, barbecue pit, kids’ store, interactive games and a child-friendly concession stand with peanut butter-and-jelly sandwiches on the menu. Kids’ tickets will be sold for $2.

“We hope this will really become a place to hang out,” Uhlich said.

You can peek closely at Disney’s signature “California Coastline” behind center field, a landscaped display with rocks and waterfalls that borrows elements from Denver’s Coors Field. After Angel home runs and victories, geysers will shoot water as high as 80 feet into the air, with accompanying music and fireworks.

There won’t be as many home run balls to catch. Construction will add about 20 feet to left and center field.

You can’t see the batter without binoculars, perhaps. Disney shares the minor league baseball philosophy that whether the home team wins matters less than whether you have a good time.

“We want to do more than what happens between the white lines,” Uhlich said. “I think fans deserve that and expect that. That’s the trend in sports.”

Disney wants to shrink the distance between fans and players, Uhlich said. The Angels are considering opening gates earlier, so fans can watch the Angels and not just visiting teams take batting practice, and bringing players and coaches into an entertainment area before games. These areas, like the accessible bullpens, raise security concerns.

“That’s a double-edged sword,” Uhlich said. “Fans can be unruly. We’ll take measures to make sure the players are protected. But our goal is to bring the game to the fans. That’s the only way the game is going to succeed.”

Uhlich confirmed the company does not expect to finish every detail before the March 27 exhibition game against the Dodgers. Painting and landscaping, for instance, could continue into April.

“I’m not going to lie to you and say everything’s going to be complete,” he said. “But we will open March 27. Everything having to do with the guest experience will be done.”