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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted at 1:34 p.m., Friday, November 14, 2008

MLB: Dodgers will charge up to $90 for exhibition games

By JOHN NADEL
AP Sports Writer

LOS ANGELES — Forget Dodger Blue. This is Dodger Green — as in $90 for a spring training ticket.

That's what the Dodgers will charge for 692 top seats at their new spring home in Glendale, Ariz. Last year, their highest-priced exhibition ticket was $20 at Vero Beach, Fla.

The team's chief operating officer believes the perks of the new tickets — including cool, scented towels — will make the cost worthwhile for hard-core fans who can afford them.

"They're similar to the dugout seats at Dodger Stadium," Dennis Mannion said Friday.

Mannion said the $90 price includes free parking in the VIP section, which normally costs $10; a $20 coupon that can be used for food, beverages and merchandise; a different premium item such as a floppy hat or baseball hat at no charge, and complimentary water and sunscreen along with those fancy towels.

The Dodgers are charging $30, $26 and $24 for everything else between the bases, and $18 for reserved seats otherwise.

The park seats 10,000, plus space for another 3,000 fans who can watch on the lawn behind the outfield fence for $8. The first home game is scheduled for March 1 against Milwaukee.

"I think it's an incredible value for all the seats for the up-close baseball experience," Mannion said. "We want to look at alternative ticketing structures down the road. We'll try different types of merchandise and food and beverage packaging. We want to give inside access opportunities to fans to be able to see workouts up close and demonstrations of the game of baseball. We're also going to be looking at very innovative ways to activate our corporate partnerships at the facility to the benefit of fans."

The top price for spring training tickets last year ranged from $46 for the first row at Boston games to $16 for the Chicago White Sox and Cincinnati Reds.

The Dodgers are moving to Arizona for spring training after spending the last 61 years in Vero Beach, dating back to their days in Brooklyn. The team moved to Los Angeles in 1958.

They will eventually share the $100 million facility with the White Sox, who have trained in Tucson, Ariz., the past 10 years.

"The facility is 80 percent completed and will be finished by Feb. 1," Mannion said. "It will provide so much more than just the games — access to workouts and access to an entire campus of baseball activity. It's the most unique training facility that's ever been built to date. It features 16 fields plus the main field. There's a lake that separates the Dodgers from the White Sox and provides a walking tour.

"It's coming together perfectly, I really believe it will be a very proud moment for the Dodgers and the White Sox when each team moves in. We are 100 percent moving in next February. The White Sox are not confirmed yet, but they are working on a plan."