Just in time for the dog days of summer, LA Times do-gooder Steve Lopez writes of the sad state of disrepair at a little league baseball field right next door to Dodger Stadium. The Northeast Los Angeles Little League's field, built on the former site of the Bishops Canyon Landfill, is beginning to sink, leaving right field, the bullpen, and the snack bar tilted--so much so that the parents of the 300 little leaguers that play ball on the field are concerned that they will be evicted (Eastsider LA followed up on the story with pictures of the damage and it does not look good). The Department of Recreation and Parks owns the field, but Lopez thinks the field's connections to the Dodgers franchise should spur the team to help. In addition to being within "spitting distance" of the stadium, the field rests "on debris that was cleared from Chavez Ravine when residents were displaced to make room for Dodger Stadium" and the Dodgers are displayed as one of the league's "project partners" on a sign on the bullpen (the big league club donated $10,000 to the little league in 2003). Monica Valencia from Councilmember Ed Reyes's office tells Lopez that although the snack bar (the source of most of the league's operating revenue) will have to be demolished at some point, if the building is finally declared unsafe, "a temporary snack bar and restroom setup will be provided 'until we look for funding for a permanent snack bar.'" Apparently the Dodgers are resistant to help at this point because their well-documented financial support of little league ball stays on the field.
· Dodgers should step up to the plate and help nearby Little League [LA Times]
· The leaning Little League field of Elysian Park [Eastsider LA]
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