What’s the long-term plan for Dodger Stadium?

Steve Dilbek talked to Stan Kasten about the plan for renovating Dodger Stadium. In the short term -- meaning this offseason -- there are a lot of things that are going to get done: upgrades to the electrical system and water pipes. A sound system tweak. Addition of more gathering areas. That sort of thing.

But when asked about larger, more long-term plans, Kasten says that he and his partners haven’t thought about it yet:

“I know what we need in this ballpark for now, that I can do now in this off-season. Now if I also knew I was going to be here for the next 50 years like Wrigley and Fenway, then we’d also be doing probably other 50-year things,” he said. “I would be announcing a five-year building program. That may yet happen. I haven’t had my time to think about the second step ... I know those are fair questions, and there will be time for me and us to think about that. We just haven’t had that time yet. My guess is we’ll be here, long term, permanent.”

And, as Dilbek notes, it is just a guess, as there are a lot of possibilities involving Chavez Ravine, AEG -- which the Guggenheim Group which owns the Dodgers may buy -- and AEG’s plans to build an NFL stadium. Which could be downtown. Or could be at Chavez Ravine. As could a ballpark for that matter.

My instincts as a fan would be to go with a Fenway-style renovation, keeping the beauty, view, and the most apparent and wonderful elements of Dodger Stadium intact, while modernizing the place. Ultimately, though, it’s gonna be about the money. Because it’s always about the money.