Stan Kasten’s President’s Day Message

"“(baseball is) our national pastime, that is if you discount political campaigning.” -Ronald Reagan"

We may be celebrating the famous speeches of presidential greats like Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy this President’s Day, but Dodger CEO and President Stan Kasten had a few words of his own for fans.

From Ken Gurnick’s article:

MLB.com asked him to provide his three main messages to Dodgers fans going into the 2015 season and here’s what he had to say:

"“As is the case each season, the Dodgers are focused on three primary areas: scouting and player development, enhancing the fan experience at Dodger Stadium and community outreach. Solid work on those platforms is critical to building a franchise designed for long-term success on and off the field.”“The Dodgers understand fielding a team that will contend for championships year in and year out begins with our scouting and player development departments and, as was demonstrated during the offseason, we are committed to doing whatever it takes to be successful in those areas. We reached the postseason the last two years and that has only whet our appetite to capture the ultimate prize in 2015.”“Dodger Stadium is one of the crown jewels of Major League ballparks, but as the third-oldest it requires constant vigilance to maintain its reputation as a fan favorite, and Dodger management continues to work to provide the amenities the 21st century Dodger fan expects. The Dodgers led the Major Leagues in attendance in 2014 with the second-highest total in team history. We expect similar numbers in 2015, and we want each and every fan to enjoy their experience from the time they enter the stadium until they leave.”“Through the Dodgers Foundation and our community relations team, the Dodgers are constantly involved in programs to give back to the Greater Los Angeles community. Our pillars are education and literacy, sports and recreation and health and wellness. In 2014, we achieved a benchmark in giving totaling more than $1 million, impacting more than 50 non-profit organizations. We are already at work to grow that success in 2015.”"

The Dodgers go into the first week of Spring Training with a revamped roster and a fresh outlook on scouting and player development which seems to be the keystone of the message which Stan Kasten gave fans on President’s Day. Working with new Dodger executives Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi this offseason, Kasten has overseen most of the baseball related changes. He is reinforcing the importance of player development and scouting to the Dodgers in his speech.

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Kasten alludes to the fact that making these needed moves, albeit some being very controversial, were necessary in order to build a viable team for long-term success. Kasten also cites the importance of fan experience at Dodger Stadium as one of the areas of focus as well. He talks of the experience at Dodger Stadium as far as refreshed amenities, but he does not make any mention of the stalemated television cable subscriber situation which has left many Dodger fans with darkened TV screens when their Dodgers are on the air at SportsNet LA.

The charitable work the Dodgers are involved with also is highlighted in Stan’s speech, and the Dodgers will continue to be involved in their charities and work to grow their success in 2015 according to Kasten.

Stan Kasten is perhaps the best speech maker on the Dodgers, and I can imagine him delivering a Dodger Blue Address in front of Dodger Stadium with the American Flag flying behind him as he talks of world championships and Wi-Fi. Fireworks would burst in air after he concluded his speech…

It’s all very patriotic, but the real test will come this Spring when the new roster begins to work out at Camelback Ranch. Time will tell if the new front office has put together a world championship caliber ball club, but until then I salute Stan and our great presidents of the United State of America.