That odor, still noticeable last week as workers scrambled to ready the 44-year-old stadium for its home opener on April 3, is a whiff that not everything has gone right.

The Dodgers spent $20 million last year installing1,600 luxury field-level seats, only to find that the sight lines to the field were obstructed because the slope wasn’t steep enough. Part of the off-season has been spent eliminating the problem by ripping out the seats and replacing them with luxury field boxes.

But the odor is not altogether a bad thing.

It’s also a reflection of McCourt’s willingness to rectify his mistakes – both on and off the field – and his commitment to the team, its historic stadium and its fans.

McCourt is two years and $40 million into what he promises will be a complete, five- to six-year makeover of Dodger Stadium as he simultaneously tries to put together a winning team after last year’s disappointing fourth-place finish.

“When there’s a mistake made – what’s far more important is fixing it.” said McCourt, during a recent tour of the stadium. “Things don’t always work out the way that you intended.”

And so it’s been in McCourt’s up and down tenure as owner of the Dodgers, which he purchased from Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. for $430 million two years ago.

The Boston real estate developer is learning that owning a baseball team is a different kind of business, one that depends heavily on the goodwill of the fans and the community.

He stumbled early amid questions of his financial wherewithal to buy the team (ultimately News Corp. loaned him more than $200 million to purchase the Dodgers). He dismissed longtime Dodger executives drawing fan ire.

But then-new General Manager Paul DePodesta and the revamped front office guided the team to the Division title before losing in the first round. The success was shortlived, leading to the dismissal of DePodesta and manager Jim Tracy.

Now, with newly-hired Manager Grady Little and General Manager Ned Colletti – and a historic stadium that is looking more polished – McCourt is once again trying to reach an oft-stated attendance goal of 4 million fans.

Drawing 4 million fans is seen by many as a long shot.