Wrigley Scoreboard article

[Banedon]

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/chi-0606120109jun12,1,5723421.story?coll=cs-home-headlines

 

I thought this would an interesting discussion. Personally I think if you're gonna replace the scoreboard, just replace Wrigley. At that point, you're taking out one of the major pieces of Wrigley's charm and uniqueness.

 

I also think that given the state of the Cubs, this was a dumb article to write. When the Cubs are this bad, I don't much care about how old the scoreboard is.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

Eric Benderoff obviously either has:

 

1) not earned the respect from his bosses to do actual stories

2) way too much free time

[Shawon12]

With the new scoreboard would come commericals during half innings and at bats; which I believe would cheapen the experience.

[cubs121]

man... our offense is soo bad sometimes?? that im not sure the Home side of the score board will be used! :lol: and with Rusch pitching! man the Visitors scoreboard will be broken! :lol:

[Fro]

I wouldn't be deathly opposed to adding a huge video screen, but taking out the hand-operated scoreboard would be a criminal offense.

[soapy]

I wouldn't be deathly opposed to adding a huge video screen, but taking out the hand-operated scoreboard would be a criminal offense.

 

I think I'm pretty opposed to both. This might be lame, but one of the things I like about Wrigley is that the focus is on the game, not the scoreboard. I hate the "kiss cam", "flex cam", and whatever "races" they want to throw up there between innings. Not to mention having stupid question and answer sessions with fans on the big screen between innings. It's annoying. I like taking the oppurtunity between innings to gather my thoughts and discuss what just happen in the previous inning and who is coming up next inning.

 

If the screen was simply going to be for showing replays and stuff like that, I'd be much less opposed.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Wow...what a dumb article.

 

I love this part...

 

It is time for a scoreboard where you don't have to add up the runs to figure out the score

 

Oh well, if you can't do simple arithmatic.... I think I like going back to the day when the average person could do simple addition. Maybe I don't need to be reminded that there's a generation of people who can't.

 

and then another gem...

 

And it certainly would be nice to see a replay of a great play,

 

Don't worry, when you get home you can watch sportscenter show it for the nintieth time.

 

The screen would display relevant statistics for the player at bat, an easy-to-read (no math!) summary of the game action and always provide the name of the pitcher, in case you missed a pitching change

 

Once again, he illuminates us to the problem that he can't add! This isn't long division, just simple addition that rarely even involves double-digit numbers!

 

I'm not willing to lose the charm of the scoreboard just to appease the mathematically challenged. Bring a caculator for Kent's sake!

[J.R.]

I can't believe the Trib is paying for crap like that. Of course, Dusty remains in the fold, so I shouldn't be shocked.

[Banedon]

I love this part...

 

It is time for a scoreboard where you don't have to add up the runs to figure out the score

 

Oh well, if you can't do simple arithmatic.... I think I like going back to the day when the average person could do simple addition. Maybe I don't need to be reminded that there's a generation of people who can't.

 

Even worse, there are the scoreboards on the upper deck along the baselines that actually show the score....all added up and everything...so that doesn't carry water with me.

[mjohnson71]

A video screen just doesn't work at the current Wrigley. I'm not one of those hard core Kool-aid traditionalists, but it just doesn't fit in.

 

That being said I think we'll see a replacement of Wrigley within a decade.

- after the Cardinals get their whole project completed.

- the Mets, Yankees, Nationals and Twins all get new places within 4 years

the environment will be changed and I could see Cubs ownership willing to build a new place.

 

But on the other side of the coin; as long as Daley is in office, a new Wrigley with even $0 in public money will be unlikely.

[MustangMike]

I wouldn't be deathly opposed to adding a huge video screen, but taking out the hand-operated scoreboard would be a criminal offense.

 

I think I'm pretty opposed to both. This might be lame, but one of the things I like about Wrigley is that the focus is on the game, not the scoreboard. I hate the "kiss cam", "flex cam", and whatever "races" they want to throw up there between innings. Not to mention having stupid question and answer sessions with fans on the big screen between innings. It's annoying. I like taking the oppurtunity between innings to gather my thoughts and discuss what just happen in the previous inning and who is coming up next inning.

 

If the screen was simply going to be for showing replays and stuff like that, I'd be much less opposed.

 

I don't think a new scoreboard would mean kiss cam and all that stuff...especially fan interviews. I don't see cub fans liking that sort of thing. I'd just like the scoreboard to have all game information avaliable. It would have to fit Wrigley though, be shaped similar and have the old clock on top or something. There are already video screens, ads behind the plate and all over the duguout, restaurant in cf, why not keep going.

[Jon]

I saw that and just laughed.

 

Why on earth would anyone want a video board? They're used for three things: 1) advertisements, 2) sponsored contests/advertisements, and stationary pictures of players during their ABs.

 

They're the most pointless part of the scoreboard.

[RonnieWooWooSanto]

"You can create a scoreboard that looks old-fashioned and have an animation with an arm reaching out of the screen to `manually' change the score," he said. "No one has done this yet, but people are talking about it."

 

 

Sounds spectacular. Why have the real thing when it can just be shown throught the use of graphics? Sounds more like something you would find at a Disney EPCOT center show.

[BeerHere]

I love the Cubs, but the ballpark? I can take it or leave it. I don't go to games for the "experience", "ambiance" or "atmosphere". I go to see baseball in all it's glory and that includes replays and a pile of stats. IMHO, Wrigley should be torn down and a better, more modern park should be built in it's place. The bleachers are much better, but it wasn't too long ago that they were a joke. Every try using the bathroom from say, section 800. It's a long friggin walk and the isles are way too cramped for me, the beer vendor and the guy with the huge sombrero.

 

Have you really looked closely at the ballpark? It's falling apart. Other than the recently rebuilt bleachers the park is a rust bucket and eleventy layers of paint hiding 70 year old steel and concrete.

 

I'll brace for the backlash, but Wrigley needs to be replaced plain and simple. There's no reason why I should pay $60 for a cheap seat and have to deal with falling concrete, awful seats and rust everywhere. It's an embarassment.

[BeerHere]

I saw that and just laughed.

 

Why on earth would anyone want a video board? They're used for three things: 1) advertisements, 2) sponsored contests/advertisements, and stationary pictures of players during their ABs.

 

They're the most pointless part of the scoreboard.

 

Advertisements raise revenue. More revenue means more payroll (in a perfect world) or perhaps lower ticket prices.

[BeerHere]

 

Hey, who threw the pretzel at BeerHere?

[Jon]

I saw that and just laughed.

 

Why on earth would anyone want a video board? They're used for three things: 1) advertisements, 2) sponsored contests/advertisements, and stationary pictures of players during their ABs.

 

They're the most pointless part of the scoreboard.

 

Advertisements raise revenue. More revenue means more payroll (in a perfect world) or perhaps lower ticket prices.

Well, I doubt there would be a significant difference in revenue from the board they already have below the scoreboard unless they really pack in the ads. It would probably just make the ads bigger and change them from just a logo with the occasional animation to nothing but video ads and animation.

"You can create a scoreboard that looks old-fashioned and have an animation with an arm reaching out of the screen to `manually' change the score," he said. "No one has done this yet, but people are talking about it."

Yeah, after they've smoked a bowl

[ToupeeOnFire]

What an incredibly dumb article. I'm not necessarily against putting some diamond-vision contraption in Wrigley Field (if they could squeeze it in somewhere in a tasteful manner). But to replace the hand-operated, centerfield scoreboard with some brand-new Rock-n-Roll Diamond-Vision Super-Tron™...what a tremendously bad idea. Other than the brick-and-ivy, the centerfield scoreboard is probably single-most distinctive architectural trait about Wrigley Field.

 

If you want to tear down Wrigley and move the Cubs into a brand new, high-tech, über-mall, nouveau park of the 21st century, just say so. If not, shut the hell up.

[RonnieWooWooSanto]

What an incredibly dumb article. I'm not necessarily against putting some diamond-vision contraption in Wrigley Field (if they could squeeze it in somewhere in a tasteful manner).

 

I don't know if it is possible but maybe try to work out a deal with one of the rooftop owners and place a video screen a top one of the building. The building with the Torco(now Miller) sign would work. They could even include the Miller signage asuming that is what they want down the road.

[J.R.]

What an incredibly dumb article. I'm not necessarily against putting some diamond-vision contraption in Wrigley Field (if they could squeeze it in somewhere in a tasteful manner).

 

I don't know if it is possible but maybe try to work out a deal with one of the rooftop owners and place a video screen a top one of the building. The building with the Torco(now Miller) sign would work. They could even include the Miller signage asuming that is what they want down the road.

 

We used to talk about that back in the early '90s. IMHO, it's the only way such a feature could be added with any legitimacy.

[Derwood]

in my experience, video boards don't provide much useful info. I don't remember the last time one actually kept up to date game info (ie, most stadiums out the season stats up every at bat instead of 1-4, 2B, R)

[n l doormat]

J.R. wrote:

I can't believe the Trib is paying for crap like that. Of course, Dusty remains in the fold, so I shouldn't be shocked.

I read the Trib online everyday, and the "Red Eye" when someone leaves one laying on a seat on the 'L'. Believe me, they're paying for a lot of crap that gets published every day. The Red Eye, IMO, might be the most overpriced free paper in the world.

[RonnieWooWooSanto]

J.R. wrote:

I can't believe the Trib is paying for crap like that. Of course, Dusty remains in the fold, so I shouldn't be shocked.

I read the Trib online everyday, and the "Red Eye" when someone leaves one laying on a seat on the 'L'. Believe me, they're paying for a lot of crap that gets published every day. The Red Eye, IMO, might be the most overpriced free paper in the world.

 

The Red Eye is useful to find out the drink specials that are advertised throughout the entire paper. It's a glorified student newspaper.

[KaiserCesar]

in my experience, video boards don't provide much useful info. I don't remember the last time one actually kept up to date game info (ie, most stadiums out the season stats up every at bat instead of 1-4, 2B, R)

 

a friend of mine go some free club level sox tickets last week so I went to enjoy some pretty good baseball. i realized then what useless info was on the scoreboards for each player. for example, the server in our section said that once he saw one for jose valentin that was something like "brother once was 3rd in mvp voting in the puerto rican league"

 

No, thank you. Keep the organ music, ivy, scoreboard and falling concrete.