Levine: New Cubs Video Board A Hit
By Bruce Levine--
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The first game at Wrigley Field with an electronic video board began with a concert by Fall Out Boy and proceeded with the the Cubs and Cardinals being introduced for opening festivities.
The blue Wintrust sign on top of the board was all that was lit up when the board went dark and silent in a moment of tribute to Ernie Banks.
Fittingly, the very first video was a four-minute tribute to Mr. Cub and his lifelong connection with the Cubs. The full house of 38,000 cheered the 500th home run with the audio call from Jack Brickhouse. The TV call could be heard throughout the ballpark on the new sound system that is a part the board.
"We will be able to control the sound throughout the park when we have our bleachers in place," Cubs president of business operations Crane Kenny said. "For now, the sound will be from the board itself. We ask our fans for patience as we will be monitoring the volume as part of a hit-and-miss thing to get it right for them."
During the game, advertisements from the top companies that had signed on to promote at Wrigley were played with regularity. Replays of doubles to lead off the first and second innings by the home team were shown to the delight of the Wrigley audience. They responded like they were watching color television for the first time.
The idea of this jumbo video screen dwarfing the tiny ballpark wasn't apparent without the other video board and advertising signs in place. When the rest of the construction of the bleachers is finished, the Budweiser sign that sits in the corner of the right-field bleachers will be raised 20 feet and moved 50 feet to the power alley in right field. That in itself will block the view of buildings from the lower bowl and make the ballpark look smaller.
Despite the perceived ballpark shrinkage, the initial response to the board seemed very positive. The ballpark will play differently because of new signage, according to the Cubs.
"We did some studies, and the board will block some northeast winds early in the season," Kenney said. "That will give some advantage to right-handed hitters that normally would have been a pitcher's edge."