What’s New At The Old Ballpark

The 2023 baseball season is underway and there have been some changes at Guaranteed Rate Field.  Let’s start outside the stadium, where some nice, and long overdue, landscaping has been put in place.

The area surrounding the home plate from old Comiskey Park in parking lot B has been surrounded by artificial turf and blocked off from the rest of the parking lot.  In addition, strips of trees and vegetation has been planted across the divider between the lot and Gate 5.  While the reduced room in the lot makes it harder for me to park there, this is an overall net positive.

Inside the park, Miller Lite continues its takeover of right field.  After replacing Goose Island and rechristening the area behind the right field as Lite Landing last year, they have added additional branding above the out of town scoreboard on the scaffolding.

The upper deck gets two new clubs, the High Life Sky Lounge down the left field line and the Blue Moon Balcony along the right field line.  Both give upper deck patrons a place to stand and watch the game while imbibing in their beverage of choice.

Little Monster

Yesterday, the Cubs announced some additional renovations to the right field bleachers at Wrigley Field, replacing the family section with a new patio section that seems to have taken its inspiration from the Monster seats at Fenway Park.  The Budweiser Patio will also include a 75-foot LED sign installed above the right-field wall with the capability to display game information, but not video replay.

The board will be a welcome addition, assuming it will continue to be used for its intended purpose.  The previously installed ribbon boards that were supposed to serve a similar purpose seemed to show more in the way of ads than stats as time went on.

Honestly, I’m still somewhat surprised the team hasn’t taken over the Torco Sears Miller Lite billboard to use as a video board capable of handling video.  That seems to be the only viable option without upsetting the rooftop owners or replacing the historic scoreboard.

Goodbye, iPhone 3G – Photo Edition

Today is the delivery day of my new iPhone 4S (currently on the vehicle out of Harvey), so it is time to say goodbye to the 3G that has been my trusty companion for nearly the past 3 1/2 years.  We’ve traveled the world together (well, at least Canada and the UK) and have taken a picture or two.  Here are some of my favorites, in no particular order.

In October of 2008, I spent a weekend in Chicago for my friend Tina’s wedding.  Saturday afternoon, I took a trip to Millennium Park for the first time and caught my first glimpse of the Bean.

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