Plans For Wrigley Field "Budweiser Bleachers" And LED Scoreboard Unveiled

via MLB media

The Cubs have announced their plans to revamp Wrigley Field's right-field bleachers by creating a patio area with a "rooftop-like atmosphere" and a 75-foot-wide LED sign. The patio area will hold 150 people, sold as a unit, in groups of 50 or as individual tickets. The sign will have a changing ad display and will include information about the game. From MLB.com:

"One of the things we hear from our fans is if you go to other parks, it'll tell you not only that the pitch was 92 miles an hour but it was a slider or a fastball," [Cubs team president Crane] Kenney said. "People want more information in the park so with the hand-operated scoreboard and the small LED we have beneath it, it's a chance to bring more information to the fans."

The Cubs got permission from the Commission on Chicago Landmarks, although it technically doesn't need approval because renovations won't affect historical features like the ivy wall or stadium height. The Sun-Times' Fran Spielman writes:

Because of its long rectangular shape, the new LED board is not expected to be used for video-replay. But it could be a prelude to a host of team ideas to squeeze more money out of Wrigley.

The Toyota sign could someday be replaced by a video scoreboard. The Cubs could renew their 2008 requests to modify landmarking restrictions that have tied the team’s hands, lift the ban on Friday night games and increase the number of night games closer to the league average of 54.