April 05--A man whispered into a microphone late Tuesday morning while standing in front of the visitor's dugout at U.S. Cellular Field.
"Four, three, two, one ... "
The White Sox went out and got themselves a few bigger-than-big big-screen TVs during the offseason.
The countdown to the unveiling of the centerpiece of that collection, the park's new 8,000-square-foot, video board planted in center field, culminated with the voice of Chicago native Chance the Rapper explaining how the city rose from the ashes as White Sox highlights unraveled.
"When I showed a video to one of our players it was, 'Hey, look, a big-league ballpark,'" White Sox senior vice president of sales and marketing Brooks Boyer said. "We're going from one of the smallest boards in baseball to one of the best."
One of the five biggest in baseball, in Boyer's estimation.
According to Lou Bertuca, CEO and executive director of the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, the project cost around $7.3 million and includes a pair of 2,400-square foot boards flanking the main attraction. ISFA a government entity and is the owner and developer of U.S. Cellular Field and funded the recent renovations to Soldier Field.
Bertuca said the U.S. Cellular Field project, which originally was budgeted for $11.4 million, was paid for through a capital construction fund, which is funded in part by the rent the White Sox pay and a 2 percent levy on city hotels.
"I think you're gonna be hard-pressed to find the quality of boards we have for the price we got them for," Bertuca said.
Fans also will be able to connect with the boards through social media, using the hashtag #soxgameday.
"One of the things that's been big on our fans' radar is the video-board experience," Boyer said.
In another video, White Sox ace Chris Sale's body unfolded in 10-millimeter pixel clarity high above center field on the 60-foot-tall, 134-foot wide screen as he struck out one of his club-record 274 last season.
Sox players haven't seen the boards operate in real time, but outfielder Adam Eaton said he did notice last season they needed some updating, though he was a bit conflicted about how he'd miss an "old-school" feel he called "neat."
"I don't want to be a Debbie downer," Eaton said, "but I don't look up there too often."
Eaton will have a hard time missing these when he and the team lays eyes on them for the first time.
"Fans are really going to appreciate it because there is a lot of downtime in baseball between innings and pitches," he said. "It's going to be a little more enjoyable to see some nice pictures and probably some more animation than just the old-school boards."
Colleen Kane contributed.
