SkyDome Renovation

[CC97]

Quoting a post from another message board:

"SkyDome will truly look very different next season.

They've already dismantled the JumboTron and will be replacing it with a slightly bigger one, with better quality. Apparently we've struck a deal with Sony. I'm not too sure if any of you are familiar with the Air Canada Centre, but they have a ring scoreboard that runs along the facing of the 2nd Level where it often flashes, messages like " D-Fence " and such...we'll the facing of the 3rd Level in the Skydome will have that as well...all the way around too.

But the biggest shocker for me was what they're doing to the Outfield Walls. They are actually putting scoreboards on the actual outfield walls (in the left and right field gaps) from the floor up to the top of the wall. It will provide up-to-date out of town scores and info. It will be protected by some sort of plexiglass. We were shown a slide show of the presentation and it looks mighty impressive.

We should hear about the closing of the SkyDome purchase around the 15th of January, and 2 weeks later they will announce the purchase and implementation of the new field turf."

They're doing everything I hoped they'd do so far... now if only they'd move the bullpens down the line, and the seats closer to the outfield fence!

[DEAD!]

That's good news! I'm surprised about the out of town scoreboard on the outfield wall and the LED wraparound display on the facade.

[OMMF]

Those scoreboards aren't going to be distracting? Especially to a fielder who just let a ball go over his head and now has to turn around and look at them?

[CC97]

Those scoreboards aren't going to be distracting? Especially to a fielder who just let a ball go over his head and now has to turn around and look at them?

They do it in many other ballparks

[Cyclopsis Joe]

So now, the SkyDome will be the best looking Baseball Park in Canada..

Oh wait.

[OMMF]

Those scoreboards aren't going to be distracting? Especially to a fielder who just let a ball go over his head and now has to turn around and look at them?

They do it in many other ballparks

From floor to the top of the wall? IIRC, the walls at SkyDome are somewhat tall so those are going to be some big scoreboards. Maybe it's last nights whiskey clouding my mind but I can't think of a park that has floor to top of the wall scoreboards along the outfield fences.

[OMMF]

Quoting a post from another message board:

BTW, what the hell are you doing on another sports board?

[zer0dotcom]

I like the sound of those outfield scoreboards. It'll really add that ballpark touch to the stadium. It's good to hear that they're finally doing something to that concrete bucket

[DEAD!]

From floor to the top of the wall? IIRC, the walls at SkyDome are somewhat tall so those are going to be some big scoreboards. Maybe it's last nights whiskey clouding my mind but I can't think of a park that has floor to top of the wall scoreboards along the outfield fences.

The wall at SkyDome are 10 feet tall all around the outfield. SkyDome's will small compared to most other ballparks that have taller walls where they put the scoreboard

[CaolinaJoe]

From floor to the top of the wall? IIRC, the walls at SkyDome are somewhat tall so those are going to be some big scoreboards. Maybe it's last nights whiskey clouding my mind but I can't think of a park that has floor to top of the wall scoreboards along the outfield fences.

The wall at SkyDome are 10 feet tall all around the outfield. SkyDome's will small compared to most other ballparks that have taller walls where they put the scoreboard

Camden Yards and Fenway for example.

An OF would have to have a serious case of ADD to lose the ball because of a scoreboard, it's not like it's ivy or 3 dimensional, it's a flat surface.

[OMMF]

From floor to the top of the wall? IIRC, the walls at SkyDome are somewhat tall so those are going to be some big scoreboards. Maybe it's last nights whiskey clouding my mind but I can't think of a park that has floor to top of the wall scoreboards along the outfield fences.

The wall at SkyDome are 10 feet tall all around the outfield. SkyDome's will small compared to most other ballparks that have taller walls where they put the scoreboard

Camden Yards and Fenway for example.

An OF would have to have a serious case of ADD to lose the ball because of a scoreboard, it's not like it's ivy or 3 dimensional, it's a flat surface.

Maybe I assumed something that wasn't in the articles, but this is an electronic scoreboard right? Fenway's is hand operated and is green, save for the white numbers, making it easy to see the ball. And at Camden Yard, the scoreboard doesn't come all the way down. The wall is covered with ads then the scoreboard starts, at least in the pic I am looking at right now.

I'm not talking about losing it because it hit it, I'm talking about lights shining at you as opposed to a colored wall.

[MJWalker45]

I'm sure the plexiglass will keep the glare down. Pretty much every park made after 1993 has the out of town scoreboard on the wall using electric light or light bulbs.

[OMMF]

I'm sure the plexiglass will keep the glare down. Pretty much every park made after 1993 has the out of town scoreboard on the wall using electric light or light bulbs.

I can't remember one that starts on the field though. Even here at Safeco it starts at the top of the wall. And wouldn't you rather run into a padded wall than plexiglass.

Sorry if I'm beating a dead horse, it just seems this idea may not have been thought through.

[Sec19Row53]

Miller Park has scoreboards along both the left field and right field walls. They are approximately the same height as the wall (8-10'), and are manually operated, with a screen in front of the numbers.

I don't see this as a big deal, whether manual or electronic.

[CaolinaJoe]

I'm not talking about losing it because it hit it, I'm talking about lights shining at you as opposed to a colored wall.

What? Do you expect them to use 1000 watt halogen bulbs? Don't you think they took that into consideration?

[wcgslacker04]

Yup.. beating a dead horse.. for sure.

Leave it be.. I'm sure it will work by the other examples ballparks have used.

Back to the original note, I'm actually excited to go to a game this year now. Went last year and that concrete heap is really kind of depressing to watch a game in. I thought it was awesome when it first opened up back when I was like 8.

It was made to be so modern, and now it's aging. They really should have had more of a classic ballpark feel when creating this damn thing in the first place.

Do you think they'll recolour the OF walls black or graphite in honour of the blue jays not wearing blue anymore?

[RyanB06]

OK kids, sit down and get out your notebooks. It's time for a scoreboard lesson.

An example of what Chris is referring to as the "ring scoreboard" might be this:

The scoreboards in the walls probably will look like this:

If this is what the Jays have in mind, SkyDome could conceivably get its youth back, which would in turn get fans to come back.

[EDIT: Better scoreboard wall illustration.]

[wheateater]

Man, that LED stuff on the facing of upper decks is really catching on. I wonder how long it will take for those things to become "passe"?

I like these ideas about SKyDome, but I'd still like to see them give some character to the playing surface if at all possible. The whole ballpark is symmetrical: 328' down the lines, 375' in the alleys, and 400' to center. Maybe if they moved a bit of fence in 10' and knocked a couple areas back another 10', it would get some much-needed character. Then they could maybe increase the height of some areas of the fence and such? You know, to make it interesting to look at and not give away immediately the idea that it opened in 1989...

....but keep the bullpens behind the outfield fences. Nobody wants to see which underachieving reliever the Jays have warming up anyway.

[marlinfan]

Man, that LED stuff on the facing of upper decks is really catching on. I wonder how long it will take for those things to become "passe"?

I like these ideas about SKyDome, but I'd still like to see them give some character to the playing surface if at all possible. The whole ballpark is symmetrical: 328' down the lines, 375' in the alleys, and 400' to center. Maybe if they moved a bit of fence in 10' and knocked a couple areas back another 10', it would get some much-needed character. Then they could maybe increase the height of some areas of the fence and such? You know, to make it interesting to look at and not give away immediately the idea that it opened in 1989...

....but keep the bullpens behind the outfield fences. Nobody wants to see which underachieving reliever the Jays have warming up anyway.

Don't stadiums built after 1954(year?) have to have 330-400-330 or a wall to compensate for the lack of distance? If you were to move the fences in 10 feet the Blue Jays would have to put an even higher wall than what is there now.

[DEAD!]

Man, that LED stuff on the facing of upper decks is really catching on. I wonder how long it will take for those things to become "passe"?

I like these ideas about SKyDome, but I'd still like to see them give some character to the playing surface if at all possible. The whole ballpark is symmetrical: 328' down the lines, 375' in the alleys, and 400' to center. Maybe if they moved a bit of fence in 10' and knocked a couple areas back another 10', it would get some much-needed character. Then they could maybe increase the height of some areas of the fence and such? You know, to make it interesting to look at and not give away immediately the idea that it opened in 1989...

....but keep the bullpens behind the outfield fences. Nobody wants to see which underachieving reliever the Jays have warming up anyway. 

Don't stadiums built after 1954(year?) have to have 330-400-330 or a wall to compensate for the lack of distance? If you were to move the fences in 10 feet the Blue Jays would have to put an even higher wall than what is there now.

I think there is a rule about that. However, if the team/builder wanted to have a shorter distance, they would have to put a higher fence in there. In the case of SkyDome, 328 down the line is fine, because the fences are 10' high. (328ft.=100m)