Scoreboards

[mjrbaseball]

I'm starting this thread for the discussion of scoreboards. I love to study the configuration and makeup of scoreboards, and I wonder if there is anyone else who has this same fascination.

For example, is there anyone who is interested in such things as the matrix of bulbs in a digit (4x7, 5x7, 4x6, etc.); layout of the out-of-town scores (inning number to left or right, etc.); home game line scores; and other components.

Or just what scoreboards you find attractive or ugly; informative or lacking; or just with intriguing features. Don't restrict yourselves to the majors, either ... I'd love to hear about the guitar-shaped board in Nashville, for example.

I'll have my thoughts and some photos, too.

mjrbaseball :atthepc

[mjrbaseball]

I wonder if this is the only scoreboard that was ever used in two major league stadiums? After the Yankees replaced it, it was moved to Shibe Park in Philadelphia.

http://www.stinsonsports.com/features/misc/images/pg1.jpg
http://www.ballparks.com/baseball/american/shibep/shibep07.jpg

[mjrbaseball]

I've noticed that in some of the newer ballparks, there are different ways of showing extra innings on the home game line score.

In older parks, the innings were/are numbered 1-10, and when the 10th inning is reached, they clear the board and put the 11th inning in the 1st inning spot.

Nowadays, I've seen some boards "slide" the line score. (I think Camden Yards does this.) After the 10th inning, the score slides to the left, and the first inning drops off the edge, so it has the 2nd through 11th innings on. Then it will show only the 3rd through 12th, etc.

I can't remember where I saw it, but one park with a computerized board "squeezes" the line score. They fit all the innings where the original 1st-9th were by making the numbers and/or the spaces between them narrower. When that room is used up, they change the team name to an abbreviation to make more room. But I'm sure that system has a limit to it, and I don't know what happens then.

Of the "rerack", the "slide" and the "squeeze", I prefer the rerack, just for tradition's sake, although the squeeze keeps all the information up. The slide is worthless.

[mjrbaseball]

This is cool:
http://www.lakeneuron.com/Photos/greer.jpg

[otis89]

Which stadium's scoreboard has never been hit by a home run?

[Chisox73]

This is cool:
http://www.lakeneuron.com/Photos/greer.jpg
Now that's one of the most unique designs I've seen. :)

[tonypug]

One of the best scoreboards of all time was the famous Ebbets Field scoreboard. The great advertising, the vast size and the fact it was in play, just added to the enjoyment of a game there. Just a wonderful piece of baseball history.

[Chisox73]

Here's a nice pic of the Ebbets Field scoreboard. Enjoy!
http://www.ballparksofbaseball.com/past/ebbets85.jpg

[tonypug]

THanks Chisox73, they don't make them like that anymore. Another of my favoites was the exploding scoreboard at old Comiskey.

[Chisox73]

In that pic,you get a great view of that concave wall.They don't make walls like that anymore,too.

[mjrbaseball]

Look closely at the Ebbetts Field scoreboard, at the very bottom, just above the Abe Stark sign. They squeezed in the Yankees score there. (It says YANKS at far left and CLEVE in the center.) I guess they put the lines side-by-side instead of on top of each other.

[mjrbaseball]

tonypug: Another of my favoites was the exploding scoreboard at old Comiskey.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v25/mjrbaseball/comiskey63.jpg

What is that OFF DEF RULE at the lower right for? And what is a PITCHOMETER?

[tonypug]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v25/mjrbaseball/comiskey63.jpg

What is that OFF DEF RULE at the lower right for? And what is a PITCHOMETER?
Great picture,and good questions, hope somebody has the answer.

[BeatEmBucs]

What is that OFF DEF RULE at the lower right for? And what is a PITCHOMETER?

I would think Pitch-o-meter would've been one of the first attempts at posting pitch speed on a scoreboard. Not sure what those OFF/DEF/RULE is for. I would think RULE might be where the "Hit" or "Error" would be posted on a close play. Those scoreboards shown were cool, but my most memorable was the original behemouth scoreboard at the old 3 rivers stadium that stretched from left center to right center. And had the Pirate logo in the center (and steeler logo during football season) Of course the classic hand operated Wrigley board is cool too.

[Elvis]

Which stadium's scoreboard has never been hit by a home run?
There isn't really one answer to that, although, I'm sure you're thinking of Wrigley Field. I know Dodger Stadium's boards have never been touched by a home run either.

This is a great topic!

One of my favorite scoreboards is the original 230 ft high "Big A" scoreboard at Anaheim Stadium. The halo-topped giant was in use behind the left field wall from 1966-78. After the stadium was enclosed for the Rams, the board was moved to the edge of the parking lot to be used for advertising stadium events. The board was built at a cost of $2 million in 1966. The cost was paid for by Standard Oil in exchange for exclusive advertising rights.

Unfortunately, when the stadium was remodeled in 1997-98, the board was not restored to it's rightfull place in left field. But at least it's still being used at the Big A.

[Bluesteve32]

Now just a message board for the 57 Freeway. :ughh

[DODGER DEB]

Here's a nice pic of the Ebbets Field scoreboard. Enjoy!
http://www.ballparksofbaseball.com/past/ebbets85.jpg


A thing of beauty is a joy forever!

Thanks, Chisox73! You just brightened my day.

Sadly, when OUR Ebbets Field was demolished, it was sold to a minor league team somewhere in NC. It has since been destroyed.

c.

[Chisox73]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v25/mjrbaseball/comiskey63.jpg

What is that OFF DEF RULE at the lower right for? And what is a PITCHOMETER?
Great pic there.That is a pic from 1967.

The Pitchometer was an early version of the radar gun.The Rule on the board is for the official scoring on the play.I don't know exactly what the other 2 are for.

I'll look for the others.

[mjrbaseball]

Great pic there.That is a pic from 1967.

The Pitchometer was an early version of the radar gun.The Rule on the board is for the official scoring on the play.I don't know exactly what the other 2 are for.

I'll look for the others.


Thanks for the info!

By the way, since you told me it was from 1967, I looked it up at Retrosheet. That game was May 17, 1967, and the Sox ended up winning 5-4.

[west coast orange and black]

This is cool...waaay cool.

[west coast orange and black]

Which stadium's scoreboard has never been hit by a home run?pac bell is my guess.

pretty sure that the electronic scoreboard way out there beyond center has not been touched, and the manual one in right field is within the field of play and has not been included in an eventual inside-the-parker.

[west coast orange and black]

Or just what scoreboards you find attractive or ugly; informative or lacking...the board at pac bell is severely lacking:
only the batting team's lineup is up on the board...
and i end up gripin' about it EVERY time i am at the yard (about 65 games a season).

[shoeless1920]

On the right side of the scoreboard is the lineup for each team, listed as the team on offense (off) and defense (def). Adjacent to "Rule" is a spot to display the H or E ruling.

[Bleacherbee]

I believe, at least when it was built, the scoreboard at Comerica park was the largest (in the world?)

Its also never, ever, ever even come close to being hit, being, at its lowest point, more than 20 feet above a point over 500 feet from home plate, making it (I would recon, without doing any geometry in my head) like probably about a 560 foot shot to even graze the bottom.

It's also tacky, annoying, and barely functional. I still think it looks better than that Veeck disaster.

[efin98]

I'd venture to guess that the electronic scoreboard at Fenway Park hasn't been hit in it's lifetime...
Now the manual scoreboard on the other hand I'd be surprised if it didn't go a game since it's installation without getting at least one ball hit off of it :D

[Chisox73]

Great pic there.That is a pic from 1967.

The Pitchometer was an early version of the radar gun.The Rule on the board is for the official scoring on the play.I don't know exactly what the other 2 are for.

I'll look for the others.

One thing I failed to mention about the Pitchometer,it was also used to time the pitcher between pitches.That was a Bill Veeck idea.

The Pitchometer was moved to the top of the scoreboard clock in 1976,after Veeck bought the team.It was also used to see how fast the runners got to base after getting a hit.

[Astros4Life]

Which stadium's scoreboard has never been hit by a home run?

I know the old cleveland stadium's scoreboard was like 500 feet from home so it would have been a powerful hit to hit that one...I dont know if the old explosion board at the dome was ever hit but i know the board at the juice box in houston has been hit

[Chisox73]

Here's a pic of the old scoreboard at the Astrodome.Enjoy. :gt
http://www.ballparks.com/baseball/national/astrod04.jpg

[tonypug]

Here's a nice pic of the Ebbets Field scoreboard. Enjoy!
http://www.ballparksofbaseball.com/past/ebbets85.jpg
I know I am biased, but in my opinion this is the most recognizeable scoreboard in baseball history.

[Chisox73]

I wonder if this is the only scoreboard that was ever used in two major league stadiums? After the Yankees replaced it, it was moved to Shibe Park in Philadelphia.

http://www.stinsonsports.com/features/misc/images/pg1.jpg
http://www.ballparks.com/baseball/american/shibep/shibep07.jpg

There was another scoreboard that made a similar trip,before the Yankees replaced thiers.

The scoreboard at Braves Field in Boston was dismantled after the Braves left for Milwaukee.The scoreboard was rebuilt at Kanas City's Municipal Stadium in time for the A's arrival in 1955 until the Royals moved out in 1972.

[Chisox73]

http://www.ballparksofbaseball.com/past/bravesout.jpg

[Chisox73]

Here's the same scoreboard in Kansas City,circa 1970
http://www.ballparksofbaseball.com/past/kcmuni500.jpg

[KingNothing13]

How about pics from inside the manual scoreboards?

I have seen Fenway many times, but never inside the one in Wrigley.

[Elvis]

How about pics from inside the manual scoreboards?

I have seen Fenway many times, but never inside the one in Wrigley.

Yankee Stadium:

[wamby]

http://www.ballparksofbaseball.com/past/bravesout.jpg

Mel Allen and Jim Britt were very impressed by the large scoreboard at Braves Field during the 1948 World Series.

[Bluesteve32]

Here's the same scoreboard in Kansas City,circa 1970
http://www.ballparksofbaseball.com/past/kcmuni500.jpg

That picture must be 1970 or earlier since the person in the fungo circle is on the Angels with the halo topped caps. The Angels removed the halo after the 1970 season.

[KingNothing13]

Yankee Stadium:


Nice! Anyone else have any interior shots? Very cool.

[Gmax]

I find this to be a very interesting thread. I lived off campus at the Illinois Institute of Technology at 31st and South State Street in the late 60's and early 70's, and walked to many a ballgame at Comisky. Nice to see the old ChiSox scoreboard again. That was a great ballpark.

About the scoreboard, just to the right of the R H E boxes on the upper row, are two blank "boxes." What were these used for? Most of the older scoreboards had a place to post the results of the first game of a double header. Did it go in these boxes?

I would love to take a tour behind the mechanical scoreboard at Wrigley. I've alway wondered how they change the ball/strike count, mechanically, so quickly. It's a dot-matrix sort of thing, with the dots consisting of white and green disks, which rotate into place after each pitch to give the number of the count. (Wrigley did not go to lights until 1988, and they kept the old daytime scoreboard.)

[Chisox73]

Those extra boxes on the Old Comiskey scoreboard were used to post the results of the 1st game of a DH,and the 2nd set was used for any pitching changes I believe.

As for the balls/strikes count on the Wrigley scoreboard.That part of the board is operated from the press box.

Hope this info helps you out here. :gt

BTW,welcome aboard Gmax, :clapping Hope you enjoy your time here. :waving

[Gmax]

Thanks, Chisox73, for your "Welcome aboard." They post the score of the 1st game of a DH at Wrigley too, I think in the "10th inning" slot, so I'm sure they did it at Comisky also. Yes, I remember Chico Carrasquel, the great all-star ChiSox shortstop. I'll be hanging around this thread; lots of interesting info about the old ballparks.

[Candlestick60]

My favorite scoreboards are
1.Shea stadium
2.Candlestick park (old 1960s model)
3. Polo grounds (With Rheingold sign)
4.Wrigley Feild
5.Connie Mack stadium
6.Yankee stadium(Early1970s)
7.Baltimore Memorial stadium (1970s with CHARGE sign)
8.Crosley feild
9.Atlanta Fulton county stadium
10.Ebetts Feild
:radio

[POLO GROUNDS 1957]

Here is a photo from 1956 showing the left field scoreboard at the polo grounds. you can also see the cigarette box ad next to the scoreboard.

[POLO GROUNDS 1957]

Here is a nice photo showing the scoreboard at the polo grounds in 1962 and 1963 with the rheingold beer sign.

[tonypug]

Great photos Donald. The main scoreboard at the Polo Grounds as shown did not have out of town scores. Only the game being played was shown. Donald, do you have any photos of the scoreboard, during a football game?

[Candlestick60]

Here is a nice photo showing the scoreboard at the polo grounds in 1962 and 1963 with the rheingold beer sign.

Great picture PG that Rheingold sign rocks the house:coffee :gt :D C60

[skobabe8]

Which stadium's scoreboard has never been hit by a home run?

Which stadium's scoreboard has been hit? Besides Fenway, I cant think of any.

[Elvis]

Which stadium's scoreboard has been hit? Besides Fenway, I cant think of any.

This one been hit...

http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/nym/images/ticketing/group/ph_scoreboard_275x175.jpg

and this one...

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/50/Skydome_scoreboard.jpg/800px-Skydome_scoreboard.jpg

So has this one long gone...

http://members.djcafe.com/hankaaron/pictures/715c.gif

Lots of the older ballparks had their main scoreboards built into the outfield walls--and they were routinely hit: Shibe Park, Ebbets Field, Forbes Field, Griffith Stadium...

[tmorss9]

And I thought this was useless trivia... A couple of years ago I took B.P. at Comerica Park, and I found out that the out-of-town scoreboard (which was replaced this year, apparently) used 40 watt bulbs to show the digits and team abbreviations.

[POLO GROUNDS 1957]

Which stadium's scoreboard has never been hit by a home run?

The polo grounds. the scoreboard out in centerfield in 1962 and 1963 when the mets played there was 505ft from homeplate and also was the clubhouse.
There was only 3 times that a homerun was hit in the centerfield bleachers in the majors. there was one time that a player in the negro leagues hit a homerun in the bleachers at the polo grounds in the 1940s.

[2Chance]

The one at Comerica was the biggest at the time it was constructed. Don't know how long that lasted, and just being the biggest isn't anything to be proud of, any more than having a carousel.

Here's that behemoth from underneath:

[Elvis]

The one at Comerica was the biggest at the time it was constructed. Don't know how long that lasted, and just being the biggest isn't anything to be proud of, any more than having a carousel.

Here's that behemoth from underneath:

That claim was always a joke. The structure was perhaps the biggest, but the actual scoreboard was and is pretty small by comparative standards.

[brooklyndodger14]

These are mostly images I have previously posted in other threads, but are all appropriate for this great new topic:

http://www.baseball-fever.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=24863&stc=1&d=1181020821

http://www.baseball-fever.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=24864&stc=1&d=1181020907

These are my recreations of the main and auxilliary scoreboards at Yankee Stadium during the 1960's. I originally created these as improvements to the ones that were made for the Yankee Stadium model by Bauer Diamonds.

An interesting bit of low-tech trivia: in order to show which team was at bat, the team names signs would rotate with the name of the batting team indicated in RED.
This was seen on both field-level boards as well on the main scoreboard in both the line score and the batting order sections (My main scoreboard illustration is therefore wrong for showing the Yanks at bat as it was created way before my research was complete).

http://www.baseball-fever.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=24865&stc=1&d=1181021164

Finally, here is a photo of Mickey Mantle at bat on August 28th, 1966 against the Tigers taken by my father. The massive Stadium scoreboard looms like a gigantic computer in right-center and if you can just barely make out the "Yanks" and "New York" being darker (red) on all the boards to show they are at bat.

Dennis
BrooklynDodger14

[Candlestick60]

Those are fabulous pictures of the old yankee stadium scoreboard:radio C60

[hippovaun]

How about pics from inside the manual scoreboards?

I have seen Fenway many times, but never inside the one in Wrigley.


inside of wrigley scoreboard

[tonypug]

Great photos from inside the Wrigley scoreboard.

[Lafferty Daniel]

Great photos from inside the Wrigley scoreboard.

Very cool pics. I wonder how hot it gets in there in the summer.

[hippovaun]

i heard that it gets extremely hot and stuffy on hot and humid days.

[2Chance]

I'm not trying to sell any of this stuff, but thought it was interesting when I was Googling something else that these (http://www.bayou.com/~brooklyn/schaefer.html) came up. They're selling replicas of bygone scoreboards & clocks. Apparently somebody knows that these things are of interest to a certain segment of the population.
http://www.bayou.com/~brooklyn/polo1.jpg
Polo Grounds

http://www.bayou.com/~brooklyn/sign2.jpg
Ebbets Field

http://www.bayou.com/~brooklyn/crosley2.jpg
Crosley Field

http://www.dugout-memories.com/sportsm1.jpg
Sportsman's Park

There are a couple more, but you get the idea.

Hey, wait a minute.....is is ALWAYS ten after ten?

[2Chance]

Here are a couple of unusual views of the scoreboard at Comerica Park, taken the first Saturday of this month:

[2Chance]

...and the second one.

[marlins739]

I never got why the Comerica Park scoreboard was obstructed by the corner of the third base upper deck.

Which scoreboard is farthest from home plate? I'd hazard a guess that nobody's ever going to hit the main board at Dolphin Stadium. Some of my favorites are AT&T Park, Coors Field, Citizens Bank, and some others, especially the ones where they make the scoreboard structure interesting too, not like at Safeco where it's just sorta there.

I think every park's out of town scoreboard should show all the games all the time. The new one at the Jake only shows I think 2 games at a time. The best out of town scoreboard is probably PNC, where they show live game situations for every game

[Solair Wright]

Alright, here are pictures of the scoreboards in St. Louis - here is a picture from Busch Memorial Stadium:

http://www.paruch.com/mediac/400_0/media/P1010086.JPG

Believe it or not, this was one of the few manually-set scoreboards, the others being Fenway, Wrigley, Dolphin, and other ballparks to name.

Now, here is the main scoreboard from Busch Stadium III, and it's hard to see from this shot. It's from the first game ever at new Busch Stadium:

http://mlb.mlb.com/images/2006/04/10/tDz3YPYl.jpg

And who could forget this scoreboard? It's the classical manual scoreboard from none other than Wrigley Field:

http://www.airninja.com/pictures/chicago/wrigleyscoreboard.jpg

[metfan13]

Here is a photo from 1956 showing the left field scoreboard at the polo grounds. you can also see the cigarette box ad next to the scoreboard.

Interesting that Mays was dropped to 6th in the order.

[Astros]

Here is the scoreboard from Colt Stadium in Houston before the Astrodome was built.

[Astros]

Here is the 474 foot long, four story tall Astrodome scoreboard that featured 50,000 lights. It remained from 1965-1988 until a seating expansion caused the removal of it and a new, but smaller system was placed.

[hsnterprize]

Okay...I'll put up something from the south side of Chicago...

http://www.derekmiller.us/baseball/images/stadiumpics/uscellular07_thumb.jpg...this is the current scoreboard from "The Cell"...it's inspired from the old exploding scoreboards from the Old Comiskey Park. The pinwheels on the top of the board are similar to the attachments from the old park...specifically from the early 80's until Old Comiskey was torn down in the early 90's.

Personally, I'd like to see the TV screen enlarged. But for now, it's pretty cool.

[Astros]

Here's what the scoreboards looked like after the original Astrodome scoreboard was replaced. There was a board in the left field upper deck and a video screen on the right field side. There was a second video screen behind third base in the upper deck as well, making the Dome the first stadium to have two video screens. The second photo shows the scoreboard in use in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina evacuees from New Orleans were at the Astrodome.

[PeteU]

The scoreboard at Oriole Park (thanks to the great Eric Pastore of Digital Ballparks):

http://www.digitalballparks.com/American/Camden_-_Scoreboard_smallfixV2T.jpg

In a tribute to Ebbets Field (but of course!), the "T" and "H" of "The Sun" banner at the top of the board light up to indicate a hit or an error.

Here's a close up of the scoreboard during a rather--ahem--infamous event:

http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20070823/capt.574c6839919047ab805de3eaaaf2f999.rangers_orio les_baseball_bab109.jpg

As an Orioles fan, may I be the first to say, "OWWW!!! OWWW!!! OWWW!!!"

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/188205/family_guy_why_peter_shouldnt_run/

[Astros]

Here is the scoreboard/video screen at Minute Maid Park. Some of the old animations that were once used in the Astrodome such as "Chester Charge" and the home run spectacular have been recreated and still in use.

[marlins739]

Half of the new HD video board in right field at Dolphin Stadium. I don't know what they were showing with the newspaper shot but the new boards are crystal clear and huge. The main board (50 x 140 feet) is in right field, and there's a smaller (50 x 100) video board behind third base (the football endzones). The boards were upgraded before the 2006 season, and during the 2006 season a ribbon board was installed all the way around the entire stadium, which is 2,105 feet long. The new boards done for Super Bowl XLI in January of this year, and they're part of a ongoing renovation project that will result in the Marlins being kicked out in 2010 if they don't have a stadium deal.

http://frontier.cincinnati.com/blogs/spring/uploaded_images/DSCF3466-783992.JPG

[hofflalu]

The County Stadium scoreboard, featuring the legendary (in my opinion, anyway) animatron black-and-orange video capability:

http://www.roadsidephotos.com/rp/ballparks/county03.jpg

http://www.countrywomanmagazine.com/images/AnnK/CW914167C17C.jpg

http://graphics.jsonline.com/graphics/packer/img/insider/oct03/favredive2-file.jpg

[Gary Dunaier]

I recently saw a picture of the Shea Stadium scoreboard under construction. The scoreboard/message board part had been installed, but the ads in the upper corners and the center where the Mets logo would be were not up yet. Can anyone post a copy of that photo here? Thanks!

[Danielh41]

http://www.ballparksofbaseball.com/past/kcmuni500.jpg
That picture must be 1970 or earlier since the person in the fungo circle is on the Angels with the halo topped caps. The Angels removed the halo after the 1970 season.

The scoreboard says Royals rather than A's, so the picture couldn't have been taken before 1969. So it's either '69 or '70...

[Gary Dunaier]

My guess is 1970, because of the ad proclaiming Skelly gas the "Choice of the 70's..." atop the scoreboard.

[Richmond Hill Phoenix]

and this one...

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/50/Skydome_scoreboard.jpg/800px-Skydome_scoreboard.jpgWhen? I know that a few home runs a season hit the Windows Restaurant, that is below the scoreboard. But I've never seen or heard about a HR off the jumbotron.

[Elvis]

The one at Comerica was the biggest at the time it was constructed. Don't know how long that lasted, and just being the biggest isn't anything to be proud of, any more than having a carousel.

Here's that behemoth from underneath:

I have never understood why the Tigers claim that their Comerica Park board is or ever was the biggest scoreboard. The structure is big, but it's mostly ad space with some smallish scoreboards mixed in. Using that same logic, the "scoreboard" at Yankee Stadium is much bigger--spanning the entire frieze from foul pole to foul pole.

http://www.mlbroadtrip.com/images/photos/august/week5/yankeefront36.jpg

[Lafferty Daniel]

The new scoreboard at Kauffman.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3177/2537698030_098a332b66.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3200/2536861051_2ce490541b.jpg?v=0

[OBomb]

The one pictured below has been hit by a Barry Bonds home run ball. He did it in 2001, I think - one of several home runs he hit off the Padres.

http://assets.espn.go.com/i/page2/quickie/030714qualcomm2.jpg

Speaking of the most recognizable scoreboards in baseball, I think the one at Old Comiskey Park, with the home run explosions, definitely qualifies.

[JeepingBaseball]

The new scoreboard at Kauffman.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3177/2537698030_098a332b66.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3200/2536861051_2ce490541b.jpg?v=0

I believe this scoreboard is currently the largest and surpasses everyone else in digital technology

[Philtration]

I saw Dick Allen just miss hiting the old scoreboard at Comiskey in the 70s.
The original center field wall was 455' from home plate before they put up a fence to create the bull pen. The old wall was pretty high and then you had the center field bleachers behind that.
The base of the scoreboard was almost as high as the first row of the upper deck so to hit it that far to dead center it had to be a hell of a shot.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y220/phil62/baseball%20site/comiskey28.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y220/phil62/baseball%20site/Comiskey_1967.jpg

[marlins739]

That new one in Kaufmann Stadium is gorgeous. I love how much they can do with the new HD video boards like the ones at the Dolph. Does anyone have pictures of the new boards at Camden Yards this year?

[califangels72]

a few photos... and perhaps different looks at the home of the halos!

[califangels72]

a few photos... and perhaps different looks at the home of the halos!

aug 11, 1972....minnesota vs angels...jim perry vs clyde wright...helmet night...first time i saw the BIG A...thought i was in heaven!

[OBomb]

I'm assuming that last picture of Anaheim Stadium in football configuration was taken after the Northridge Quake?

[Manhattan]

I'm assuming that last picture of Anaheim Stadium in football configuration was taken after the Northridge Quake? I have seen the scoreboard at Dodger Stadium before and after the Northrige Quake.

[Ohplayer]

http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o174/Ohplayer/smallboard.jpg

[ri95171]

I think I would marry that scoreboard if the dragons belched fire after a home run. :D

[btown12]

http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o174/Ohplayer/smallboard.jpg

Ha, I played against Todd Frazier in Little League. I also really like that they have actual dragons on the scoreboard instead of just a logo like most parks.

[Lafferty Daniel]

Dodger Stadium

http://www.baseball-fever.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=39873&stc=1&d=1208120441

http://www.baseball-fever.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=39879&stc=1&d=1208120804

http://www.baseball-fever.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=39905&stc=1&d=1208121855

[Ohplayer]

I think I would marry that scoreboard if the dragons belched fire after a home run. :D

The dragons eyes light up red and smoke billows from the Dragons when they hit a HR.

[Ohplayer]

Ha, I played against Todd Frazier in Little League. I also really like that they have actual dragons on the scoreboard instead of just a logo like most parks.

Frazier has already been moved up to Sarasota (high A). The Reds have high hopes for him. They believe he can be a MLB hitter, they just need to find a position for him. He's been playing 3b and may play OF as well.

[Seattle1]

I have seen the scoreboard at Dodger Stadium before and after the Northrige Quake.

I have also.

[EdTarbusz]

The new scoreboard at Kauffman.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3177/2537698030_098a332b66.jpg?v=0



That scoreboard has a lot of wasted space. The top half looks completely unnecessary.

[Mario Mendoza...HOF Lock]

Citizens Bank Park

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3049/2558573877_0562227944_b.jpg

[BigMac1212]

That scoreboard has a lot of wasted space. The top half looks completely unnecessary.

The top half is used for replays. There's only so much you can do during the course of the game.

[senorloco1908]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v25/mjrbaseball/comiskey63.jpg

What is that OFF DEF RULE at the lower right for? And what is a PITCHOMETER?
I think the pitchometer clocked the time from when the pitcher got the ball to when he threw it. MLB tried to up enforcement of the 20-seconds-between-pitches rule in the '70s.

[EdTarbusz]

The top half is used for replays. There's only so much you can do during the course of the game.

How often is it used for replays? Once or twice a game?

[JT7]

Citizens Bank Park

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3049/2558573877_0562227944_b.jpg

I don't believe it....someone other than Daktronics actually made a huge scoreboard.....

[west coast orange and black]

edtarbusz: How often is it used for replays? Once or twice a game?

mays field has perhaps 40 or so replays.
that is besides all of the highlights, public service announcements, video ads...
that's the way it is at most ballyards.

[west coast orange and black]

obomb: Speaking of the most recognizable scoreboards in baseball, I think the one at Old Comiskey Park, with the home run explosions, definitely qualifies.

william saroyan used veeck’s exploding scoreboard at comiskey as his model for a pinball machine in his play the time of your life.

[EdTarbusz]

edtarbusz: How often is it used for replays? Once or twice a game?

mays field has perhaps 40 or so replays.
that is besides all of the highlights, public service announcements, video ads...
that's the way it is at most ballyards.

The replays at Jacobs Field have always been kept to a minimum. Very little of interest is shown on the screen there.

[Paul W]

here's some pix of the shea scoreboard from '64, a little background in the articles about the rear-projection screen on the top and the size of the board.
more to come...

[Paul W]

here's some pix of the shea scoreboard from '64, a little background in the articles about the rear-projection screen on the top and the size of the board.
more to come...

[Paul W]

here's some pix of the shea scoreboard from '64, from a utube video. it shows the rear-projection black then w/pix of player. this system was only used during the early part of the '64 season. the colored light you see around the board were hooked up to the p.a. system, flashing different colored lights keyed to sound levels, this lasted into the early 70's...

[Aviator_Frank]

Look at that access door in the side of the replay screen. Never saw it before.

Well it was only fitting that the park built next to the World's Fair would be so technologically advanced.

[whoisonit]

Look at that access door in the side of the replay screen. Never saw it before.

Well it was only fitting that the park built next to the World's Fair would be so technologically advanced.

The TV screen in 1964 is amazing. I had no idea they had such a thing until I began posting on this board. It really blows my mind that the Mets were so ahead of the times and I think it's great that good old Shea was such a hot new trendsetter !

[Astros]

here's some pix of the shea scoreboard from '64, from a utube video. it shows the rear-projection black then w/pix of player. this system was only used during the early part of the '64 season. the colored light you see around the board were hooked up to the p.a. system, flashing different colored lights keyed to sound levels, this lasted into the early 70's...

Did they have someone sitting in the board for the whole game to display the slides? Was this a big slide projector?

[alpineinc]

This one pic also has to be posted in the Shea thread. The others and the video are in there, but haven't seen this one before...

http://www.baseball-fever.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=44125&stc=1&d=1213035007

I love how pristine it is under the scoreboard, pretty much never to be again!

[alpineinc]

I love how much they can do with the new HD video boards like the ones at the Dolph. Does anyone have pictures of the new boards at Camden Yards this year?

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3136/2546973916_a71a4b14bf_b.jpg

[Aviator_Frank]

I love how pristine it is under the scoreboard, pretty much never to be again!
That was one handsome board before they totally destroyed it over the years with ads. Totally useful info, no more, no less, simply formatted. Hell, I'd take it today over those monstrous color jobs that look more like webpages than scoreboards.

If you want to be entertained stay home and look at your official MLB Sharp Aquos. At the game give me the orig Shea board and a color panel in lieu of the message board area.

[Paul W]

this is what was used for the message board at shea. it's from september '75
yankees homestand. on left is a close-up and right sides is the entire page,
every time a mistake was made in spelling the entire message had to be rewritten (sometimes several times). show how primitive the board was until the mid 80's

[J.R.]

this is what was used for the message board at shea. it's from september '75
yankees homestand. on left is a close-up and right sides is the entire page,
every time a mistake was made in spelling the entire message had to be rewritten (sometimes several times). show how primitive the board was until the mid 80's

:bowdown:

That's awesome.

[Pelt]

The first two photos were taken June 26, 1970 – from crosley-field.com. Great site.

http://www.crosley-field.com/images/tp5.jpg

http://www.crosley-field.com/images/tp50tn.jpg

http://img383.imageshack.us/img383/9238/crosleyscoreboard2pw2.jpg

http://img359.imageshack.us/img359/7708/crosleyscoreboardpc3.jpg

[Philtration]

A short video from inside the scoreboard at Wrigley Field

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ssLI55Q73o

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y220/phil62/baseball%20site/rarephotos.jpg

[Yankees12]

this is what was used for the message board at shea. it's from september '75
yankees homestand. on left is a close-up and right sides is the entire page,
every time a mistake was made in spelling the entire message had to be rewritten (sometimes several times). show how primitive the board was until the mid 80's

My hometown of Trumbull, CT is on there! Kimberly Inn was right up the road from me until a few years back, when they closed their doors and a new restaurant took over.

That's just completely awesome.

[Scottish Yankee]

Here's some of the current Yankee Stadium layout from my last trip over a few years back.
http://highlanderorigins.wordpress.com/files/2008/06/dsc00752.jpg
http://highlanderorigins.wordpress.com/files/2008/06/dsc00593.jpg
http://highlanderorigins.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/dsc00616.jpg

[ri95171]

this is what was used for the message board at shea. it's from september '75
yankees homestand. on left is a close-up and right sides is the entire page,
every time a mistake was made in spelling the entire message had to be rewritten (sometimes several times). show how primitive the board was until the mid 80's

That's tremendous. Where do you get something like that?

I love all the old Shea scoreboard photos, especially with the messages... it seems to me like they really went out of their way to give it a voice of its own to match the bells and whistles. I remember a photo from when Shea first opened and the board had a message along the lines of "Hi folks! Welcome to Shea Stadium... isn't this the nicest stadium in the world?" The Times printed it... I wish I'd kept it.

[Aviator_Frank]

"Hi folks! Welcome to Shea Stadium... isn't this the nicest stadium in the world?" The Times printed it... I wish I'd kept it.

Now it's yours.

[ri95171]

Rock on. \m/ Many thanks!

[LetsGoMets687]

Um, not really... :)

[DiggerODell]

Thought I'd show a couple of Coors Field scoreboard in various weather conditions back in 2001. The last photo (with no date stamp) is how it appeared on March 31, 1995, the very first game ever played between the NY Yanks and Rockie scabs. The "Coors Field, Best place on Earth" put me in mind of the Shea scoreboard in it's early days.

[Aviator_Frank]

Um, not really... :)

The first hacked scoreboard ever - you saw it right here, folks!

[ri95171]

The first hacked scoreboard ever - you saw it right here, folks!

Jeez, at least he could've fixed the typo in the second line. Slacker!

[Pelt]

Was lucky enough to catch scores on this ol' beaut at Bush Stadium, in Indianapolis, up until 1996.

http://www.baseballtrips.net/bush6.jpg

After the Indians moved to Vicitory Field in downtown, they tore the scoreboard down, instead of moving it to the new park, which is what I had hoped they would have done.

[ri95171]

Awesome! I caught a game at Bush in 1991 when my dad drove me out to college for my freshman year. It was a great old park, plus the Chicken was in town and we got a classic meltdown from the Indy manager. That might have been the last ballgame I caught with him...

[Yankees12]

Um, not really... :)

There's very few internet posts that get me to legitimately laugh out loud - that one did. I'll never be able to look at that photo again in the same way. ;)

[Pelt]

Found this one on flickr. Love the ivy on the wall behind the fence.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2157/2270719639_512aa7ee6f_b.jpg

Obviously the Dodgers had long since been in LA by the time this pic was taken.

[Armando Criscione]

Comerica Park's scoreboard in the sunset (ALCS Game #4 - 2006). I like the shadows cast on Ford Field in the background.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3229/2611259427_e8edc64736_b.jpg

[Armando Criscione]

Tiger Stadium (with a bit of a typo)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3112/2611339575_0302c9fd2d_o.jpg

[LetsGoMets687]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3072/2628483191_dda671c511_b.jpg

[LetsGoMets687]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3153/2620728176_0515a450dd_b.jpg

[NYFan1stYankFan2nd]

That was one handsome board before they totally destroyed it over the years with ads. Totally useful info, no more, no less, simply formatted. Hell, I'd take it today over those monstrous color jobs that look more like webpages than scoreboards.

If you want to be entertained stay home and look at your official MLB Sharp Aquos. At the game give me the orig Shea board and a color panel in lieu of the message board area.

Good job there, Aviator! And stick Shea's NY skyline on top of it while you're at it. If that skyline goes in the dump we will all jam Citi's mailboxes!!!

[Chevy114]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3072/2628483191_dda671c511_b.jpg

My fear of heights would def. kick in during that walk! I could barely even make it up the partcally blocked stairs at daytona speedway this weekend!

[Lafferty Daniel]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3072/2628483191_dda671c511_b.jpg

That is the coolest staircase I've ever seen at a ballpark. Great find LGM.

[kingcohn92]

My favorite scoreboards are
1.Shea stadium
2.Candlestick park (old 1960s model)
3. Polo grounds (With Rheingold sign)
4.Wrigley Feild
5.Connie Mack stadium
6.Yankee stadium(Early1970s)
7.Baltimore Memorial stadium (1970s with CHARGE sign)
8.Crosley feild
9.Atlanta Fulton county stadium
10.Ebetts Feild
:radio

shea stadium??? im a met fan and all but how is that the best scoreboard its 90% ads

[Pelt]

I'm screwing around in Sketchup, modeling an old new Yankee Stadium concept I had from an old drawing I made in the late 80's. Todays technology furthered what I already had in mind for the scoreboard that used to be there before the renovation.

This should be good for a laugh.

http://img58.imageshack.us/img58/4093/newysoldideaks4.jpg

[Pelt]

A little closer this time. :p

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/6341/newysoldidea2yb4.jpg

[Wall-E]

A little closer this time. :p

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/6341/newysoldidea2yb4.jpg

Extend the screen on the left to make it an HD scoreboard. Nobody wants a 4:3 Standard Display.

Well, everyone except the Wilpons...

[Pelt]

Extend the screen on the left to make it an HD scoreboard. Nobody wants a 4:3 Standard Display.

Well, everyone except the Wilpons...

Well, I was trying to find pics that I could fit in there, without changing the integrity of the original scoreboard too much.

[Dougman59]

I was at my public library last weekend looking for old stadium photos in 50 year old issues of the Sporting News. In the 7/30/1959 issue page 43 there was a spread of the different scoreboards in MLB at the time. It's a nice look back in time.

[mrakbaseball]

I like the new updated Camden Yards scoreboards. They don't overwhelm you like some of the newer ones.

[CubsFaninBflo]

A thing of beauty is a joy forever!

Thanks, Chisox73! You just brightened my day.

Sadly, when OUR Ebbets Field was demolished, it was sold to a minor league team somewhere in NC. It has since been destroyed.

c.

An interesting note: The "h" and the first "e" in the Schaefer beer sign served to indicate a scorer's decision (hit or error)