Big board blues, replay flap, free custard
There’s no doubt about it — the new scoreboard at Kauffman is a visual wonder. Its size and configuration make it easy to see, even from certain places outside the ballpark.
But neither the new scoreboard nor new construction at Kauffman will help people see the board if they sit in the last eight or so rows in the lower deck. The video portion of the board is all or partly blocked by the deck of seats above. You have to scramble down the aisle, if practical, to catch a replay or any between-inning entertainment on the board.
The sight lines to the old scoreboard were no better, even though it was smaller, says Bob Rice, vice president of ballpark operations and development for the Royals. The board still sat high enough off the ground to be out of view from seats well under the overhand, he said.
The limited view is annoying, and you also can’t see fly balls from seats way under the stands but it can’t be helped given the way the stadium bowl is designed. Personally, I would avoid buying lower deck seats, especially in the infield area, that are about row J or higher.
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Of course, sometimes the board is not used to its full potential anyway. There was another example Sunday of the Royals being too timid in showing replays. David DeJesus was tagged out in a topsy-turvy collision at the plate in the first inning in a play that begged to be shown again. It was not controversial, just entertaining. Yet, the person who decides what plays to show erred on the side of protecting the umpire instead of serving the high-paying fans. I heard several fans complain about not seeing a replay.
UPDATE: Chris DeRuyscher, director of game entertainment for Royals, says in an email this morning that baseball has the most rigid rules in pro sports on replays and that the Royals are unfairly criticized in the media for not showing some plays. “We are not protecting anyone, we are simply living by the rules given to us,” he writes. The team would prefer to show more plays, he said.
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If you still have your ticket stub from Sunday’s game, head to a Sheridan’s Frozen Custard outlet for a free small hot-fudge sundae anytime in next seven days. Sundaes are given away when the Royals score in the 7th inning, which they did Sunday afternoon. The one Sheridan location where you can’t get a free sundae: Kauffman Stadium. Jerry Sheridan, in charge of catering for Sheridan, said the idea of the promotion is to bring people to one of Sheridan’s dozen outlets in the area. The Sheridan stand at Kauffman has a different (higher) pricing structure, he said.
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Royals’ fans cheering a guy wearing an Albert Pujols jersey? It happened at the game Sunday. The man nabbed a foul ball near the Royals dugout, fending off a couple little boys in Royals’ shirts. Boos erupted but quickly turned to cheers when he handed the ball to one of the boys.
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