Old School, Low Tec

 I’m not going to write about the Mets beating the Cubs 4-1 in game two of the NLCS because that could just come back to bit me.  What I will write about are manual scoreboards and home run apples.

Wrigley Field was never a dime-a-dozen ballpark, but it was on of fourteen classic parks—of the original sixteen MLB teams, the Phillies and A’s shared Shibe Park while the Cardinals and Browns did the same at Sportsman’s Park—of which only two remain.  Among their many charms, both Wrigley and Fenway have manually operated scoreboards.  Nothing better highlights the dangers of going too high tec than those two new video boards that divert attention from the iconic centerfield scoreboard at Wrigley.  The board used to command the outfield by virtue of its size and location, Deco flourishes, clock and flag masts that fly the respective league standings.  The new board in left field doesn’t so much dominate the site as bully it.

From what I can tell, Citi Field looks to be yet another bait-and-switch concoction, all retro on the outside—in this case, design elements meant to evoke memories of Ebbets Field—all cantilevered mausoleum on the inside.  The one saving grace looks to be the Home Run Apple, a 16-foot tall production that pops out of a suitably large hat after every Mets’ homerun.  Met catcher Travis d’Arnaud homered into the hat Saturday night, and someone came up with the clever idea of affixing a bandage to the apple. 

That and old scoreboards, my friends, are part of what makes baseball great.