Here’s what the Tigers’ new scoreboard will look like

By Lynn Henning
The Detroit News

 

This is a representation of what the new video board at Comerica Park will look like when it is completed. (Detroit Tigers)

Comerica Park still has that just-opened ring and sensation to it. But the Tigers home is heading into its 13th season, and like any child that has reached adolescence, it has outgrown some of its old togs.

Opening Day will feature a new look, as heavy on customer service as it is on technological glitter.

The left-field scoreboard is about to increase in size and scope to become one of the largest video-presentation areas in pro sports — and the largest video board in Michigan.

“It’s expansive,” said Duane McLean, executive vice president of business operations for the Tigers, who along with vice president of park operations Mike Healy, has overseen the conversion.

Said Healy: “This is a major construction project. One of the biggest since the ballpark opened.”

The scoreboard’s old video panel — situated to the right of the stationary center panel — will grow by almost 600 percent, from 1,008 square feet to 6,000 square feet. It will be nearly three times as big as the existing center panel (2,176 square feet), which lists basic statistics and information.

It is believed Comerica will house the fourth-largest video screen in the big leagues, once it’s completed at the end of March. Comerica Park’s video board has been one of the smallest in the majors.

The old Tigers sign atop the scoreboard, which consisted of block letters, will be replaced by a Tigers script sign and will be significantly taller — 36 feet from 22 feet — and will be more horizontal than the past treatment that had more of an arch to its profile. It will feature “motion” lights that can adopt appropriate colors for particular moments, for example, red, white, and blue during the National Anthem.

After years of exposure to Detroit’s four-season weather brew, the 12-foot lighted tigers that stand atop the scoreboard also have been refurbished to create a fiercer impression.

The overall scoreboard will be raised about 16 feet to provide better sight-lines for fans. The new board will feature a speed-pitch screen twice the old display’s square footage: 5-feet-by-96 feet compared with the former 5-by-48.

Additionally, all video, on the scoreboard and on the auxiliary boards located atop the upper deck on each baseline, will be converted to LED (light-emitting diode). LED is designed to produce brighter, more energy-efficient light with faster response. The conversion is being handled by Daktronics, Inc., of Brookings, S.D., which has done similar work for 22 of the 30 teams.

LED was an emerging technology when Comerica Park opened in 2000. Its ability to deliver bolder, more rapid, and more creative messages and images are a basic reason the Tigers are spending millions (they will not reveal precise numbers) to offer fans high-tech visuals, not to mention draw advertisers they believe will fancy a more alluring and expansive scoreboard panorama.

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Designed by members of a team who worked on Apple’s iPod, the Nest is a sleek looking digital thermostat which can actually “learn” its owners’ schedule and then continue to regulate temperature to suit the user’s preferences and patterns.

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Here in Michigan, we are experiencing the mildest winter in many years. The same cannot be said for Eastern Europe, where recent cold waves have resulted in temperatures as low as -30 degrees Fahrenheit! Over 100 people, mostly homeless, have died as a result of the cold in the Ukraine this past week alone.

If you live in Michigan and your home has recessed lights (a.k.a. “can lights”), chances are your home is drafty. That’s because a vast majority of recessed lights are extremely leaky, acting essentially as holes between your home’s top story and your attic, which allows heated air to escape from your home. If your home fits this description, have no fear! There are some simple solutions to this age-old dilemma that will seal your lights tight, keeping your precious heated air inside your home this winter.

After years of diligent experimentation with a myriad of different products and techniques, the efficiency experts at Go Green Energy Consulting have perfected our air-sealed recessed light recipe. We are particularly excited about the EcoSmart LED recessed light trim kits (see below), which also switch you over to significantly more efficient lights at the same time! 

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The Michigan energy revolution is (almost) here! Consumers Energy announced plans earlier this month to cancel a proposed 830-MW plant in Essexville and shut down several coal-fire power plants by 2015. Couple with a $1.6 billion emissions reduction plan, Consumers expects to reduce total plant emissions by as much as 90%.

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Go Green Energy Consulting Co-Founder Adam Duke recently appeared on Fox 2 Detroit to lead reporter Robin Schwartz on a home energy audit … of her own home! Watch the video below:

Living Green: A FOXe Special Report: MyFoxDETROIT.com

Go Green Energy Consulting is proud to announce that we are officially hiring! Seven new employees have come on board over the last two months, and we plan to continue growing into the new year.

From left to right: John Charnota, Joe Kodlowski, Matthew Grubba, Jacob Smith, Stephanie Eller, Chuck Kelley, Adam Duke, Denny Austin, Matthew Aubel

“Since we started this business in 2009, one of our main goals has always been to boost Michigan’s economy,” says GGEC co-founder Adam Duke. “We hire Michigan workers, use Michigan products whenever possible, and provide work for other Michigan companies.” 

GGEC’s energy efficiency techniques save homeowners money on their energy bills, keeping money in the pockets of homeowners. Says Duke, “98% of our energy is imported from out of state. By reducing energy waste, we are literally saving money from flying out of our great state, which can then be spent within our local economy.”

Duke and his energy-saving companions do not plan to stop anytime soon. “We are thrilled to represent the emerging home performance industry in Michigan,” says business partner and childhood friend Jacob Smith, “and we won’t stop until every Michigander is living comfortably and affordably in their own home!”

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced that states and territories across the nation have reached the goal of weatherizing more than 600,000 low-income homes– including more than 125,000 multi-family homes like apartment buildings–more than three months ahead of schedule. The Department reached this major milestone as part of its efforts to save energy and reduce home utility bills for families, while creating jobs in communities throughout the country.

Read the full press release.

Energy efficiency is creating jobs in Michigan as well. Go Green Energy Consulting is proud to announce that we hired seven employees over the last two months!

GGEC Co-Founder Adam Duke spoke this past weekend at the Midwest Power Shift 2011 conference in Cleveland, OH. He was featured on a panel discussing Energy Efficiency as the Building Base of the Green Economy. (The image below is taken from the event’s program.) 

“It was really great,” says Duke, “there were a ton of extremely passionate students from all over the country. By sharing my story and insights, I was hopefully able to convey that it’s possible to pursue their passions through the for-profit sector.”

Duke, 23, graduated from Michigan State University in May 2010. 

“I wish I could have heard me give this talk when I was in school,” he jokes.

According to a new study, Michigan is the most improved state in the country for energy efficiency in the past year. Michigan has jumped to 17th in the state rankings from 34th in 2009!

How did we do it?? A great combination of policy and direct incentives have successfully encouraged homeowners and business alike to hop on the efficiency band wagon. Click here to learn more.

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