Cubs Sorta Blot Out Sky With Mockups of Massive Wrigley Jumbotron and Signage

In advance of their $500 million renovation of Wrigley Field, the Chicago Cubs erected mock-ups of the planned 6,000-square foot Jumbotron (top) and right field signage (bottom) yesterday. The appearance was brief, but not so brief that local photographer Will Byington couldn't capture shots that confirmed everyone's worst fears.

Unsurprisingly, the Cubs disagree with those fears. They want anyone worried that these changes will negatively affect fans' experience at Wrigley to know that the Jumbotron will be implemented in a "smart" and "tasteful" manner. Via the Chicago Tribune:

The giant video board is perhaps the most controversial part of the renovation plan for the majority of fans who don’t care about the views from the rooftops. A source said Ricketts decided long ago the team will not allow the video board to be used for a “Kiss Cam” or similar fan-appeasing stunts featured in other ballparks, hoping for a “smarter” scoreboard.

Asked last week if a video board would “irrevocably change the atmosphere” at Wrigley, Theo Epstein, president of baseball operations for the Cubs, responded, “Not if it's done tastefully and is geared for the baseball experience, which is the plan.”

Tribune