In K.C., Sam McDowell notes Kauffman Stadium last night for Mets-Royals "debuted its added safety netting," which "stretches from the old backstop screen to the outfield ends of both dugouts." Ticket holder Dmitri Williams said, "It’s nice to know that if maybe I’m not looking for a pitch, I’m not going to get blasted in the side of the face.” Williams yesterday "worried about arriving to his seat" with an obstructed view. But he said that the netting "was hardly noticeable." Fan Grey Rogers, who sat along the first-base line, said, “It’s really not as distracting as everyone said it was going to be. It’s not that bad. I noticed it when I sat down, but you kind of forget it’s there after awhile" (K.C. STAR, 4/4).
POP-UP VIDEO: White Sox Senior VP/Sales & Marketing Brooks Boyer calls the three new videoboards debuting at U.S. Cellular Field this season a "game-changer for the fan experience." He said that there will be a "different feel" with right- and left-field boards measuring nearly 2,500 square feet and a center-field board of about 8,000 square feet. Boyer expects "'crisp video' to enhance replays and said the boards bring the club new ways to engage with fans via social media and contests" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 4/3).
TECH CRUNCH: In California, Jeff Fletcher noted in order to "help better develop their players," the Angels have invested in Trackman technology for "all of their affiliates’ home ballparks." That will "allow them to record data such as rates for pitchers and batted-ball velocities for hitters." Information like that "can not only help the Angels know how to coach their players, but also help them evaluate the tools in their own system." The Angels are also "investing in getting their players better education in off-the-field elements of development: sleep, nutrition, mental skills" (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 4/3).
PROPERTY MANAGEMENT: MARKETWATCH's Daniel Goldstein noted homes owned by people who live within a mile of an MLB ballpark are "probably worth more than other houses" in the same city. S.F.-based Real estate company Trulia looked at the 29 MLB ballparks in the U.S and "determined that 18 of the 29 neighborhoods closest to the ballparks tended to be pricier than other homes in those cities." Neighborhoods within a mile of Yankee Stadium "had median prices nearly 82% higher" than those in the greater N.Y. metro area. Home values within a mile of Nationals Park "commanded a 15% premium." Trulia found "no such correlation when it came to housing prices and proximity to NFL stadiums" (MARKETWATCH.com, 3/30).
