The "most visible change" to Minute Maid Park at the Astros' home opener against the Marlins Friday night will be the "new video scoreboard in right field, dubbed El Grande," according to David Barron of the HOUSTON CHRONICLE. At 54 feet high by 124 feet wide, El Grande "covers 6,696 square feet and is the fourth-largest board" in MLB. The scoreboard is "augmented by a 40-by-24-foot auxiliary board on the upper deck facing behind third base, for the benefit of fans sitting in right field." Daktronics "built both boards." Minute Maid Park also features "upgraded WiFi and distributed antenna systems installed by AT&T." The DAS "essentially turns Minute Maid into a giant cellphone tower" with 220 antennas on all levels. Astros Senior Dir of Information Technology Steve Reese said that AT&T also "installed 175 WiFi hotspots, which will handle data traffic." Customers using Verizon, "which had its own antennas in the stadium, and other carriers also can access the new system." AT&T customers "will connect automatically to WiFi if that service is enabled on their devices; customers of other companies will have to click on an authentication page." There is "no charge for the service." Also new this season is the Insperity Club, which "replaced the Minute Maid press box." Insperity Club tickets "cost $150 per game for 82 games or $12,300 for the year, plus a charter seat license of $5,000 for front row seats or $3,000 for second-row seats and a five-year contract to purchase tickets, which would total about $66,000 per seat for the life of the agreement." Astros VP/Business Development John Sorrentino said that 110 of the 150 seats "have been sold" and he "expects the box to be sold out by the middle of April" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 4/8).
