The MLB Cardinals "spent $800,000 removing a significant number of seats from the right field terrace to make way" for the newly announced Budweiser Terrace, which "will feature a multilevel, 20,000-square-foot area with two full service bars, standing areas and lounge seating within the bowl" of Busch Stadium, according to Brian Feldt of the ST. LOUIS BUSINESS JOURNAL. Also featured are "cabana seating with urban garden accents, an open-air barbecue grill and a newly constructed covered performance stage." The project is "expected to be complete for the beginning" of the '18 season. The Cardinals said that fans will "not need a special ticket to access the Budweiser Terrace." There are "no assigned seats in the area," and the standing and lounge areas are "all available on a first-come, first-served basis" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 1/12). In St. Louis, Jacob Barker wrote the Cardinals "removed 1,000 seats from six sections in the upper right field level" of the ballpark in November to make room for the new space (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 1/13).
BETTER FAN EXPERIENCE: In Chicago, Mark Gonzales wrote inside Wrigley Field, two elevators have been "added behind the home plate area." Fans also will be "treated to faster cell service, and a Wi-Fi upgrade is in the works" for '19. Another "eight new concession stands will open by July." Cubs officials also announced the addition of "extended netting they say was in the works before the issue of fan protection became more prominent." Fans will notice "expanded home and visitors dugouts that will be about 20 feet farther down the first- and third-base lines." But they "won't see two batting cages, a video room and a training room behind the Cubs dugout on the third-base side" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 1/14).
