Boy, talk about quiet changes: the San Francisco Giants have made a slew of upgrades to AT&T Park for 2015, including expanded signage, new concessions and a renovated home clubhouse.
First, the new concessions. AT&T Park has always been a heaven for foodies, and the offerings are expanded with the completion of a center-field food court inside the Marina Gate and behind center field and The Garden. The offerings: Slice House New York-style cheese and pepperoni pizza from 11-time World Champion Pizza Champ Tony Gemignani; a new Doggie Diner Grill with a glass enclosed grill and a Gilroy Garlic Fries stand. Speaking of The Garden: the Giants are promising a greater selection of gluten-free and vegetarian offerings there.
Second, the new signage. A new center-field LED videoboard replaces the former AT&T Tri-Vision display directly beneath the Mitsubishi DiamondVision scoreboard. This board will display scoreboard messages, birthday greetings, announcements, fan features and other game related content. It is 38’ wide x 13’ high, has a 20mm pixel pitch and a total of 110,592 pixels.
Third, the renovated clubhouse. It’s been 15 years since AT&T Park opened — yes, we can’t believe it, either — and 2015 sees the first overhaul of the home clubhouse. We’ve been seeing this a lot from teams in recent years (Wrigley Field will see new clubhouses the next two years, for instance), and the Giants are following the trend with a more functional area for the players, coaches and media. The players’ lockers were redesigned, providing for more open floor space in the middle of the clubhouse where media gather, and reconfigurations resulted in a larger dining room and kitchen area.
There have been many more upgrades, many on the technology end — not surprising for a team playing in San Francisco. Cell service for T-Mobile has been upgraded, and more stands will accept Apple Pay NFC payment technology.
And, of course, plenty of great things return to AT&T Park: the free Opera at the Ballpark (July 3, The Marriage of Figaro), Orlando’s Cha Cha Bowl, Gilroy Garlic Fries, etc. And, of course, that gorgeous view of the bay.