Anyone
out there as happy as I am about the Lightning and the St. Pete
Times Forum getting rid of its antiquated old scoreboard and hanging
a new one that is supposed to have one of the largest LED (light
emitting diode) screens anywhere in the league.
Team
spokesman Bill Wickett said the scoreboard, which is not yet
installed and will ultimately be paid for out of the $35-million in
tourist taxes Hillsborough County has made available for the arena's
upkeep, will be ready for the Oct. 4 season opener with the Devils.
Wickett
also said the purchase of the scoreboard was initiated by Lightning
owner Palace Sports & Entertainment well before the proposed sale of
the team.
HiTech Electronic
Displays of Clearwater was hired to design and develop
the scoreboard system.
Forget
those nuts and bolts, though. For fans, the board itself is big
stuff. The old scoreboard's video display was almost dirty looking;
at least it was fuzzy. And it was easy to miss the action even if
you were watching carefully. Well, all that should change with the
new multi-million dollar board with screens that apparently are 20
feet high with another four feet of display board on top of that.
If it
is anything like some of the LED boards up around the league, you
will be shocked -- SHOCKED -- at the clarity.
The
difference from the old scoreboard is that there will be no separate
space for the score and the time left in the period except on the
video board. In other words, all the game information you get will
be on the boards. From what I understand, those stats will be
displayed much like they are being displayed on your television
screen at home when you watch a game. Think ESPN's scoreboard
graphic or Sun Sports'.
May
take a little getting used to, but the quality of the picture during
the game and for replays should make it worth it.
The
Times Forum also is putting a 360-degree full-color display ribbon
on the face of the arena's lower level. On the face of the its upper
level, new scoreboards will be installed at both ends.
It's
about time.
