Opening Night 2012 Brings A Lot Of New Changes

Centennial Field is the oldest ballpark still in operation in professional baseball.  Since the day in April 1906, when Ray Collins threw the very first pitch of the first game played here, the facility has undergone a lot of changes.  Over the past year, it has received some of the most notable changes it has seen in a long time, possibly ever.

As a Vermont Lake Monsters fan approaches the stadium gates, it may be hard not to notice one of the most visible changes.  Where there once was an old scoreboard with bad light sockets making it hard to read some of the numbers, there is now a brand new digital scoreboard underneath a 27' by 16' video screen.  The Lake Monsters have certainly hit the ground running making use of the new screen.  From sponsor ads, to birthday announcements, even a live camera in the ballpark showing fans and promotional games on the screen.  What kid, or adult, wouldn't be excited to see their face pop up on the screen?  Unless of course you were just biting into that hot dog.

Once you're inside, you'll start to notice other changes.  Some are more subtle than others.  First, the field lights were all replaced.  Those who are familiar with the park may notice on the way in that the light posts are actually set differently on the concourse.  They are a little further back from the bleachers and moved along as well.  Looking at some of the new lights over the field, the first impression isn't necessarily that they were upgraded.  Most of the units actually have fewer lights than before.  However, the new units are an entirely different technology allowing them to provide more light with energy and fixtures.

Many fans may not even notice the change which is actually the one the change the players will notice the most.  The entire infield was resurfaced over the off season.  The most notable result of this is that they were able to fix the significant drop between the infield and the outfield.  This makes for a better and safer experience for the players.  If you look closely, you'll see the difference when an infielder steps off the clay.  In the past, their feet would drop out of sight, but not anymore.

The infield was one of the two primary complaints heard from visiting teams in the past seasons.  The other was the visitors' clubhouse, which had been located at the far side of the soccer field behind the scoreboard. Now, it has been moved to the renovated locker room located directly below the scoreboard.  The switch makes for a significantly shorter trip between their dugout and the clubhouse.

Not to be left out, Champ decided it was time for a change too.  He retired his old green four-wheeler for the new 'sportier' yellow one.  The Lake Monsters even included a video on the screen showing Champ's story of how he found his new ride.

Summer has "officially" started now that the Vermont Lake Monsters are back at the ballpark.  They split the opening homestand against the Tri-City ValleyCats with a loss in the opener and a 7-4 win on the second night.  They now head out on the road to Tri-City for their first road trip of the season.  They'll be back in town on the 25th to take on the Connecticut Tigers.  Stay tuned to The 405 for updates on the team during the roadtrip.

Game photos available at http://www.bradboquetphotography.com

See you at the ballpark!