As a result of some renovation plans at Comerica Park this winter, the team has decided to put TigerFest on the back burner for a year. TigerFest was going to be January 21, but some of the park's biggest upgrades since its inception will prevent that from happening. The biggest change fans may witness in 2012 deals with the humungous scoreboard:
Details on the scoreboard upgrades are expected to be announced soon. The scoreboard is largely the same as when the ballpark opened, and has shown its age at times over the last few years.
At the same time, new scoreboards, including huge video boards and improved graphics, have had major effects on ballparks around the Majors. A giant video board and LED scoreboard was one of the highlights of a massive renovation of Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City before the 2009 season, and helped modernize one of baseball's older ballparks. The Phillies updated their scoreboard last offseason with an HD board that stands as the National League's largest.
Working on as large of a scoreboard as Comerica Park -- still one of the biggest in the big leagues -- takes up space and time around the ballpark for new parts and the equipment to install them. That's where the Tigers, who have held a fanfest event for about the last 15 years, encountered challenges, then concerns
The Tigers Winter Caravan will still go on as planned on January 19-20.