White Sox home opener brings new Cell features - and Tater Tachos

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The baseball season in Chicago is off to a great start, with both the Cubs and White Sox winning their openers on the West Coast.

The baseball season in Chicago is off to a great start, with both the Cubs and White Sox winning their openers on the West Coast.

Now, the fans are looking forward to the home openers in a few days.

The Cubs open next Monday at Wrigley Field and the Sox open Friday at U.S. Cellular Field.

This is the house - 25 years old now. And like every house, it undergoes change, especially when company is coming. You know, trade in the old TV for a big flat screen. So light it up.

The centerfield scoreboard at The Cell - roughly 8,000 square feet - now plays edge-to-edge video, with 10-millimeter pixel resolution - for those who keep track of those sorts of things. And if you choose a different line of site, there are two less-huge boards in right and left.

"I think there'll be more statistics - more fan interaction from a social media standpoint," said Sox exec Brooks Boyer.

Ballpark selfies can wind up on the big screen - bigger than life - and replays with such clarity that the umps may turn to watch. The Sox say the big boards are meant to enhance the fan experience. So too, are a new array of culinary offerings.

Consider the Merkt's cheesy beef sandwich, the bacon cheddar pretzel dog, and another rookie combo - Tater Tachos - a marriage of nachos and tator tots.

"In the off season, we come up with ideas of things we think would work - a laundry list of things. We try them and test them," said Rebecca Spalding, Delaware North.

Beyond tator tachos, there are Reuben subs and monster floats. Or go light with a salad, and then top it with a colossal chocolate-chunk cookie sundae.

So you can come to the ballpark, watch finely tuned athletes doing their thing, and then leave ten pounds heavier.

So locate the defibrillators. There's plenty of food, and boards plenty big, but ultimately, it's the product on the field that puts guests in the house, and the Sox are feeling up about that.

"When you couple a great product with a great ballpark experience, then it's a winning experience for the fans," Boyer said.

It's a full house Friday. Hope springs eternal. And Day One for Tator tachos.