New Video Ribbon Board To Greet Tulsa Driller Fans At ONEOK Field

Baseball returns to ONEOK Field Thursday as the Tulsa Drillers open their 2014 season.

All week long, crews at the downtown Tulsa ballpark have ramped up preparations for Thursday's first pitch at 7:05 p.m.

When fans arrive at ONEOK Field they will notice a couple things that really make Tulsa's ballpark unique, including a new video ribbon board.

"For the twenty plus years that I've been with the Drillers, whether we were at Drillers Stadium or ONEOK Field, every year we want to add a new wrinkle," said Tulsa Drillers General Manager Mike Melega.

The video ribbon board was just installed. It is three-feet high and 450-feet long.

Melega says it is the only one of its kind in minor league baseball.

"This ribbon board's gonna give us an opportunity to provide more content to our fans about our players, stats for those fans that are die-hard, but more importantly it's gonna give us the opportunity to accentuate the exciting moments of the game," said Mike Melega.

If you're looking for a cold brew, 90-percent of ONEOK Field's beer taps have been converted to a system called bottoms up.

"The best part about it is that there's very little waste and it'll move lines faster," said Mike Melega.

The beer fills up through a hole in the bottom of cup and the hole is covered by magnet that you can keep.

To go with your drink, the Tulsa Drillers have a new menu of hot dogs and burgers, topped with avocado, bacon, buffalo chicken, mozzarella sticks, or really spicy stuff. Fans will also see the return of the Driller Chiller and smoked bologna.

One thing you will recognize, News On 6 Friday Night Fireworks is back again this year.

Since Thursday is opening night at ONEOK Field, the annual parade kicks off on Greenwood just east of the ballpark at 6 p.m.