Red Sox fans ripping NESN scorebug for absurd features on Opening Day

Just as the Boston Red Sox debuted a new-look lineup and rotation on Opening Day, their hometown broadcast station revamped its graphics package. Before the game, NESN showed off a fancy new introduction, and a new scorebug and stat graphics followed.

The scorebug hasn't gone over well with Sox fans, however. The new upper left includes team logos and colors, which is a nice touch (and it will look better when Boston plays a team that doesn't wear mostly red). Fans' biggest gripe with the scorebug is that it's massive.

Twitter user redsoxpayroll measured the new scorebug compared to the previous one, and the updated graphic allegedly covers about four percent of the screen. The previous one covered under three percent — the difference sounds minor, but enough people noticed to make for some great jokes.

Red Sox fans took to social media to crack jokes about NESN's gargantuan new scorebug

The score graphic also changed sizes and shape throughout the game. It included massive advertisements below and to the right of the scores, which made the already-massive scorebug way too big. Thankfully, NESN didn't show the ads all game, because it overlapped some tight shots of Garrett Crochet on the mound.

NESN's previous scorebug was nothing to write home about — it was entirely navy blue with simple text that showed pitcher-hitter matchups and batters' stat lines for the current game. It was plain, but at least it didn't take away from the game. The new graphic is so big it's almost distracting.

Besides the huge ads, NESN's new scorebug is visually appealing. All it would have to do is shrink it to make it a clear improvement over the last one. However, it could do with an indicator that shows how many ABS challenges teams have.

Scorebug discourse has dominated baseball Twitter since the first-ever Opening Night broadcast on Netflix on March 25. The massive square graphic dominated the lower right corner of the screen and fans voiced their displeasure with a series of angry (and hilarious) tweets.

NESN's broadcast often leaves much to be desired. There are relatively few replay angles and stat graphics compared to the broadcast stations of other big market teams, such as YES Network and SNY. NESN's new intro and graphics package are a step in the right direction, but shrinking the scorebug would be the easiest way to successfully make the transition to the new look.