The Earth will indeed be flat in the Houston Astros outfield as the team announced that it will be getting rid of signature Tal’s Hill after the 2015 season. The Astros will remove the incline and its flagpole, which have been staples of Minute Maid Park since the stadium opened in 2000. Both the hill and the flagpole are situated in play and have been known to give outfielders fits as well as highlight-reel catches. The project is part of a $15 million renovation that would move the center-field fence about 27 feet closer to home plate — to a new distance of 409 feet — and would be completed prior to the 2016 season.
There aren’t a lot of things I miss about Houston, but one thing I do miss is Minute Maid Park- for my money, it’s still the best ballpark Major League Baseball has to offer. Granted, I haven’t been in all 30 ballparks, and, being a Minnesota boy, I’m partial to Target Field in Minneapolis. That said, the Astros’ glass and concrete baseball cathedral is an impressive place to take in a ball game. I’ve whiled away many an afternoon and evening there watching the Astros (I was in the stands the night Barry Bonds hit his 70th home run of the season). During the blisteringly hot and humid hellish Houston summers, spending three-plus hours watching baseball in air-conditioned bliss is just this side of heavenly.
One of the things I’ve always loved and makes Minute Maid Park truly unique is center field. With Tal’s Hill and the flagpole in the field of play, it adds a different dimension to a game you just don’t get anywhere else. I can remember watching Lance Bergman tracking a long fly ball (which would have easily been a home run in any other ballpark) as he climbed the hill. It’s one of the things that made watching a baseball in Minute Maid Park special. Tal’s Hill places a premium on a center fielder’s speed, reaction time, and positional sense. Running up a hill at full speed while focusing on a fly ball even as you know you’re closing on a flagpole is quite the challenge.
Tal’s Hill doesn’t come into play every night, and in fact doesn’t really have an impact on most games, but whenever someone hammers a ball to deep center field it’s fun to watch what transpires. I’m disappointed to hear that the playing surface is being reconfigured after this season and Tal’s Hill is being removed, especially since it’s…wait for it…about money.
Tal’s Hill, a tribute to Cincinnati’s Crosley Field and other old ballparks, is named after former longtime team executive Tal Smith. Removing it and bringing in the fences in center field allows the Astros to add three new bars, four food locations and the first field-level seating area at Minute Maid Park.
“We are extremely excited about our plans for center field, and are confident that our fans will be as well,” Astros president of business operations Reid Ryan said in a statement. “Our goal will be to create a unique and entertaining atmosphere for our fans that will include great happy-hour spots and spectacular views. It will also be visual, giving the ballpark an exciting, new look.”
OK, so it’s been 15 years since Minute Maid Park opened as Enron Field. Changing things up can be good, and like any business, the Astros want to maximize the potential for revenue generation. There’s every chance that when it’s completed, the renovation will make sense and look good, but without Tal’s Hill something will be missing. Perhaps it’s just the connection to the old ballparks like Crosley Field that will be gone, but I’ll miss having center field having to be played differently than in any other Major League ballpark. I’ll miss watching players sprinting towards a long fly ball and trying not to trip (or collide with the flagpole) as they go from flat ground to an incline.
In an era when going to a baseball game is sometimes more about creating an experience for customers than it is about baseball fans watching a game, I can understand why the Astros might want to change things up. The drawback with the center field area as currently configured is that there’s no space for fan seating. So perhaps fans will have a better view and have a more enjoyable all around experience. There’s certainly nothing wrong with that…but I will miss the unique experience that Tal’s Hill creates.
Perhaps someday, a team will build a new ballpark with a hill in center field as a tribute to Tal’s Hill…and they’ll no doubt surround center field with bars and restaurants to create the best possible “customer experience” in order to “maximize revenue potential.” Welcome to the brave new world of Major League Baseball, where history too often takes a back seat to business consideration.
