Tal's Hill

Tal's Hill and the flagpole

Tal's Hill, also called "The Grassy Knoll",[1][2] was a 90-foot (27 m)-wide-30 degree incline in the outfield at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas, United States.[3] It was created in 2000 when Enron Field (as Minute Maid Park was named at the time) opened with a flagpole on it.[4] In 2016, Tal's Hill was leveled in order for the Houston Astros to add a new seating area to center field in place of the hill.[5] It was named after former Astros President Tal Smith who proposed its inclusion.[6]

History

In 1996, when the Astros were designing a new stadium during a meeting at the Astrodome, owner Drayton McLane asked "What can we do to make this ballpark special?" Tal Smith responded by suggesting a hill in center field similar to the Cincinnati Reds' Crosley Field.[6] The project became known as "Tal's Hill" when architects Populous made designs to facilitate the inclusion of the hill.[6]

Some players nicknamed it "The Grassy Knoll".[7] The first catch made on Tal's Hill was made by the Atlanta Braves' Andruw Jones in 2000 after he had previously fallen over running up the hill on the previous play.[8] Catches on the Hill were viewed to be some of the toughest to make and a number of players fell over on it.[9] Lance Berkman once said about it: "If the ball rolls onto the hill, it's not steep enough to roll back, so you have to go get it, then there's the chance of running into the flagpole that’s on it and getting hurt.”[1]

In 2015, the Houston Astros announced that Tal's Hill would be removed as part of an organizational evaluation requested by owner Jim Crane.[10] It was to be replaced with a new seating area and concession stands.[11] The removal was scheduled for the end of the 2015 Major League Baseball season; however, the Astros reached the postseason, which delayed the work until after the 2016 season.[11] The groundbreaking on removal took place on October 10, 2016.[12] The removal of Tal's Hill was viewed as an example of variations in MLB ballparks being removed for financial gain and also in the pursuit of uniformity in MLB ballpark playing fields.[13]

Baseball

Under the Minute Maid Park ground rules, both Tal's Hill and the flagpole were considered in play. If a ball hit the flagpole on the hill and stayed in the field of play, it was in play. If it went out of the field of play (over the fence), it was a home run.[14] The Hill was criticized numerous times owing to the incline having the potential to cause injury to fielders unused to it.[8] However, there was never an injury to any player in relation to Tal's Hill.[15]

References

  1. 1 2 "Ballpark Breakdown: Betting Minute Maid Park". Covers.com. May 16, 2007. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
  2. ↑ "The last stand for Tal's Hill at Minute Maid Park". Vice. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
  3. ↑ Barron, David (June 4, 2015). "Astros to scrap Tal's Hill as part of $15 million ballpark redesign". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Houston Astros to get rid of Tal's Hill, flagpole after 2015 season". ESPN. June 4, 2015. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
  5. ↑ Axisa, Mike (October 12, 2016). "LOOK: Here's what Tal's Hill at Minute Maid Park looks like as it's being leveled". CBS. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
  6. 1 2 3 Atkins, Hunter (September 27, 2016). "Tal's Hill, home to a generation of thrills and chills, makes its final stand". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
  7. ↑ "What's with that stupid hill? Bitter". CSN. July 4, 2007. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
  8. 1 2 Ramsey, Shawn (June 4, 2015). "Astros removing Tal's Hill at Minute Maid Park". FOX Sports. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Video: Every catch made on Houston Astros' Tal's Hill". Sports Illustrated. June 4, 2015. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Astros new inclination is to flatten Tal's Hill". New York Times. June 29, 2015. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
  11. 1 2 Rajan, Greg (August 11, 2016). "Astros unveil plans for new center-field area at Minute Maid Park". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
  12. ↑ Young, Matt (October 10, 2016). "Astros break ground on removal of Tal's Hill". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
  13. ↑ "Death of Houston's Tal's Hill Continues Demise Of Baseball's On-Field Oddities". Forbes. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
  14. ↑ Liotta, Paul. "8 baseball stadium quirks". New York Daily News. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
  15. ↑ Brisbee, Grant (June 5, 2015). "The hill in the Astros' ballpark was awful, and I'll miss it". SBNation. Retrieved March 3, 2017.

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