Tal's Hill

[Edgy MD]

The Astros have announced plans to do away with their ballpark's trademark centerfield hazard. It's all about the fans.

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Love how Joe Smith has no interest in watching.

[Ceetar]

mainly because they're moving the fences like 30 feet. Stupid Wilpons.

[Guest themetfairy]

It's about time! That thing is a menace.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Dumb question: if not having a hill and in-play flagpole makes for a better ballpark, then why did they build the consarned, contrived thing in the first place?

[Gwreck]

Because it's fun. And interesting. And they are making a big mistake by removing it.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

The warehouse in the left field corner at Petco is interesting. Having water just beyond the right field promenade at AT & T Park is interesting.

Forcing anachronistic, non-site-specific oddities into your stadium? That's interesting the same way a guy who walks around in public with a snake draped on his shoulders is interesting. Hey! Check him out! He's got a gimmick!

[Frayed Knot]

Yeah, I thought Houston quirked-up that park just for the sake of quirk in a lot of cases.
I wasn't as anti-hill as many were, but just the whole package there with the ridiculously long CF next to the far too short LF plus some other stuff was too cute by half IMO.

[MFS62]

There was a hill in the outfield of Crosley Field for about a hundred years, and it was just "part of the game".
Wusses.

Later

[Edgy MD]

Instead of a a 30-degree uphill grade leading to the centerfield wall, I think there should be a 30-degree downhill grade. Long live Tal's Dip!

[Frayed Knot]

Wouldn't it be cool if you could find video of every catch made running up that hill during the 15 years it's been in existence?

Of course it would!!

[Ceetar]

Frayed Knot wrote: Wouldn't it be cool if you could find video of every catch made running up that hill during the 15 years it's been in existence? Of course it would!!

It was probably a stupid quirk for quirks sake to start with, but I think it'd surpassed that by this point in part due to some of these clips.

It was a throw back in a way to an era when you didn't hit them out to center. (Babe Ruth never did) It was far enough away that It was only the true blasts that brought the hill into play, so it's not like CFers were tripping over it making routine catches of fly balls.

You'd probably have to run some queries or ask an Astros fan for this, but did that hill lead to a lot of triples? were there inside the park home runs because it hit the hill and took a strange bounce?

[Edgy MD]

None as dramatic as Beltran's, perhaps, but I give Sam Fuld the best grade for style and difficulty. I'd like to see a reel of all the failed catches out there.

I'm sorta of the mind that, if it's 400 feet or more away, hazards are OK. Put a tree out there. Or a pond. Or a parked school bus. IT WAS GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME AND THE BOYS AT PS 238!!

[Ceetar]

The Brewers should grow Hop Bines up the outfield walls.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Edgy MD wrote: Instead of a a 30-degree uphill grade leading to the centerfield wall, I think there should be a 30-degree downhill grade. Long live Tal's Dip!

How about we compromise, and make it a big-ass speed bump? #TalsBump

[Centerfield]

I think we should put two or three hot Latvian strippers in every OF. Let them run around and try to distract the outfielders.

Increased attendance!

[Lefty Specialist]

The hill didn't bother me much, but I always thought somebody would kill themselves on that flagpole one day. #TalsLawsuit

[Guest themetfairy]

Centerfield wrote: I think we should put two or three hot Latvian strippers in every OF. Let them run around and try to distract the outfielders. Increased attendance!

You and the Latvians....