Astros getting rid of that stupid hill

[Hollyw00d]

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/13012529/houston-astros-get-rid-tal-hill-flagpole-2015-season

Rejoice!

[Angel Oracle]

Never mind the hill disappearing, but wasn't Reid Ryan just a young lad seemingly yesterday?

Can't believe that Nolan's son is already into his 40s.

[ELEVEN]

Never mind the hill disappearing, but wasn't Reid Ryan just a young lad seemingly yesterday?

Can't believe that Nolan's son is already into his 40s.

Holy crap!! We're old farts!

[ELEVEN]

More on topic... (see what I did there)

I am over The Hill.

[Angel Oracle]

Reid left his thrillll....on Tal's Hill.

[tdawg87]

How about they also move the left field wall back about 20 feet.

 

God I hate that stadium.

[Dick B Back]

I think I read somewhere that in addition to removing the hill that they are moving the fences in of all things.

Maybe they want to give Carter a shot at the single season HR mark.

[ettin]

Kinda makes sense for the Astros (the walls moving in) since most of their order is high K's/HR types.

[Vegas Halo Fan]

I'm sure that it seemed like a novel feature, but I considered it odd from the beginning. When I was at the University of Florida the old baseball park on campus had a hill in center field like that, and I never saw the point. All it did was make the CF's life more difficult.

[Angel Oracle]

I think I read somewhere that in addition to removing the hill that they are moving the fences in of all things.

Maybe they want to give Carter a shot at the single season HR mark.

Mainly the LCF/CF/RCF fence area, iirc

They had better not be moving in the LF and RF fences.

[ELEVEN]

If only we had the simple joy of watching Mike Trout dodge the sprinklers, like Mantle used to...

[Tank]

I like the novelty of the hill. Just something different that doesn't seem to pose much of a problem for anyone.

What I'd rather see them do fix the paint scheme of the left field wall. When there's a fly ball in that direction, you can't see it on tv because it's painted a cream color and the ball gets lost very easily.

[CaliAngel]

I liked the hill and flag pole out in center!

 

Very unique to the park, a nod to the parks of the past, and something a little different and pesky for the center fielders.

 

Really too bad.

[ELEVEN]

F that stupid shit. I don't want Trout blowing out a knee on that garbage. Stupid idea.

[Vegas Halo Fan]

F that stupid shit. I don't want Trout blowing out a knee on that garbage. Stupid idea.

 

This to me is the real danger. A guy is going back on a ball, suddenly he's going uphill and twists a knee.

[Stradling]

I remember in a softball game at Lemon Park in Fullerton, before it had fences, I was playing left field. Some dude smashes the ball, I turn and run full speed, I've got a beat on the ball as I'm running, next thing I know I basically run full speed into the ground because there was a small hill. The ball hit off my glove as I was falling to the ground with my arm fully extended. I separated my shoulder on the play. So, I'm kind of ok with getting rid of the unique little hill in CF.

[Stradling]

And yes I know I still should have caught the ball

[Grigori]

Yeah, that hill always looked dangerous to me.  When you are running that hard something bad could happen like that.  I'm surprised no one has been hurt on it, at least that I know of. 

[Blarg]

And yes I know I still should have caught the ball

 

Did you at least get the ball in to hold the runner to a double?

[DowningRules]

1.  Take dirt and grass from hill

2.  Push back right field corner wall at Skankee stadium and Fenway

3.  Use dirt and grass here

4.  Eliminate little league field dimension

4.  Play MLB at Skankee/Fenway

[disarcina]

sort of surprised that either MLB or perhaps the MLBPA didn't allow that {Tal's) Hill in the first place.

 

seems like an injury waiting to happen for an CF'er / OF'er.

[Don]

Went to dinner about ten years ago with a (now-retired) NL outfielder who's wife is a friend of my sister's. The hill in Houston was brought up. He was pretty candid about disliking it.