Famed Tal's Hill To Be Removed From Minute Maid Park

By HUNTER ATKINS, Houston Chronicle, San Antonio Express-News: World
Wed, 09/28/2016 - 5:51pm

HOUSTON (AP) — When former Astros owner Drayton McLane prepared to spend $265 million of ownership and taxpayer money to build the field of his dreams, he could not expect it to last forever, but he wanted it to be unforgettable. The Houston Chronicle (http://bit.ly/2dkMBxE ) reports in 1997 he looked around a drab, cramped, windowless, eighth floor Astrodome conference room for inspiration from his brain trust. President of business operations Bob McClaren, senior vice president of sales and marketing Pam Gardner and three architects from the design firm Populous turned to the group's venerable historian, an old-timer who expounded that nostalgia would reinvigorate the modern ballpark. Tal Smith, the head of baseball operations, proposed that they build a hill in centerfield for the impending Enron Field. Other stadiums added sleek bars lined with televisions and plush spaces to congregate in their centerfield concourses. When this season ends, the Astros will raze the hill, bring the fence in to 409 feet and build out new amenities. "How could we keep something for 'nostalgia's sake' when we have a better use for the fans and our players?" reasoned Astros president of business operations Reid Ryan. "When you're running up it, it takes your legs away," said former Cardinals center fielder Jim Edmonds, who likely made impressive catches on the hill more than anyone. Former utility man Bill Spiers played the inaugural season at Enron Field. Smith expected Houston's hill would create the type of iconic association that Wrigley Field's ivy, Fenway Park's Green Monster and Yankee Stadium's Monument Park have with their cities. Mike Donovan, the project manager from Populous, credits Smith's imagination for stoking the group's idea for the locomotive above left field. Former broadcaster Brett Dolan liked how much visiting teams had to adjust: the near walls in the corners made legging out doubles difficult an

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