Astros plan to raze Tal's Hill

Astros announce plans to remove the hill and flagpole from center field.Minute Maid Park has always had a few unique features to it, the Crawford Boxes, a train atop the left field wall, a flag pole in the field, and a hill in center field. Tal's Hill slopes at a 30-degree incline and spans 25 feet across the cavernous center field that at it's deepest point is 436 feet away from home plate. Today, the Astros announced they have preliminary approval Harris County-Houston Sports Authority for a $15 million renovation to Minute Maid Park that would remove Tal's Hill.

Tal's Hill was the brainchild of former team president Tal Smith, who wanted to pay homage to Crosley Field. Then Enro Field…