Baseball

Mills not sexy pick, but give him a chance

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:56:29 -0600

When the Astros fired Tim Purpura most people in baseball knew the Astros would hire Ed Wade, who is a protege to Tal Smith. If you were paying close attention when they fired Cecil Cooper, you would have heard when...

Quick impressions on Astros' remaining managerial finalists

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:33:50 -0600

Karen Warren/ Chronicle Phil Garner led the Astros to the NLCS in 2004 and World Series in 2005. A quick look at the remaining three finalists for the Astros' managerial job: 1. Dave Clark: He knows the club and...

One door closes, another opens as Mills flies in

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:31:44 -0600

If you've ever met a more optimistic person than Drayton McLane, I'd love to meet him because, man, the owner of the Astros never seems to cry over spilled milk. We had a long, long conversation during this hectic morning,...

Mama called, and Acta said no

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 13:59:33 -0600

You know your organization has sunk when a person who considered it family and followed it closely turned its back on the club. Manny Acta spent 17 years of his life with the Astros organization, saying he even thanked the...

Acta and Mills are finalists

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:20:52 -0600

It's unclear how close the Astros are to picking their manager, but it's become apparent that Manny Acta has impressed them. Moreover, as expected, Terry Francona's bench coach Brad Mills also was brought in for a second interview on Wednesday....

McLane's going to love Melvin

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:00:28 -0600

If Bob Melvin gets a second interview when Drayton McLane returns from Europe next week, I have a strong feeling the Astros' owner is going to really, really like Melvin. Melvin is thin, clean cut and has a solid, solid...

Sad, sad news for Cruz

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 21:41:09 -0600

Jose Cruz is one of the most positive folks you'll ever meet in baseball. He loves the Astros, and I mean, LOVES, the Astros. So, it was quite a blow to him when Tal Smith and Ed Wade told him...

Garner highlights list, but don't ignore Mills

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:43:02 -0600

At times this year, it seemed as though the inmates ran the jail. That won't be happening if Phil Garner is rehired. If Garner had been around when the players were wearing T-shirts that read "Really?" to mock the manager,...

Mike Hargrove interested in Astros

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 20:30:58 -0600

I spoke with Ed Wade again today, and, as he said Sunday, he doesn't expect to get together with his top Astros advisers until later this week to begin putting together a list of candidates for manager. Dozens of folks...

Is Paulino next Zach Greinke, Justin Verlander?

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 22:03:57 -0600

Can Paulino be the next Zach Greinke or Justin Verlander? Felipe Paulino lasted only five innings, but he showed his potential while holding the Phillies to one run over five innings. Afterward, Miguel Tejada dropped a tremendous compliment on the...

Lopez must learn to trust his instincts; Milo on the way

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 18:21:15 -0600

Early in the season when Wandy Rodriguez got into a bit of a funk, Roy Oswalt reminded him to trust his instincts and to remember that regardless what Ivan Rodriguez wanted ultimately Rodriguez should throw the pitch he wanted to...

Tejada deserves to play last few Astros games

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 10:08:35 -0600

Miguel Tejada is no saint. He never has proclaimed to be one. He just happens to have had his problems exposed more than others in an era when some stars have been lucky to have had their true personalities or...

A Clemens family gathering at Minute Maid Park

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 19:08:11 -0600

With his famous father taking video from nearby and his mother Debbie also on the field, Roger Clemens' eldest son, Koby, was honored Saturday evening as the Class A Lancaster Most Valuable Player. Nobody in the Astros' organization — minors...

Duncan likely not Astros' next manager; who should be?

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 21:17:15 -0600

Numerous candidates have approached Ed Wade about the managerial office left open in terms of a full-time occupant when Cecil Cooper was fired on Monday. One name you may want to cross off your wish list is Cardinals pitching coach...

Cooper and his coaches shouldn't be the only ones fired

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 20:11:33 -0600

Cecil Cooper's gone, but the Astros' problems remain. Cooper wasn't the best manager. Heck, he wasn't even a decent manager. A decent man, but not a decent manager. Yet, there's no way the people who fired Cooper can honestly tell...