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Houston Astros Fire Phil GarnerManager Led Team to the 2005 World Series But Loses His Job AnywayThe Astros and White Sox were the best teams in baseball in 2005. Now they are two of the worst. Houston responded by firing Garner. Will the Sox fire Ozzie Guillen next?
Houston Astros Fire Phil GarnerThe Houston Astros fired manager Phil Garner yesterday. With the team 58-73 and a full 10 games out of first place in the very weak National League Central Division, Astros' owner Drayton McLane said the squad "needed a fresh start." Garner, who took over the Astros in the middle of the 2004 season and led them to the 2005 National League pennant, was rather gracious under the circumstances. He told reporters: "We were never able to put together the run, like we made in the previous two seasons. I think there were a number of reasons for that. I had a wonderful time with the Astros. They gave me a great opportunity. They reinvigorated my interest in baseball and really gave me a great opportunity to reinvigorate my career. I'm more grateful for the job they gave me than I am saddened and upset by the firing." The move didn't come as a surprise to the Houston players, but none of them blamed Garner (or General Manager Tim Purpura, who was also canned). Left fielder and future Hall of Famer Craig Biggio said: " We didn't get it done and two guys are home that are good friends of mine. It's a frustrating day. You feel bad because the accountability factor -- it's our fault, not theirs." A Long Way from the 2005 World SeriesOctober 19, 2005 was the best day in the Houston Astros' franchise history. The team beat the St. Louis Cardinals to win the first National League pennant in its 45-year history. Although they would lose the World Series to the Chicago White Sox, it seemed that winning baseball was finally there to stay in Houston. The 2005 Astros' pitching staff included three of the best starters in baseball: Roger Clemens (13-8, 1.87 ERA), Andy Pettitte (17-9, 2.37 ERA) and Roy Oswalt (20-12, 2.94 ERA). They also had Brad Lidge, who was the best young closer in the game in 2005 with 42 saves and an ERA of 2.29. The offense included Biggio, super-slugger Lance Berkman, Morgan Ensberg (36 HR and 101 RBI) and a very promising young hitter in Jason Lane. The future looked bright for the boys from Minute Maid Park. So what happened? Well, Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte returned to New York, Jeff Bagwell retired, Biggio started to play like a true 40-year old and Brad Lidge never became Trevor Hoffman. Although the Astros signed Carlos Lee before the 2007 season, they didn't make any other efforts to replace all of the other talent they had lost. Instead, they took the easy (and cheap) route by firing Garner and replacing him with bench coach Cecil Cooper. How Much Longer Can Ozzie Guillen Keep His Job?Garner's firing raises a number of questions, including: How much longer can White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen keep his job? The White Sox, who met Houston in the 2005 World Series, have had even less success than the Astros over the past two seasons. In 2006, Houston missed the playoffs by just 1.5 games while the White Sox finished 10 games off the pace in the American League Central. This year, the Sox are a miserable 57-74, a record that is one game worse than the Astros. Unlike Houston, however, Chicago still has all of the talent that led them to the world championship two years ago. Paul Konerko, Jermaine Dye, Mark Buerhle, John Garland and Bobby Jenks all remain with the club, and ownership has added starter Javier Vazquez and future Hall of Famer Jim Thome. Yet, they have done even worse than the Astros. One has to think that Ozzie Guillen will soon have to take the blame for the team's decline, whether it's his fault or not. Count the days. It's going to happen.
The copyright of the article Houston Astros Fire Phil Garner in Baseball is owned by James Lincoln Ray. Permission to republish Houston Astros Fire Phil Garner in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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