Jimy's got some new moves. Check Jimy out. Ooohhh!!!!! Jimy's down! Jimy might have a compound fracture. Jimy's going into shock!
Jimy Williams Born: 1943 SS-2B 1966-67 Cardinals Jimy Williams Houston Astros | Roster WIN 899 LOSS 776 Pos: Manager Born: Santa Maria, CA Experience: 11 years CAREER RECORD YEAR TEAM G W L Pct PostW PostL 2004 Houston Astros 63 33 30 .524 -- -- 2003 Houston Astros 162 87 75 .537 -- -- 2002 Houston Astros 162 84 78 .519 -- -- 2001 Boston Red Sox 118 65 53 .551 -- -- 2000 Boston Red Sox 162 85 77 .525 -- -- 1999 Boston Red Sox 162 94 68 .580 4 6 1998 Boston Red Sox 162 92 70 .568 1 3 1997 Boston Red Sox 162 78 84 .481 -- -- 1989 Toronto Blue Jays 36 12 24 .333 1 4 1988 Toronto Blue Jays 162 87 75 .537 -- -- 1987 Toronto Blue Jays 162 96 66 .593 -- -- 1986 Toronto Blue Jays 162 86 76 .531 -- -- YEAR TEAM G W L Pct PostW PostL CAREER 11 years 1675 899 776 .537 6 13 Although he was struck out in his first major-league at-bat by Sandy Koufax in 1966, Williams did manage to get his first hit in the majors against Juan Marichal. His career as a shortstop with the Cardinals was cut short by a shoulder injury in 1969, and five years later he found work in the Angels organization as manager of their Quad Cities affiliate in the Midwest League. After two years Williams had risen to Triple-A and was named Pacific Coast League Manager of the Year in 1976 and 1979. In 1980, Williams was hired by the Blue Jays as their third base coach. Six years later he inherited the team from popular Blue Jays skipper Bobby Cox, who had left to become GM of the Braves after leading the Blue Jays to first place in 1985. Despite his minor-league success, Williams had a tough time adapting to the majors as a manager. In his first year at the helm the team promptly slid to fourth place in the AL East, and although they were in contention for the division title the next year the Jays collapsed, finishing second to the Tigers after two crucial late-season series. Williams alienated reigning MVP George Bell during spring training in ‘88 after Williams tried to make Bell a DH. The resultant clash led to a shouting match and recurring run-ins during the year, which undercut Williams’ authority among his players. Williams was fired in mid-1989 and replaced with batting coach Cito Gaston. In 1990 he was reunited with Cox as the Braves’ third base coach. The Red Sox hired Williams to replace Kevin Kennedy as manager after the 1996 season, bypassing more famous options like Whitey Herzog and Jim Leyland. In his first year, Williams led Boston to a 78-84 record, 20 games off the pace in an ultra-competetive AL East. In each of the next three seasons, he took the Sox to the playoffs, garnering Manager of the Year honors in 1999. Although Williams sometimes clashed with malcontents like outfielder Carl Everett and had a reputation as a stickler for rules (he once famously benched Pedro Martinez after the ace hurler arrived late to the ballpark) there was no question that he earned the respect of his players. In September 1997, he gave oft-injured Steve Avery a start so that the left-hander could exercise a $4 million contract option for the 1998 season. But Williams often had trouble getting along with hands-on GM Dan Duquette, and was eventually fired by Duquette in August 2001 -- even though his club was five games behind the Yankees in the AL East and just two games out of wild-card contention. (SFS/JGR) http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/W/Williams_Jimy.stm
I went to Fenway last season to catch the Red Sox/'Stros series. Every time Jimy hit the field...to argue with umps...to bring out the lineup card...to do whatever...the Boston fans cheered like crazy. That team was in first place when he was fired. Ridiculous. He'd have pulled Pedro...and Grady Little wouldn't have his name etched on Sox futility!
...Just to be fair I thought I would include a pro-Jimy Williams Boston article from 2000. Baseball 2000: The architect and the foreman By John Tomase Eagle-Tribune Writer F ORT MYERS, Fla. -- Stopgap. Booby prize. Hopelessly overmatched. Those were the prevailing descriptions when Jimy Williams became the 41st manager of the Boston Red Sox on Nov. 19, 1996. No Whitey Herzog? No Jim Leyland? The fans were stunned. Williams managed the 1987 Toronto Blue Jays to the second-worst fold in baseball history. He spent seven anonymous years as third base coach in Atlanta, taking the spotlight just once, in 1992, when he waved home Sid Bream with the run that put the Braves in the World Series. His backwater phrasings and awkward delivery came off as stupid during an introductory press conference in Boston. He looked nervous. Columnists had a field day. Let the search for a new manager begin again. Jimy wouldn't cut it. "Who knows why they didn't give him a chance," said Braves general manager John Schuerholz. "Maybe because the sun came up that day." Three years later, Williams is the man the Red Sox can't live without. He's led the team to back-to-back playoff appearances despite a patchwork roster often staffed with as much Triple-A talent as major league talent. He's the reigning AL Manager of the Year and one of the most respected figures in baseball. He took his star to another level last season by benching ace Pedro Martinez for arriving late to a start, then firing uncharacteristic shots in the American League Championship Series at Yankees owner George Steinbrenner. Whitey Herzog? Jim Leyland? Red Sox fans will keep Jimy. "Maybe that team doesn't have the talent of others in the American League," said Phillies closer Mike Jackson, an Indian last year. "But the manager is top notch." Tough timesin Toronto So how did the Jimy Williams, who couldn't lead one of the most talented groups of Toronto Blue Jays to the postseason, become savior of the Red Sox? Williams, who loathes to discuss anything other than tomorrow's game, offers a simple answer. "You're probably a better person than you were in '87," he said. "I think I am." If Williams learned anything in Toronto, it's that some situations are doomed from the start. His first spring training in 1986, he spoke to second baseman Damaso Garcia about moving from leadoff to ninth in the batting order. Garcia, who had walked just 15 times in 1985, agreed. But three games into the exhibition season he had a change of heart, refusing to swing in three at bats. And thus began the erosion of Williams' authority. The Blue Jays started 1987 with a loaded team, led by an outfield of George Bell, Jesse Barfield and Lloyd Moseby. They owned a three-game lead over the Detroit Tigers with a week left in the season. They then lost starters Tony Fernandez and Ernie Whitt in the final week to injuries and dropped their last seven games -- including the final three, each by a run to the Tigers -- giving Detroit the title. Williams returned in 1988, but suffered one last fatal indignity before the season. In January, he and general manager Pat Gillick met with Bell about moving to DH. Williams gave his sales pitch, saying the move would take stress off Bell's knees and that he'd still get 700 at bats. Bell, assured by management he'd be compensated for the move, accepted. On Valentine's Day the Blue Jays faced the Red Sox in a spring game. Bell's turn as DH came. Only problem, he was leaning on a tarp in left field. He refused to hit. Incensed, Williams inserted a pinch hitter and fined Bell. But upper management, which had caused the whole problem by giving Bell less money than he originally sought, didn't bring the hammer down. Jays executive Paul Beeston later said, "We lost the season in spring training over the way we handled the Bell-DH situation." After a 12-24 start in 1989, Williams was fired. His replacement, Cito Gaston, led the Jays to a 77-49 finish and AL East title. "He never got any help there on Garcia or Bell from management," said Bob Elliott, a Toronto Sun columnist who covered the team. "He was hung out to dry. "But I'll say this. Tim Johnson (the manager fired for fabricating Vietnam stories), I don't think he'll ever get another chance. Everyone figured Jimy would get another chance." A Brave new world That chance wouldn't come immediately and Williams knew it. So he rejoined Bobby Cox in Atlanta as third base coach. But in reality he was much more. "Jimy's the best coach I've ever seen in my life," said Schuerholz. "Jimy was responsible for a lot of the details of running the team. Preparing the guys in spring training. The minutia of instruction on all facets of playing the game." Williams hit ground balls daily, a practice that continues. He invented drills for outfielders to learn how to climb walls chasing fly balls, reasoning that minor league fields have chain link fences. He also watched Bobby Cox every day for seven years. He saw how Cox handled his pitchers, keeping the best staff in baseball healthy for the 90s. He saw how Cox handled the media. Accessible but not controversial. Friendly but firm. He saw the importance of confidence, as much as talent, in making the Braves winners. "Bobby Cox is one of the finest managers in baseball," Schuerholz said. "Jimy saw his style, his effectiveness. He watched Bobby run his operations and deal with his players. "It's not that Jimy has become Bobby Cox. He's his own man. But they're similar in the manner of respect that each has for players who play this difficult game." When it came time for the Red Sox to replace Kevin Kennedy, Schuerholz knew he had the man for the job. "I told Dan Duquette when he was looking for a manager that Jimy Williams was the best candidate," he said. "I was absolutely certain he would be successful in Boston. "Smart people who get another chance to do something that they love again, smart people do it better." Doing it better Williams clearly learned from the past. His first spring in Boston, he faced immediate controversy when he named Nomar Garciaparra the starting shortstop, displacing veteran John Valentin. Williams gave Valentin 48 hours to mull the move. He also made him the starting second baseman. Valentin initially balked, then accepted. No Damaso Garcia here. Valentin accepted the move. Jimy was boss. He improved his relations with the media. Sullen in Toronto, he assumed a different persona here. He might be hard to crack, but he wouldn't bring needless negative attention to the team by fighting with reporters. "The spring they moved Valentin, someone asked him what he would do if Nomar got hurt. Would he put Valentin back?" Elliott said. "If one of us even suggested in jest he put Bell back at DH in '88 he would have shut it down. But he said, 'If Nomar gets hurt, maybe we'll just go with eight.' Everyone laughed. I couldn't believe how much more relaxed he was." He's the reigning AL Manager of the Year and one of the most respected figures in baseball. He took his star to another level last season by benching ace Pedro Martinez for arriving late to a start, then firing uncharacteristic shots at Yankees owner George Steinbrenner in the playoffs. I also changed around the section at the end, starting with this quote: "The spring they moved Valentin, someone asked him what he would do if Nomar got hurt. Would he put Valentin back?" Elliott said. "If one of us even suggested in jest he put Bell back at DH in '88 he would have shut it down. But he said, 'If Nomar gets hurt, maybe we'll just go with eight.' Everyone laughed. I couldn't believe how much more relaxed he was." He was even better in the American League Championship Series. After Red Sox fans delayed the finish of Game 4 by throwing debris on the field, Steinbrenner called it one of the ugliest, most disgraceful scenes he had ever seen. Williams responded the next day by saying, "When Georgie Porgie talks, I don't listen." By standing up to the Boss, Williams proved he was boss. New Englanders, long resentful of the Yankees' standing, ate it up. It was as if Williams were standing up for them. And on the disciplinary side, Williams made it clear things would be done his way. Never was this more evident than last August 14, when he benched Pedro Martinez for arriving late to his start against the Seattle Mariners. Could Butch Hobson have pulled this off with Roger Clemens? Doubtful. But Williams handled it masterfully. Fans respected his stand. Teammates respected his stand. And even better, he didn't portray Martinez as the bad guy, which could have alienated his ace before the stretch run. The belief that no player is bigger than the team sounded good in theory. Williams proved it in reality. It didn't matter that he risked ticking off the best pitcher in baseball in the middle of his greatest season. Rules were rules. "He treats everyone on this team the same," said Tim Wakefield. "He's very honest and up front with everybody." And on the disciplinary side, Williams made it clear things would be done his way. Never was this more evident than last August 14, when he benched Pedro Martinez for arriving late to his start against the Seattle Mariners. It didn't matter that he risked ticking off the best pitcher in baseball in the middle of his greatest season. Rules were rules. "He treats everyone on this team the same," said Tim Wakefield. "He's very honest and up front with everybody." He's the man It took Williams a while to convince fans he could do the job, but he wasted little time winning over his players. "It's very rare that a manager in baseball is out on a back field throwing batting practice, hitting ground balls, working with pitchers," Wakefield said. "It says a lot about the character of Jimy that he wants to get the best out of everybody." And Wakefield means everybody. During Boston's wild card 1998 season, 47 players came through Fenway. Last year that number rose to 49, including 26 pitchers. Williams' skill is making each of them feel essential. That insight may come from his own major league career as an infielder, which started in 1966 with a three-pitch strikeout against Sandy Koufax -- "I was just another notch in his belt" -- and ended 12 at bats later in 1967. "I think the biggest thing is he gives everybody an opportunity," said first baseman Brian Daubach. "A lot of other guys are scared to do that. Not many managers would go into a season with a non-roster invitee and bat him third. Especially in Boston. He had the guts to put me in there." Williams has flawlessly handled Boston's pitching staff. Martinez went 13-0 in starts with an extra day's rest last year. Bret Saberhagen and Ramon Martinez pitched at their own pace, never feeling pressed to rush back from injury. Derek Lowe has flourished, first as a long reliever, then as a closer. "A lot of managers in this game won't back guys 100 percent," Lowe said. "Jimy doesn't turn on guys. He believes they can play. That's why a lot of young players here have blossomed." Williams signed another one-year contract extension this spring. He's 264-222 in Boston, and his victory total should increase substantially in the coming seasons. His players love playing for him. The fans love that he's managing a winner. Three years after being introduced as the next Boston failure, Jimy Williams owns New England. A World Series would cement his place in history as the greatest Red Sox manager of all time. Laughingstock? Not anymore. Jimy Williams, it seems, has gotten the last laugh. http://www.eagletribune.com/news/stories/20000402/SP_001.htm
a) You're probably right on Jimy, but when the 'Stros go with their youth movement in the next couple of years, Jimy would be the absolute perfect manager for them; b) Saying that after 63 games - with the team 3.5 games out of the division and 1.5 games out of the playoffs - that it's somehow a done deal that they absolutely won't make the playoffs is beyond silly. 'Stros after 63 games: 1979: 36-27 (won 89 games, finished 1.5 back) 1980: 40-23 1981: 32-31 (won 2nd half title w/ 33-20 finish) 1986: 35-28 (won 96 games) 1997: 31-32 1998: 39-24 1999: 39-24 2001: 32-31 (won 93 games) 2003: 36-27 2004: 33-30 Waaaaay too early to make pronouncements.
I agree...the fact that we are in a division where a 3 game winning streak can vault a team from 4th to 1st place is evidence that this horserac e is FAR from over...and I think we will be ok....I just think we are underacheiving right now and perhaps we need to re-evaluate certain things.
i wish!!! one of my partners owns some cutting horses, though. he had a client who ran out of money...and offered the horses to him...so he accepted. he's breeded and ended up selling some foals...sold one to one of the Brooks & Dunn guys. i like cutting horses...but i LOVE race horses.
i went in with my business partner several yrs ago and bought a couple (nothing crazy expensive) and raced them in some lower stakes races at Belmont, Aqueduct and Saratoga...I'll tell you this...I have been fortunate enough to go to many major sporting events..some of which my teams were playing in....but nothing comes close to the rush you get when YOUR horse comes down the stretch with a chance to win...NOTHING! Its a very underrated spectator sport in my opinion.
As a matter of fact...we are the oddson favorite to win the NL Central as of today... Houston 8-5 Cubs 9-5 Cards 5-2 Reds 4-1 Brewers 60-1 Pitt 500-1
As with the Rudy situation, I don't agree that Jimy should be fired, nor do I feel he is 100% culpable for this teams problems. That being said, every one of us knows that the buck stops with the manager and that in the end, they are ultimately held responsible for their teams performance on the field. For the most part, save Bagwell's shoulder and Pettite's arm (and I believe we are above .500 in the starts that Pettite missed), this team has been healthy. This hurts Jimy's case to be absolved of responsibility for this team's mediocre play of late IMO. Jimy's only saving grace right now is that we are only 4.5 games out of first place. With almost 100 games left, there is plenty of time to right the ship. IMO, I think the serious calls for Jimy's job will come circa the All-Star break, and that is a) If this team is still playing .500 ball and b) If the Cards/Reds/Cubs start to pull away. "Sometimes, change is good.........."
This Astros team will start winning games in bunches, not to worry. IF you were going to bring in a new manager, I would think Dierker would the choice at least for the rest of the season . He led them well for five years and who better knows the players. He has a more talented and deeper starting staff and he did a good job there too.
yeah...i agree. like hockey, you just lose so much in the translation to television...the pounding...the incredible speed of the horses...and the event, itself.
IMO, the Astros making the playoffs is a possibility, not a probability. They have the talent to right the ship and win their division but I am currently not hopeful. I just don't see this team winning more than 90 games this year.
