actually like Jimmy Williams? i thought it was a good hire until the season started. So far he hasn't really impressed me especially with the way he handles the bullpen. But i can give him credit for keeping us in the thick of the race with the horrible starting pitching this team has had mainly due to injury. I just think if he can not do better next season, it might have been a mistake to hire him. I personally really like the idea of Terry Pendleton (sp?) as our next coach but i will give Jimmy the benfiet of the doubt. What you guyz think?
Jimy overworked the bullpen in the first half but i don't think he had a choice. The past few years the astros have had decent to terrible 1st halfs and have had to get hot come the 2nd half to make up ground in the Central. I think had Larry Dierker been the manager you would have seen the starters pitch longer. Jimy by pulling the guys quickly kept the astros in the games. 50 wins at the break is nothing you can argue over. It seems he now has tried to alternate Dotel and Lidge instead of pitching all 3 on the same day. With Oswalt out, Miller being inconsistant, hopefully guys like Redding and Villone can pick up the slack. Jimy i think has done the best he can with what he has been given to work with.
I like Jimy Williams. He's quirky, but he's been dealt some cards and he's done a pretty good job playing them. 1.) He's pretty much been forced to play Biggio in CF. Biggio received his choice of position, and so Jimy has had to make do. Granted, we got Kent, but I don't believe Jimy's perfect world lineup has us starting the world's slowest outfield, and Biggio leading off. We just don't have anyone better (hurry up, Chris Burke!). 2.) The SS debacle, I'm sure Lugo would still be on the team if Jimy wanted him. The play of Everett at SS has been one of the brighter spots. I wish he would stop platooning Ensberg, but I can't say his reasoning for not locking Ensberg in at 3B isn't pretty justifiable based on last year. 3.) One of the best things about this team was the young guns. Instead, we get Hernandez out for the year, Oswalt hurt on and off, and Miller's got an ERA near 5. With the release of Reynolds, Jimy has pulled as much as he could out of the lunatic that is Redding, a young Jeriome Robertson, and a guy we picked up as a freaking minor league free agent, Ron Villone. We're still in first place, and I think Jimy still has the respect of this team (which Dierker lost). I think he's used his resources pretty well.
All things being equal, I like Jimmy... I think it could be anyone and we would not agree 100% with what they do, but given our pitching situation and we're still in 1st, you got to give him props... I think he has a better baseball mind than LD and will make the right decision in a given situation...
Where are you getting Terry Pendleton? Is he even managing in the minors anywhere, or is that just a name you pulled out of your butt? Also, I think it's kinda funny that you were worried about how to spell his name, but you were pretty confident that Jimy had two 'M's.
One thing I'm always leary of when one of my teams switches managers/coaches is that they get rid of someone at one end of a spectrum and hire somebody from the opposite end of the spectrum instead of somebody in the middle. Dierker was criticized for leaving the starters in too long and not playing backups and giving people the day off. Jimmy is the opposite as he has a much quicker hook and maybe overplays the bench players. That said, out of most of the candidates I wasn't thrilled with Jimmy but thought he was a good choice. Maybe the Astros thought the same and that's why they only gave him a 2 year contract. In hindsight however, we should have hired Tony Pena.
Oswalt has been on the DL 3 times. Wade Miller has a losing record. The Houston Astros are in first place, well into the second half of the season. Yeah...I like Jimy.
Actually he is a coach with the Atlanta organization, batting coach if i am not mistaken. And no i didn't pull his name out of my butt, anyone that knows Terry knows he was a VERY smart player. and has done a great job in Atlanta. Agree 100 % i did not know his contract was only 2 years, so i guess Houston knows what it is doing.
Well said!! Every time we lose or I happen to disagree with what happens on the field, I say to myself, "I HATE JIMY!!" But when I read the above quote, think about all the turmoil in our pitching staff, and then remember that we're in 1st place.... I LOVE JIMY!!
I've said it before, I'll repeat again ... Jimy needs to be outed as mgr as much as he needs another 'm'. You decide how much that is. The solution? Craig Biggio. Bigg is on the downhill slide of a great career. Give him his due while allowing his face to be saved; give the team a needed boost. Name CB player/manager, with heavy emphasis on the manager part. By the way -- also get an outfielder to replace #7 in center.
The reason I'm really buying into Jimy Williams is he looks like he is about to explode. I don't mean in a violent rage or anything, but he seems so quiet in the dugout, and never seems to push or enforce much. I doubt many of you are considering this: perhaps he will bring a new intensity to the playoffs that Dierker couldn't? I really look forward to see how this team responds to him when it comes down to the wire, when it's crucial to win.
