By Jim R.
Editor’s note – This article originally appeared on AstrosConnection.com on October 19, 1999.

Smug smirks and an occasional loud guffaw greeted the announcement of Larry Dierker’s appointment to be manager of the Houston Astros. Absolutely no one predicted that decision. Dierker was an entertaining and successful broadcaster, was an erudite occasional newspaper columnist and showed the world a personality that was relaxed to an extreme. Nicknamed “The Wrangler” by broadcast partner Milo Hamilton, he affected Hawaiian shirts, did not mind hoisting a few and spent more time on golf courses than in ballparks. Media wags suggested he would manage more like Jimmy Buffett than Jimmy Leyland. Yet Dierker has had the last laugh on his initial detractors, and no one honestly can say “I told you so.”Read More

By Arky Vaughan
Editor’s note – This article originally appeared on AstrosConnection.com on September 28, 1999.

For much of the season I savored the prospect of Jeff Bagwell winning another MVP award by an overwhelming margin. Yet Bagwell has allowed the gap between him and the rest of the league to close in the last couple of months. Many commentators now believe that Chipper Jones is the frontrunner for the award due to his sparkling performance against the Mets last week. Folks shouldn’t be so quick to annoint Jones, however. For starters, let’s look at some other candidates. Here are the league leaders in OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging average):Read More