The Final Four: Vote for your top Astros managerial candidate

Fred and Matt on ESPN radio mean.

with Garner or Acta, but I was really hoping for Bogar.

Now, I’m not saying I just read a JdJO post…but it looks like Clark is not a finalist. Not that it matters, since Clark isn’t getting any votes in this poll.

I’d be quite happy with either Acta or Mills, and I’d only be mildly disappointed with Garner (as opposed to extraordinarily disappointed with an out-of-nowhere snag of Dusty Baker or something), so all-in-all, I’ll feel comfortable with whatever the outcome. Whoever gets the gig, I hope it means we can bring Bogar into the fold as bench coach.

There, I said it.

For me, it essentially comes down to him or Acta. I don’t see anything particularly compelling in Clark. Mills seems like the right guy for the wrong organization.

So, when I consider Acta and Garner, I’m looking at the Astros future versus the Astros past. It seems like we are closer to the Astros past than we are to the Astros future.

And, the Astros past is nothing to sneeze at. Garner either gets some kudos and credit for the team’s success in ‘04, ’05, and the near-miss in ’06, or he can’t be pinned for the ‘07 collapse. We can’t have it both ways.

Acta looks like perhaps a good fit for the future ‘stros, but my trouble is, the future ’stros are at least a couple of years away from materializing. And I can’t easily turn a blind eye to the Nats’ terrible record as others have done here.

The Astros organization is not ready for a guy like Acta yet, in my opinion.

So even if we disregard his official record with the Nats, that’s two strikes against him: lack of team potential and lack of organizational support.

With Gar, he is a known quantity. And I think we need some kind of stability to see the fading years of Berkman and Oswalt. Like it or not, the Astros are still going to be a veteran heavy, geriatric team next year. And Gar is probably the best candidate to manage that kind of setup. At least Wade won’t get in his way, and he won’t have the Biggio-at-the-top-of-the-lineup albatross around his neck.

I’m willing to give him a second shot, fully aware that it might not work out, and that he is probably most definitely unlikely to be a several year manager.

Unusual source, but the Boston Herald says the job will go to Mills or Acta.

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/baseball/other_mlb/view/20091024nick_swisher_stuck_in_slump_yankees_of_hitting_103_in_playoffs/srvc=home&position=also

Roll down to the bottom.

If it’s actually true, I have only one reaction:

Yesssssssss

In our poll