Art Howe
{{short description|American baseball player and manager (born 1946)}}
{{For|the football player|Art Howe (American football)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2017}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Art Howe
|image=Art howe 1987.jpg
|caption= Howe with the Cardinals in 1985
|birth_date={{birth date and age|1946|12|15}}
|birth_place=Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
|bats=Right
|throws=Right
|debutleague=MLB
|debutdate=July 10
|debutyear=1974
|debutteam=Pittsburgh Pirates
|finalleague=MLB
|finaldate=April 19
|finalyear=1985
|finalteam=St. Louis Cardinals
|statleague=MLB
|stat1label=Batting average
|stat1value=.260
|stat2label=Home runs
|stat2value=43
|stat3label=Runs batted in
|stat3value=293
|stat4label=Managerial record
|stat4value=1,129–1,137
|stat5label=Winning %
|stat5value={{Winning percentage|1129|1137}}
|teams=
;As player
- Pittsburgh Pirates ({{mlby|1974}}–{{mlby|1975}})
- Houston Astros ({{mlby|1976}}–{{mlby|1982}})
- St. Louis Cardinals ({{mlby|1984}}–{{mlby|1985}})
;As manager
- Houston Astros ({{mlby|1989}}–{{mlby|1993}})
- Oakland Athletics ({{mlby|1996}}–{{mlby|2002}})
- New York Mets ({{mlby|2003}}–{{mlby|2004}})
;As coach
- Texas Rangers ({{mlby|1985}}–{{mlby|1988}})
- Colorado Rockies ({{mlby|1995}})
- Texas Rangers ({{mlby|2007}}–{{mlby|2008}})
}}
Arthur Henry Howe Jr. (born December 15, 1946){{cite web |title=Art Howe Managerial Record |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/managers/howear01.shtml |website=baseball-reference.com |publisher=Sports Reference, LLC |access-date=29 October 2020}} is an American former professional baseball infielder, coach, scout, and manager, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates ({{baseball year|1974}}–{{baseball year|1975}}), Houston Astros ({{baseball year|1976}}–{{baseball year|1982}}), and St. Louis Cardinals ({{baseball year|1984}}–{{baseball year|1985}}). Howe managed the Astros ({{baseball year|1989}}–{{baseball year|1993}}), Oakland Athletics ({{baseball year|1996}}–{{baseball year|2002}}), and New York Mets ({{baseball year|2003}}–{{baseball year|2004}}), compiling a career managerial record of 1,129 wins and 1,137 losses.{{cite web |title=Art Howe Managerial Record |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/managers/howear01.shtml |website=baseball-reference.com |publisher=Sports Reference, LLC. |access-date=2 November 2020}}
Playing career
Howe was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and attended Shaler Area High School. After graduating he attended the University of Wyoming on a college football scholarship, but played baseball after injuries ended his football career.{{cite news|last=Kindred |first=Dave |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1980/10/07/the-howe-and-why-of-success/7b292283-1b2a-449a-9cb7-20a3935fddca/ |title=The Howe And Why of Success |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=October 7, 1980 |access-date=August 31, 2017}} He signed his first playing contract, aged 24, with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1971. He came to the major leagues as a part-time player with Pittsburgh in 1974–75, before a trade to the Astros for infielder Tommy Helms on January 6, 1976. He played all four infield positions, mostly as a third baseman and second baseman, for Houston from 1976 to 1982. While playing in only 125 games in 1977, and alternating among 2B, SS, and 3B, Howe committed just eight errors. On May 7, 1980, he suffered a fractured jaw when hit by a pitch from Expos pitcher Scott Sanderson.{{cite web|author=Ray Ratto, Examiner Columnist |url=http://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Nobody-will-ever-call-him-Neon-Art-Howe-3119686.php |title=Nobody will ever call him Neon Art Howe |publisher=SFGate |date=November 17, 1995 |access-date=August 31, 2017}} In the 1980 National League West tie-breaker game, he hit a home run in the third inning to increase the lead of the Astros to 4-0 against the Dodgers. He later hit a two-run single in the fourth to make it 7-0. Five innings later, the Astros won 7-1 to clinch their first division title in franchise history.
In May 1981 he won the Player of the Month Award, the only Astros third baseman to win it until Alex Bregman in June 2018.{{Cite web|url=https://www.12newsnow.com/article/sports/astros-3b-alex-bregman-earns-al-player-of-month-honors-for-june/502-569997857|title=Astros 3B Alex Bregman earns AL Player of Month honors for June|website=12newsnow.com}} After missing the entire 1983 season with an injury, he finished his playing career with the St. Louis Cardinals (1984–85). The right-handed hitter appeared in 891 games over all or parts of 11 seasons, compiling a lifetime batting average of .260 with 43 home runs.{{cite web |title=Art Howe Stats |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/howear01.shtml |website=baseball-reference.com |publisher=Sports Reference, LLC |access-date=29 October 2020}}
As a coach and manager
Image:RonWashingtonDugout.jpg with the Texas Rangers in 2007.]]
In 1986, Howe began his coaching career as an aide to Bobby Valentine with the Texas Rangers. After three seasons, he was hired by his old team, the Astros, as manager for 1989, succeeding Hal Lanier. Howe enjoyed a successful first season in Houston, but the team was rebuilding with young players such as Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio, and suffered losing years in 1990–91. In 1992 and 1993, the Astros improved to .500 and then to a winning record, but Howe was fired in favor of Terry Collins at the close of the '93 campaign.{{cite web |title=Collins Named Astro Manager |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-11-18-sp-57987-story.html |website=Los Angeles Times |date=November 18, 1993 |access-date=2 November 2020}} During the 1994–95 Dominican Winter League season, Howe led the Azucareros del Este to their first championship.
After a year as a Major League scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and spending 1995 as bench coach for the Colorado Rockies, Howe was selected to replace the high-profile Tony La Russa as manager of the Athletics for 1996.{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-11-16-sp-3623-story.html |title=BASEBALL ROUNDUP : A's Reportedly Pick Art Howe as Manager |work=Los Angeles Times |date=November 16, 1995 |access-date=August 31, 2017}} The A's suffered through three losing seasons under Howe before, in 1999, they returned to contention. In 2000, 2001 and 2002, the A's won 91, 102 and 103 games respectively and made the American League playoffs in each season. But they did not win a playoff series, losing each time in the Division Series in five games. This included losing Game 5 at home in 2000 and 2002 and blowing a 2–0 lead in the 2001 series. Gradually, Howe and general manager Billy Beane grew estranged. At the end of 2002, despite a seven-year mark of 600–533 (.530), Howe was released from the final year of his Oakland contract to become the manager of the New York Mets, signing a four-year contract worth $9.4 million.{{cite web |last1=Bock |first1=Hal |title=N.Y. Mets Introduce Howe As Manager |url=https://www.theintelligencer.com/news/article/N-Y-Mets-Introduce-Howe-As-Manager-10541234.php |website=theintelligencer.com |date=October 28, 2002 |access-date=2 November 2020}}
Philip Seymour Hoffman portrayed Howe in the film Moneyball, which dramatized Billy Beane's tactics of using sabermetrics to select players. Howe said he was unhappy with his portrayal in both the film and the Michael Lewis book it was based on, as a stubborn traditionalist who refused to follow Beane's plans and a figurehead who submitted while Beane ran the A's from the clubhouse. Howe described himself as a team player despite his lingering doubts about Beane's methods. Howe was described in the press as a "good company man."{{cite web|author=foxsports |url=http://www.foxsports.com/mlb/story/Oakland-Athletics-Art-Howe-former-manager-upset-with-Moneyball-portrayal-Billy-Beane-092711 |title=Howe upset with 'Moneyball' portrayal |work=FOX Sports |date=September 27, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141226074024/http://www.foxsports.com/mlb/story/Oakland-Athletics-Art-Howe-former-manager-upset-with-Moneyball-portrayal-Billy-Beane-092711 |access-date=August 31, 2017|archive-date=December 26, 2014 }}{{cite web | url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/867712-oakland-as-in-defense-of-former-manager-art-howe | title=Oakland Athletics: In Defense of Former Manager Art Howe }}
File:Art Howe speaks at Union Station Houston in 2014.jpg
Howe's two years in New York were unsuccessful. The Mets won only 42 percent of their games, the front office went through three general managers, and attendance at Shea Stadium fell. Howe won his 1,000th game as manager on April 20, 2003, in a 7–4 victory against the Florida Marlins.{{Cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/preview/_/gameId/230420121|title=Marlins vs. Mets - Game Preview - April 20, 2003 - ESPN|website=ESPN}} In September 2004, word of Howe's impending firing was leaked to the media two weeks before the season ended, but he was allowed to finish the year.{{cite web|author=DAVE CALDWELL|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/16/sports/baseball/howe-agrees-to-go-quietly-as-mets-wilpon-speaks-up.html |title=Howe Agrees to Go Quietly as Mets' Wilpon Speaks Up |work=The New York Times |date=September 16, 2004 |access-date=August 31, 2017}} Ultimately, the general manager of the club, Omar Minaya, replaced Howe with Willie Randolph, bench coach for the New York Yankees.{{cite web |last1=Field |first1=Marshall |title=Willie Randolph Was Named Mets' Manager 14 Years Ago Today |url=https://metsmerizedonline.com/2018/11/willie-randolph-was-named-mets-manager-14-years-ago-today.html/ |website=metsmerizedonline.com |publisher=Metsmerized Online |access-date=13 November 2020}}
On October 16, 2006, Howe was hired as the third base coach and an infield instructor by the Philadelphia Phillies.{{cite web |last1=Miller |first1=Stephen |title=Phillies open the ex-files for staff ** Former managers Williams, Howe, Lopes hired as Manuel's 2007 coaches. |url=https://www.mcall.com/mc-xpm-2006-10-17-3705164-story.html |website=mcall.com |publisher=Tribune Interactive |access-date=2 November 2020}} After the Texas Rangers hired Ron Washington – a former coach under Howe in Oakland – as their manager, the Phillies gave Howe permission to speak with the Rangers about any openings in the organization. On November 7, 2006, Howe was hired by the Rangers as Washington's bench coach. He served two years in that role (2007–08) but his contract was not renewed at the end of the Rangers' disappointing 2008 season.{{cite web |title=Report: Former Rangers coach Art Howe in ICU with coronavirus |url=https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/rangers/2020/05/14/report-former-rangers-coach-art-howe-in-icu-with-coronavirus/ |website=dallasnews.com |date=May 15, 2020 |publisher=The Dallas Morning News |access-date=2 November 2020}}
Managerial record
{{updated|September 18, 2015}}
| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%; text-align:center;" | ||||||||
| rowspan="2"|Team | rowspan="2"|Year | colspan="5"|Regular season | colspan="4"|Postseason | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result |
| HOU||1989
||162||86||76|| {{winpct|86|76}} || 3rd in NL West || – || – || – || | ||||||||
| HOU||1990
||162||75||87|| {{winpct|75|87}} || 4th in NL West || – || – || – || | ||||||||
| HOU||1991
||162||65||97|| {{winpct|65|97}} || 6th in NL West || – || – || – || | ||||||||
| HOU||1992
||162||81||81|| {{winpct|81|81}} || 4th in NL West || – || – || – || | ||||||||
| HOU||1993
||162||85||77|| {{winpct|85|77}} || 3rd in NL West || – || – || – || | ||||||||
| colspan="2"|HOU total || 810 || 392 || 418 || {{winpct|392|418}} || || 0 || 0 || – || | ||||||||
| OAK||1996
||162||78||84|| {{winpct|78|84}} || 3rd in AL West || – || – || – || | ||||||||
| OAK||1997
||162||65||97|| {{winpct|65|97}} || 4th in AL West || – || – || – || | ||||||||
| OAK||1998
||162||74||88|| {{winpct|74|88}} || 4th in AL West || – || – || – || | ||||||||
| OAK||1999
||162||87||75|| {{winpct|87|75}} || 2nd in AL West || – || – || – || | ||||||||
| style="background:#fdd;"
||161||91||70|| {{winpct|91|70}} || 1st in AL West || 2 || 3 || {{winpct|2|3}} || Lost ALDS (NYY) | ||||||||
| style="background:#fdd;"
||162||102||60|| {{winpct|102|60}} || 2nd in AL West || 2 || 3 || {{winpct|2|3}} || Lost ALDS (NYY) | ||||||||
| style="background:#fdd;"
||162||103||59|| {{winpct|103|59}} || 1st in AL West || 2 || 3 || {{winpct|2|3}} || Lost ALDS (MIN) | ||||||||
| colspan="2"|OAK total || 1,133 || 600 || 533 || {{winpct|600|533}} || || 6 || 9 || {{winpct|6|9}} || | ||||||||
| NYM||2003
||161||66||95|| {{winpct|66|95}} || 5th in NL East || – || – || – || | ||||||||
| NYM||2004
||162||71||91|| {{winpct|71|91}} || 4th in NL East || – || – || – || | ||||||||
| colspan="2"|NYM total || 323 || 137 || 186 || {{winpct|137|186}}|| || 0 || 0 || – || | ||||||||
| colspan="2"|Total{{cite web |title=Art Howe |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/managers/howear01.shtml |website=Baseball Reference |publisher=Sports Reference |access-date=May 29, 2024}} || 2,266 || 1,129 || 1,137 || {{winpct|1,129|1,137}}|| || 6 || 9 || {{winpct|6|9}} || |
Personal life
Howe is married to his high school sweetheart, Betty.{{cite web|url=http://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/The-clairvoyant-Betty-Howe-3120495.php |title=The clairvoyant Betty Howe |publisher=SFGate |date=November 18, 1995 |access-date=August 31, 2017}} They have three children and six grandchildren.{{citation needed|date=November 2013}} On May 14, 2020, Howe confirmed that he was in an ICU suffering from COVID-19.{{cite web |last1=Associated Press |title=Former Big League Manager, Player Howe in ICU With Virus |url=https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2020/05/14/sports/baseball/ap-bbo-virus-outbreak-howe.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=May 15, 2020}} On May 17, 2020, he was released from the hospital, and sent home, reportedly "weak, but on the mend".{{cite web |url=https://www.si.com/college/wyoming/other-sports/art-howe-has-rounded-third-and-is-back-at-home-in-houston |title=Updated with Quotes: Art Howe Has Rounded Third and is Back at Home in Houston |website=www.si.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200526083910/https://www.si.com/college/wyoming/other-sports/art-howe-has-rounded-third-and-is-back-at-home-in-houston |archive-date=2020-05-26}}
See also
{{Portal|Biography|Baseball}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{commons category}}
{{baseballstats|mlb=116218|espn=121|br=h/howear01|fangraphs=1006092|brm=howe--001art|retro=H/Phowea001}}
{{baseball-reference manager|howear01}}
{{s-start-collapsible|header={{s-ach}}}}
{{succession box| before = Dave Concepción | title = National League Player of the Month| years = May 1981| after = Mike Schmidt}}
{{succession box| before = César Cedeño | title = Houston Astros longest hitting streak| years = 1981—2000
(with Luis Gonzalez, 1997—2000) |after = Tony Eusebio}}
{{s-sports}}
{{succession box| title=Texas Rangers batting coach |before=Merv Rettenmund|years=1985—1988|after=Tom Robson}}
{{succession box| title=Texas Rangers batting coach |before=Merv Rettenmund|years=1995|after=Tom Robson}}
{{succession box| title=Texas Rangers bench coach |before=Don Wakamatsu|years=2007—2008|after=Jackie Moore}}
{{s-end}}
{{Houston Astros managers}}
{{Athletics managers}}
{{New York Mets managers}}
{{China 2013 World Baseball Classic roster}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Howe, Art}}
Category:Major League Baseball third basemen
Category:Major League Baseball second basemen
Category:Pittsburgh Pirates players
Category:Houston Astros players
Category:St. Louis Cardinals players
Category:Houston Astros managers
Category:Oakland Athletics managers
Category:New York Mets managers
Category:Caribbean Series managers
Category:Major League Baseball bench coaches
Category:Major League Baseball hitting coaches
Category:Baseball players from Pittsburgh
Category:Charleston Charlies players
Category:Texas Rangers coaches
Category:Colorado Rockies (baseball) coaches
Category:Los Angeles Dodgers scouts
Category:Wyoming Cowboys baseball players
Category:American expatriate baseball people in the Dominican Republic