If the team struggles in the first half of the 2007 season there is another Houstonian that might be ready to step into the job. It's not who, but Howe. Art Howe to be exact.

Now first off let me say that I thought Phil Garner was the perfect choice for the job when he replaced Jimmy Williams midway through the 2004 season. Plus, Garner was one of the big reasons this ballclub finally made its first World Series appearance in 2005.

But this season things haven't been working as well. There are a myriad of reasons why things have gone bad this season but the lack of timely hitting, the unreliable relief pitching and the lack of solid starting pitching from the young guys have all been compounded by some very confounding managerial moves by Garner.

Again, I don't think Garner should be fired, but I can understand why General Manager Tim Purpura and owner Drayton McLane might be pondering his future with the team. If a change is made former Astros player and former Astros manager Art Howe could be McLane's choice as the next manager. At first you say, "No way -- Drayton fired this guy before, why would he want him back??" Well, I can think of 3 good reasons why Howe could be the guy.

-Reason #1 ....McLane is a better owner than he was back in 1993 when he fired the low-keyed Howe after the season. McLane wanted a fiesty, rah-rah guy to manage his team ...so he hired Terry Collins. McLane now knows that "rah-rah" stuff can wear really thin over a 162 game season.

-Reason #2 ....Howe is now a better manager than he was in 1993. Remember, Artie got the Astros job only 3 years after he stopped playing. After he was fired with the Astros he spent 1996-2002 managing the Oakland A's and then 2003 through 2004 managing the New York Mets. Unfortunately for Howe he was fired by the Mets ....right before they started landing their biggest free agents, ie.. Carlos Beltran, Pedro Martinez and Billy Wagner.

-Reason #3 .. Howe now works as an analyst for Fox Sports Net on the Astros game broadcasts and is becoming very familiar with the team's strengths and weaknesses. McLane has dipped into the broadcast booth before to tab a manager.

Howe can certainly find another coaching job in the majors ....but I'm sure he would much prefer a managerial position...and if the Astros stumble in early 2007 the fans and media will by pressing management for a change. At that point instead of McLane, Purpura and Co. saying, "Who, what or where??" They should say Howe.