VIGNETTE: ART HOWE

By Will Pry

Club membership: WestLake Club, Houston.

Occupation: Manager of Major League Baseball’s New York Mets (National League).

Birth date: Dec. 15, 1946.

Family: Wife, Betty. Daughters, Stephanie and Gretchen. Son, Matt.

Career highlights: Howe played 10 full seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Houston Astros, and St. Louis Cardinals in the 1970s and ’80s. He managed the Houston Astros from 1989 to 1993 and the Oakland A’s from 1996 to 2002. He guided the A’s to the playoffs three seasons in a row and won two division titles; his Oakland teams improved their record every year from 1997 to 2002. In October, Howe signed a four-year contract to become the Mets’ manager.

Managerial philosophy: "I try to treat people the way I would like to be treated. I am lucky enough to have spent 10 years as a player, and I’m not that far removed from what they’re thinking and what their concerns are. If you treat people with respect, it comes back on you tenfold."

Key to success: "You have to be resilient in this game. No matter how good you are, you’re going to struggle. It’s going to test your mettle."

Motivation: "My main goal is at the end of the day to be able to look in the mirror and say, ‘I did the best I could.’"

Enduring the lengthy season: "Being consistent is very important. The players have to know who their manager is. It’s a 162-game season, with 30 more spring training games and, if you’re fortunate enough, more games in the playoffs and World Series. It’s a marathon. You can’t get too high or too low."

Setting priorities: "I try to dedicate the off-season to my family as much as possible. I spend so much time during the season with the team — trying to win, getting the job done — so in the off-season, I try to make that time up."

Building a team: "I’ve got 25 sons out there playing, and I’m trying to get the best out of each and every one of them."

Communicating with young players: "Every athlete has a sense of pride. That’s what I try to deal with — the pride of wearing a Major League uniform [and] to really be thankful for that opportunity."

What he loved about Willie Stargell, his idol as a young player: "He thought of others. He had the ability to make the 25th player on the roster feel as important as the top hitter or the No. 1 pitcher."

Dealing with criticism from the media: "That’s part of my job. Baseball managers are the easiest people to second-guess because the result every day is final. That’s an exciting part about baseball, and that’s going to be around until baseball is no longer."