Checklist for Mills to follow

October 28, 8:09 PMHouston Astros ExaminerStephen Goff

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Brad Mills feels the excitement of his first big league managing opportunity, but it will be an uphill battle for him to turn around a struggling Houston Astros team. (AP Photo)

When Brad Mills accepted the Houston Astros job Tuesday, he realized it's going to be an uphill battle combined with working alongside an unrealistic owner in Drayton McLane, Jr.

During his press conference Tuesday, Mills presented himself as the right man for the job, but that can quickly change, considering how McLane goes through managers in the blink of an eye. 

Basically, McLane only gives a manager two years to prove their worth at the helm.

Just ask Art Howe, Terry Collins, Larry Dierker, Jimy Williams, Phil Garner, Cecil Cooper or even Dave Clark what it's like to work under these conditions.

Now, there's Mills. 

He brings a solid background with an effective balance between managing 11 seasons in the minor leagues with the Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Dodgers, as well as coaching 11 years in the big leagues with the Philadelphia Phillies, Montreal Expos and Boston.

He's learned from Terry Francona and Hall of Famer Frank Robinson.

During his tenure in Boston, Mills worked with superstars Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, Johnny Damon and Jason Bay. And then there's J.D. Drew, Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury, Kevin Youkilis, Mike Lowell and Jason Varitek.

What about the great pitching like Josh Beckett, Curt Schilling, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Pedro Martinez, Jon Lester, Derek Lowe, Jonathan Papelbon, Keith Foulke and Tim Wakefield. 

Mills departs a perennial franchise that's won two World Series titles since 2004 and takes over a Houston team known to make bizarre moves. Everything looks great now because he was just hired, but soon Mills will see up close and personal how McLane runs things.

He's become accustomed to being around a World Series-caliber Boston team with an owner that spends a substantial amount of money on signing high-priced superstars. During the offseason, the New York Yankees and Red Sox traditionally pursue the top and most expensive free agents on the market.

Now, Mills won't have this luxury in Houston.

He'll be around an owner that fails to make logical decisions by making it a point to sign aging, injury-prone players, such as Mike Hampton, to a respectable salary -- then turns around and tells the manager he expects that player to be successful. 

Obviously, the Astros are a complete mess that won't get fixed overnight, yet hiring Mills represents a step in the right direction.

McLane and general manager Ed Wade informed Mills of the rebuilding process, but in his heart of hearts, McLane's not hoping, but expecting a miracle this season.

Here's a small checklist of what Mills must do beginning Day 1.

In order for the Astros to become a winner once again, it will take more than these 10 guidelines. Mills faces the biggest challenge of his baseball career, and hopefully he turns out to be as good as everyone thinks.

1) Take ownership of his job: It doesn't matter if he was the second choice behind Manny Acta, and that several Houston fans wanted Phil Garner back. He's the manager of the Houston Astros. Although most of the fans are behind the hiring, Mills must disregard what the critics say and execute his job as Astros manager.

2) Develop great relationships within Astros' front office: Establish a quality business relationship with McLane, Wade, Tal Smith, Pam Gardner, Ricky Bennett, David Gottfried, Bobby Heck, etc., based on the foundation of trust, respect and effective communication. Whether it's baseball operations, business operations, the farm system or community affairs, Mills needs to learn the ins and outs of the organization.

3) Learn everything about the returning ballplayers in 2010: What makes the Astros players great? What do they do wrong? It's Mills' job to figure this out. He's responsible for the further development of superstars, veterans and young ballplayers, while improving the team's strengths and turning weaknesses into strengths.

4) Hire a top-notch coaching staff: The NL Central powerhouses -- Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals -- have Lou Piniella and Tony LaRussa at the helm, as well as a great coaching staff.

The Cubs recently hired Rudy Jaramillo, regarded as the top hitting coach in baseball, while St. Louis hired Mark McGwire as hitting coach. What does Mills intend to do? He already has Sean Berry as hitting coach and Dave Clark as third-base coach. He still needs to hire a bench, pitching, first-base and bullpen coach.

5) Don't be afraid to raise your voice: Mills must tell Uncle Drayton what's wrong. Tell him the starting rotation stinks. Where does the roster need improvement for 2010? Be assertive and stand toe-to-toe with the boss. Work with McLane and Wade on improving the roster this offseason. Mills knows winning baseball better than McLane and Wade. After all, he has two World Series rings; McLane and Wade have none.

6) Develop bond with Houston's big three: Lance Berkman, Carlos Lee and Roy Oswalt run the clubhouse as team captains and leaders. They didn't execute their leadership roles this season.

Yes, Cecil Cooper broke the players' spirits, but that's not an excuse for Berkman and Oswalt to stop being leaders. They talked more about retirement rather than what needs to be done on the field.

Now, that Cooper's gone, Mills must make it a point to establish a great relationship with Berkman, Lee and Oswalt, and communicate team expectations. 

7) Realize it's a two-year deal: Unfortunately, Uncle Drayton believes two years represents the window of opportunity for an Astros manager. Yes, it will take longer than two years to get the Astros back on track, but Mills only received a two-year offer with a club option for 2012. He's got to learn how to cram three to four years of rebuilding into two. 

8) Set challenging, yet realistic goals: Great coaching can compensate for a lack of talent to a degree. The Astros won't be picked to win the NL Central. In fact, they'll likely be picked to finish fourth or fifth next season.

Keep the team hungry, goal-oriented and focused while teaching them how to play winning baseball. You never know what will happen. A team playing without meaning or purpose has already lost before taking the field. Mills must restore meaning and purpose to the clubhouse.

9) Go to bat for his players: Do the right thing toward them. Put them in positions where they can succeed. Stick up for them to the media and let them know you care. Don't rush players like Jason Castro because of pressure from the front office. Always look out for their best interest because that builds trust and respect.

10) Attendance: Ok, this isn't Mills' job to worry about how many fans show up to Minute Maid Park in 2010, but it's definitely a problem for McLane.

For this season, the Astros ranked 13th among MLB teams in attendance, but overall, it dwindled from 34,741 fans per game in 2008 to 31,124 -- a 3,617 decrease in average. Since Minute Maid Park holds a capacity of 40,950, it's unacceptable to McLane that 76 percent of the stadium gets filled on a typical night.

Toward the end of the season, fans would show up just to watch the other teams play. Yes, it's a bad economy and families have to take out a second mortgage just to come to the ballpark. Nobody likes paying the outrageous ticket prices, in addition to $10-20 to park, as well as $20 for a hot dog and beer.

However, baseball is a business -- it's McLane's business. He knows a winning team puts fans in the seats. If the Astros aren't winning and fans don't show up, McLane will come looking for Mills.