Nancy Caminiti, the widow of late big leaguer Ken Caminiti, knew something was up when Craig Biggio corralled her and her three daughters at a family wedding in New Orleans a couple of weeks ago and told them to pose for a photo while holding their thumbs in the air. Biggio joined the group and did the same, while they all flashed bright smiles at the camera. "He didn't tell us why," Nancy said. After the picture was snapped, Biggio told Nancy and her three daughters, Kendall, Lindsey and Nicole, some news: Ken had been selected to be inducted into the Astros Hall of Fame in 2024. An announcement was made a couple of days later, and Caminiti will be inducted prior to the Astros' game against the White Sox on Aug. 17 at Minute Maid Park. "We're all so happy, and honestly, I think he deserves it," Nancy said. "He loved being an Astro. Everybody always, even to this day, people will say to me, 'He was so much fun to watch.'" Indeed. Caminiti was selected by the Astros in the third round of the 1984 MLB Draft out of San Jose State and broke into the big leagues with a bang, hitting a homer and a triple in his first game on July 16, 1987 -- one year before Biggio made his debut. |
With his hard-nosed style of play and cannon for an arm, Caminiti quickly became a fan favorite, and by 1991 he, Biggio, Jeff Bagwell and Luis Gonzalez were the cornerstones of a young team on the rise. Biggio, who broke into the big leagues as a catcher, had the best seat in the house to watch Caminiti's wizardry at third base. "You're seeing every play and watching him make some plays, and you're like, 'Wow, a normal human being doesn't make those plays,'" Biggio said. "He would knock the ball down on the third-base line, and the ball falls out, and he picks it up and throws from his butt and throws a seed across the diamond." |
Caminiti was one of the top defensive third basemen in the National League, but he never won a Gold Glove until he put up gaudy offensive numbers after being traded to the Padres -- a 12-player deal following the 1994 season that brought Derek Bell and Doug Brocail, among others, to Houston. The Astros also sent future All-Star and Gold Glove outfielder Steve Finley to San Diego in the trade. "I remember how exciting it was when he was first called up, and nerve-wracking for me, of course," Nancy said. "I think he felt part of the Astro family. It kind of hurt his feelings when he was traded. It was that big trade with Steve Finley and everybody. He was really fun to watch play at third base." Caminiti bashed 26 homers in 1995 for San Diego and won the NL MVP Award in '96 after hitting .326 with 40 homers and 130 RBIs. He returned to the Astros in '99 for two injury-plagued seasons -- he hit three homers in the '99 NLDS -- before finishing with the Rangers and Braves in 2001. "Those were hard years at first because they completely rebuilt the [Astros]," Nancy said. "All of a sudden, Ken and Craig were some of the older guys, which was surprising because they weren't very old." This October will mark 20 years since Ken Caminiti passed away unexpectedly at the age of 41 -- one day before Biggio played in the biggest game of his career: Game 5 of the 2004 NLDS against the Braves in Atlanta. The Astros won, 12-3, for their first playoff series victory in club history. |
Ken was inducted into the Padres Hall of Fame in 2016, with Kendall, Lindsey and Nicole throwing out the ceremonial first pitches. Nancy said she and her daughters will be at Minute Mark Park in August to see Ken honored by the franchise with which he became a Major Leaguer and spent most of his career -- a franchise that still holds him dear. "It's always fun, but it's also emotional," she said. "My daughter's wedding was emotional because Ken should be there. There are certain times when we really feel he's not there. It will be exciting and he'll be there in spirit, but it's still a little sad." |
MINOR LEAGUE STAFF ANNOUNCED |
Mickey Storey will return for his fourth season as manager at Triple-A Sugar Land, the Astros announced Monday. This will be Storey's sixth season as a manager in the Astros' system and the fifth season he has managed Houston's top affiliate between Sugar Land (2021-current) and Round Rock ('19). He also managed Quad Cities ('18). In fact, all four of Houston's full-season Minor League managers will return this year, with Joe Thon at Double-A Corpus Christi, Nate Shaver at High-A Asheville and Ricardo Rivera at Single-A Fayetteville. Meanwhile, the Astros also announced three Minor League special advisors: Jay Bruce, John Valentin and Chuckie Caufield. Bruce, who is a close friend of former Astros manager Dusty Baker, played 14 years in the Major Leagues and retired in 2021. Valentin played 11 years in the big leagues and was a college teammate of Houston general manager Dana Brown and Biggio at Seton Hall University. Valentin was a non-roster invitee to Astros camp in 2004, but he didn't make the team and subsequently retired. |
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REMEMBERING JIMY WILLIAMS |
Former big league manager Jimy Williams, who died last week at the age of 80 years old, spent 2 1/2 years at the helm of the Astros, taking over for Larry Dierker and preceding Phil Garner. Dierker won four National League Central Division titles in five years as the Astros' manager, and Garner led the Astros to the NLCS and World Series. Williams couldn't find success in Houston. The Astros posted a pair of second-place finishes in the NL Central in Williams' first two seasons in Houston, going 84-78 in 2002 and 87-75 in '03. The Astros signed Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens away from the Yankees prior to the '04 season, raising the expectations for a World Series run on a star-studded team that already featured Roy Oswalt, Biggio, Bagwell, Lance Berkman and Jeff Kent. The Astros were in first place in late May but sputtered through much of the summer, hitting the All-Star break with an underachieving record of 44-44. Speculation was rampant Williams would be dismissed, and Williams was booed loudly when introduced as an NL coach prior to the All-Star Game at Minute Maid Park. Williams was let go the next day and replaced by Garner, who led the Astros to a 36-10 record down the stretch to clinch the NL Wild Card on the final day of the season. Houston advanced to the playoffs and beat the Braves in five games for its first playoff series win. The Cardinals beat the Astros in seven games in the NLCS. |
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