Larry Dierker has been part of the Astros family forever. He played there from 1964 through 1976, served as a radio broadcaster from 1979 through 1996 and managed the team from 1997 through 2001, winning the Manager of the Year award in 1998 and winning four division titles in his five seasons at the helm.
But then, after he was fired, there was a bit of an estrangement. I believe he’s held various titles in the organization, but there has certainly not been any embrace of Dierker in the past several years.
That has changed:#Astros President of Business Operations Reid Ryan today announced that Larry Dierker has been named special assistant to the president.
— Maury Brown (@BizballMaury) May 21, 2013I always got the impression that he was canned before he should’ve been and for that reason always had a soft spot for Dierker. Good to see him back in the fold.