Former Brewer manager Garner dies

Former Milwaukee Brewer manager Phil Garner passed away Saturday at the age of 76.  Garner battled pancreatic cancer in recent months.  He played 16 years of major league baseball with Oakland, Pittsburgh, Houston, Los Angeles and San Francisco, helping the Pirates win a World Series championship in 1979.  Garner compiled a lifetime batting average of .260 in 1860 career games.  He began his managerial career with the Brewers in 1992.  Garner managed the Brewers for eight seasons, but his first year was the only campaign in which the Brewers finished above .500.  He was fired during the 1999 season, but hired to manage the Detroit Tigers the following year.  Garner managed the Tigers for three seasons, and after sitting out the 2003 season, was hired by the Houston Astros.  He led the Astros to a World Series appearance in 2005, losing in four games to the White Sox, and was fired during the 2007 season.  Garner served as a special advisor for the Oakland A’s during the 2011 and 2012 seasons.