Bob Watson to be tomorrow's guest on Astroline

HOUSTON, TX — Former Astros player and general manager Bob Watson will be the guest on this week's Astroline call-in radio show, which will air its ninth broadcast of the offseason tomorrow. The show is open to the public and will be broadcast live at 7 p.m. from Buffalo Wild Wings (510 Gray St.) on SportsTalk 790 KBME.

Hall of Fame broadcaster Milo Hamilton will return as the host of Astroline and will be joined by Astros Social Media Director Kelly George, who will take fan questions via Twitter at twitter.com/astros either before or during the broadcast. Fans may also post questions prior to the broadcast on the Astros Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Astros. As always, fans will also have the option to call the show with questions at 713-212-5790.

Astroline, which is presented by Budweiser, is being broadcast live each Thursday from 7-8 p.m. during the offseason. 

Watson enjoyed a 19-year playing career with the Astros (1966-79), Red Sox (1979), Yankees (1980-82) and Braves (1982-84) organizations, hitting .295 (1826x6185) with 307 doubles, 184 homers and a .364 on-base percentage in 1,832 career Major League games. While with the Astros, Watson was a two-time All-Star as a left fielder and first baseman, and was one of the top hitters of his era. On May 4, 1975, Watson had the distinction of scoring the one millionth run in Major League history. Along with John Olerud, he is one of just two players in MLB history to hit for the cycle in both the American League and National League.

Following his playing career, Watson served as a coach for the Oakland Athletics before becoming the first African-American general manager in MLB history when the Astros hired him for that post for the 1994-95 seasons. Watson then went on to serve as the general manager of the New York Yankees from 1996-97, winning a World Series with the 1996 Yankees club. After his stint with New York, Watson served in the Office of the Commissioner of Major League Baseball as a Vice President of Rules and On-Field Operations until his retirement in 2010.

Hamilton, who retired from the radio booth in 2012,  began his Hall of Fame radio career as a disc jockey on the Armed Forces Radio Network during Thanksgiving week in 1945. The 2012 season was his 28th with the Astros and his 59th year broadcasting Major League Baseball. Although he retired from calling games, Hamilton will remain active with the Astros moving forward.