Tal Smith Email & Phone Number

I graduated from Culver Military Academy and Duke University. After a 3 year apprenticeship with the Cincinnati Reds, I joined the Colt .45s in November of 1960 as assistant to General Manager, Gabe Paul.In April 1963, I became Assistant to the President of the Houston Sports Association, Judge Roy Hofheinz, acting as liaison and project manager for the construction of the Astrodome. One of my major contributions was finding an alternative playing surface when natural grass failed to thrive in the Astrodome.Following completion of the Astrodome in 1965, I returned to the baseball side as vice president and director of player personnel. During this period I developed the formats and pioneered the implementation for what became the industry’s first computerization of scouting reports and other player data.In November 1973, I left to become executive vice president of the New York Yankees.I returned to Houston in August 1975 as general manager of the Astros, taking over a team that was 43.5 games out of 1st place. I was named president in 1976.The Astros went on to win the 1980 National League Western Division. A dramatic 5 game series with the Phillies with 4 games going to extra innings left the Astros 6 outs short of their first World Series. I was named Major League Executive of the Year by The Sporting News.I left the Astros after 1980 and started my consulting business, Tal Smith Enterprises, where we have worked with 26 of the 30 major league clubs on salary arbitration, financial appraisals, operational reviews, and executive search. We have also served as a consultant and/or expert witness in more than twenty baseball related litigations.In 1994, l returned to the Astros as president of baseball operations. Under Drayton McLane's ownership, the club made six playoff appearances including the first World Series team in franchise history in 2005.I left the Astros after 2011 when new ownership took over and have continued to operate my consulting business.