JIM “PAPPY” MOORE: Remembering Astros Infielder and Manager Phil Garner
By Jim “Pappy” Moore
You may have heard that former Astros player and manager Phil Garner passed away. He was my age. I got to know Phil in the early 1980s when he first came to Houston in 1981 to play for the Astros.
I was living in Kingwood. He hired a downtown law firm to represent him. I often did business with their firm. Their partner David Griffis was a good friend and remains a good friend. He and I worked on various real estate ventures together. He introduced me to Phil at his office.
Phil and I got to talking and when he found out I lived in Kingwood, he told me that was where he and his wife wanted to buy a house.
I had a client who had a big house in Kingwood who wanted to sell – Walter Scarborough. Walter was a genius and loved making real estate deals. Walter and his wife Beverly lived not far from me and I had bought their first house from them in 1979. It was a nice 4 bedroom, 2450 square feet, but they wanted a BIG house and bought one twice that size and built a gigantic pool, with some guest quarters by the pool.
In 1981 Walter and Beverly decided to sell their big house and pool, with guest quarters in the back, and get an even bigger place. They were making lots of money in real estate.
I described the house, the pool, and the visitors rooms near the pool to Phil. He liked the sound of it and asked if I could set him up with Walter.
I sent Phil directly to see Walter, and they made a deal without involving any realtors, which saved them about $40,000 in realtor fees they could have spent. Walter was so happy he gave me $12,000 just for being the guy who sent Phil Garner to him.
Phil had a great sense of humor and loved to tell jokes, which was right up my alley. He loved a good laugh and told great jokes. He enjoyed my many East Texas tales, too. He had a huge, black mustache and a wry sense of humor. So here’s to you, Phil! You were a great guy!
Copyright 2026, Jim “Pappy” Moore. All rights reserved.
