MLB.com

Ever wonder what it would be like to be a General Manager for a Major League Baseball team?

It takes a lot of hard work and dedication. But what else does it take? How hard is the job? Could you do it?

In my interview with Astros General Manager Tim Purpura, I learned that his job is not easy, takes lots of long hours, skill, patience and determination.

Tim Purpura begins his first year as the General Manager for the Houston Astros. Here's what he had to say about his job in a recent interview in Houston.

Michael McHugh: Tell me about a typical day in the job of a General Manager for the Astros.

Tim Purpura: This time of year it's long days. We get in to the office pretty early . This morning I had a meeting with our owner at eight- o'clock in the morning and we talked about our negotiations with Lance Berkman. We did that for about two hours and then I went to my office and worked about two hours on the financial end of it. I also talked to a few agents and talked to some GMs from other clubs about potential trades. For example, today we met with Berkman and his agents and we talked for a number of hours about his contract and what kind of things we can arrange. But typically this time of year, we're at the office until 7-8 o'clock at night.

McHugh: Did you have to have any special training to become a General Manager?

Purpura: Good people skills. You have to get along with people and you have to be able to read people. And I think negotiating skills are important. I think you have to have the ability to evaluate talent and see who good players are versus others. Budgetary -- you've got to be able to handle big numbers. You need to know a little bit about law. You have to write contracts and I think the biggest thing is you have to be a fan. You have to love the game. If you love the game it gets you through everything.

McHugh: What kind of background do you have?

Purpura: Like a lot of kids, I grew up playing baseball every single day of the summer. I played in Little League and some other leagues. I pretty much realized early on that I wasn't going to be a professional baseball player, but I always loved the game and watched a lot of games growing up in Chicago. I went to college and got a degree in Psychology and then I got a law degree. Then I got my break in baseball. I've come through more of the academic ranks to become a GM, as opposed to some who come through the playing ranks. I was an intern with the California Angels and I am now going into my 12th year with the Astros. I've done a lot of things throughout the game.

McHugh: What is the best and worst part about your job?

Purpura: The best part is winning and the worst part is losing. It's as simple as that. The wins are great, the losses are tough and the best part about our business and what we do is there's a new game everyday. So if you do have a bad loss, sometimes you can come back the next day and have a big victory.

McHugh: What was the best deal you've made so far?

Purpura: I haven't had the job very long, so I'd have to say signing Roger Clemens. That was certainly a high point and something I really enjoyed -- with negotiating with his agents and talking with Roger and getting to know him. So that was clearly the best part of my short time as a General Manager.

McHugh: Who was the toughest person you had to sign or tried to sign?

Purpura: Probably Carlos Beltran because I didn't get him signed. We really wanted to sign him, but it wasn't meant to be. That was a tough one for us, but we're going to go on and have a good team.

McHugh: How did you get your start?

Purpura: I was with the Arizona Fall League and I helped start that. Then an Assistant Director job came open in our Minor League office. Because I had known some people down in Tucson, Ariz., which was at that time the Astros' Minor League affiliate (Triple-A), they put me in touch with the people at the Astros and I got hired here. I've had about three-four different jobs here at the Astros, always kind of working my way up and hopefully eventually becoming the General Manager. It's been a good ride.

McHugh: Is your job stressful?

Purpura: It is. It's very stressful. I think what makes it stressful is that you want to make good decisions, so that the fans have a good product to watch. And I think the other stressful part is that I want to win. I can't play baseball anymore and I can't compete on the field, but I compete in the front office and I want to get the best free agents, the best trades, develop the best players in our Minor League system and I want to draft the best players. So, any time you're in competition there's a level of stress. I think that's part of it, being able to handle the stress and channel it into productive activity.

McHugh: What do you do to make yourself better?

Purpura: I study what everybody else is doing. I look at the good GMs and see how they operate their clubs, and I watch what people are doing. The internet's a great tool. We have a service that sends us newspaper articles from every team in baseball every morning, so if I'm talking to a team about a trade I'll make sure I know what's going on with that team. I'll read their newspapers. I also have great scouts that I can call and get opinions on players, and they do a great job of giving me good information.

McHugh: Is there any move you've made that you wish you could take back?

Purpura: Not yet. Again, I've only been here three months, so I haven't made too many mistakes. I'm sure there will be a few forthcoming, but so far, so good.

McHugh: What has been your best accomplishment so far?

Purpura: In addition to building our management team, hiring the Assistant GM and other assistants, I think the signing of Roger Clemens, those are the real highlights.

McHugh: Are you glad you got Roger Clemens and Lance Berkman signed?

Purpura: Absolutely! Those were big things for us, to be able to get that done.

McHugh: Can you tell me about yourself -- hobbies?

Purpura: I don't have many hobbies any more (laughs). I used to play golf and I haven't done that in a while, and I like to work out. I'm married and have a one-year-old daughter. So that's usually my workout right there, chasing her around the house and playing with her. And I certainly get my weight lifting in lifting her up and down and playing around with her. My family right now is my main hobby outside of baseball.

McHugh: If a kid wanted to become a General Manager one day, what advice would you give them?

Purpura: I'd play baseball as long as I could, at whatever level. It doesn't have to be at the highest level. Continue to learn about the game and know how the game is played on the field, and how it's played off the field. I read Baseball Weekly and Baseball America, or it's Sports Weekly now, and that gives me a lot of information about what is going on. I think that going to school is important. You have to have a good mind and you have to be able to learn, and be able to take a lot of lessons from what you've learned. Study. A good student is a good citizen. Those are all part of it.