Slumping Astros Fire Cecil Cooper

The Houston Astros announced the firing of manager Cecil Cooper Monday afternoon.

The news comes on the heels of a seven-game losing streak, including a winless road trip to Cincinnati and Milwaukee, that officially eliminated the Astros from playoff contention in 2009. Dave Clark, previously the third-base coach, will act as interim manager for the remainder of the season.

In slightly more than two seasons on the job (he took over after Phil Garner's firing in 2007), Cooper's Astros were almost exactly .500, recording a 171-170 record, but he failed to take them to the playoffs in either of the two seasons which he opened with the job.

Looking at the roster handed to him by the front office, though, it's hard to imagine that Cooper's really to blame for Houston's 70-79 record this year. The Astros' biggest acquisitions this winter were Mike Hampton, Russ Ortiz, and Ivan Rodriguez. What exactly did GM Ed Wade expect from this club?

"Cecil Cooper has given his all to the Houston Astros," Wade said. "Decisions like this are never easy, but we believe that a change in direction on the field is in order. By making the move today, we will have the ability to evaluate other facets of our operation as we move into the offseason."

Cooper's last act as manager of the 'Stros was actually to congratulate Prince Fielder for breaking his 27-year old Brewers' RBI record on Sunday, as he agreed to take part in an on-field ceremony celebrating Fielder's accomplishments at the first baseman's request. Less than 24 hours later, he's now on the unemployment line.

I'm sort of at a loss trying to figure out what Wade and Astros' management hopes to accomplish with this move.

It's true that Houston's current record is a step back from its 86-75 2008 mark, and that it has been out of playoff contention for a while, but 70-79 is actually a bit better than I expected of them this season. The Astros' rotation behind Wandy Rodriguez and Roy Oswalt is terrible and Geoff Blum and Kazuo Matsui are two of the worst regulars at any position in the National League.

Cooper really didn't have a whole lot to work with, but he kept Houston in contention until around the end of July before the wheels finally fell off. I'm not so sure that performance warrants a firing, but then the decision's already been made.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

9-21-2009 @ 4:34PM

George said...

Too bad Drayton McLane can't fire himself. How many managers is this for him now? He's become the 1980's version of George Steinbrenner.

9-21-2009 @ 11:02PM

knute9 said...

Dam...I was hoping this article was about the Mets.

9-21-2009 @ 4:40PM

BIG O said...

the rays should do the same thing to maddon.

9-21-2009 @ 6:28PM

timjbon said...

Joe Maddon? Really?

9-21-2009 @ 5:06PM

Idjit said...

Good move. Houston has a lot better talent than 70-79. There were weeks at a time where they did not show up to play. That is on Coop.

9-21-2009 @ 5:20PM

dackohersh said...

if only non-performing corporations of all sorts could get rid of useless executives the way the sports world does

9-21-2009 @ 5:21PM

Stephen Ferrell said...

we in philly had our fill of Ed Wade as GM, he is probably just a lacky for the upper management there too...

9-21-2009 @ 5:28PM

b. wayne said...

You can't win a championship without the talent, no smoke and mirrors in this game.....

what's up zeman said...

What a slap in the face to cooper. Why couldn't they wait til the season was over?? I guess they wanted the astros to be in the news because their ball playing couldn't do it. They simply suck. I'm suprised they even have 70-79 record. the stros front office have no class at all. and by the way they have the worst ballpark in the leauge. The man who designed that park should be shot. all i can say is "ST< LOUIS CARDINALS WORLD SERIES BOUND"

9-21-2009 @ 5:32PM

brainslug said...

Now the Brewers can fire Ken Macha's sorry a$$ and bring back Coooooooooop next season. In fact, why wait?

9-21-2009 @ 5:33PM

twedds said...

i was hoping when i saw the headline it jerry manuel oh well maybe next year

9-21-2009 @ 10:13PM

zombifiedsixteen said...

hahaha. Me too.

jql2568 said...

Not at all surprised at this move. Now in the internet age, I've been able to follow my 'Stros pitch by pitch for nearly every game. Given that, I've noticed more this year a lot of the little things that cost this team runs here and there. I think a lot of that falls on the manager, whether he is directly responsible or not.

9-21-2009 @ 6:48PM

Bud said...

For years in Philadelphia we thought Ed Wade was being held back by owners that were cheap. We got Pat Gillick and Reuben Amaro, men that showed the owners that if you know how to spend money you can be a winner. Ed Wade was never willing to put his job on the line. If you look up coast in the dictionary you will see his picture.

9-21-2009 @ 6:56PM

fall829 said...

i know his daughter tori, and that is a real b**tch move to fire in the middle of the season

9-21-2009 @ 6:58PM

Road House said...

Another disappointment, I was hoping the Indians let there tired ass coach go.

9-21-2009 @ 7:24PM

Bill said...

I feel bad for Coop. Try being a Pirate fan. 17 years of bad ownership, managers, and players.

James G. Banks said...

asstros are another johnny come lately team, like the low class braves of the nineties (the leaders of the mid nineties strike). They are not a dynasty team. They are more focused on putting a flagpole in the center field of an overpriced stadium than actually getting decent players, like their neihbors to the north in Dallas with the 100' wide field gole interference. Sorry, Texas, the only good player that ever graced any part of your sports was Nolan Ryan, and you guys screwed that one too. Have you realized that nobody cares if you win down in Texas. You guys always claim that everything is bigger in Texas. Well, there you have it, the biggest losers; players and fans alike. Why you will never make it? Look at the Cubs. They could lose every game, and people still come out tho see them. Why? They have class, they have a legacy, and the fans don't need a gimmic like a dome or wide screen television to get them to come in. They are die hard. This is why the Yankees, Boston, St. Louis, and a few others will always be around and the likes of Houston will go away eventually.

10-25-2009 @ 9:51PM

rwayne said...

You know where you can shove your stinking ESPN Cubs, Yankees, Red Sox and Cardinals. It's true that the Astros had a mediocre team this year and Cooper wasn't much of a manager. But the rest of the country is sick of hearing the ESPN shills along with bandwagon fans like you kiss up to the rich big market teams. It's just a helluva shame that the big market teams eliminated Minnesota and Colorado early in the playoffs this year....with a little help from their umpiring friends.