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MLB

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.

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