Astros fire Cecil Cooper
Houston, TX (Sports Network) – The Houston Astros have fired manager Cecil Cooper.
Third-base coach Dave Clark will take over as interim manager for the rest of the season. The Astros will hold a press conference later in the afternoon at Minute Maid Park, during which Clark and general manager Ed Wade will be available.
Cooper, 59, became the Astros’ manager in August 2007 after being the bench coach, guiding the team to an 86-75 record in 2008 while contending for a wild-card berth. The club then picked up the option on Cooper’s contract in April, which was supposed to keep him with the team through 2010.
However, Houston has gone just 70-79 so far this season, and slipped into fourth place in the NL Central, surely a factor in the decision to let Cooper go.
“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.”
Clark, 47, was the manager for the Astros’ Triple-A affiliate, Round Rock, in 2008, and managed their Double-A club, Corpus Christi, from 2005-07. He joined Houston’s major league coaching staff this season.
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