http://houston.astros.mlb.com/news/...t_id=4329918&vkey=news_hou&fext=.jsp&c_id=hou hard for anything to surprise me anymore with this craptastically run organization, but i'm in disbelief. drayton, you are the worst owner in pro sports.
Connie Mack would not have won 86 games with that steaming pile of crap Cecil had to work with last year. Cecil deserved to not be in limbo considering the lackluster roster he has been saddled with yet again. I'm not saying the team is ever going to win big with him, but I'd like to hear a legit complaint about Cecil's performance to this point that is not more a function of personnel.
so extend him at the end of last year or in the offseason (last or next). who watches their team start the season 3-7, and then says "hey, let's make sure we lock up our manager for another year!"?? i'm not trying to discredit coop too much for last seasons record, but let's be honest...it's not too much of a stretch to be suspicious that that was a complete fluke. we sucked at the end of the season he took over for Gar, and we're sucking now. i don't care if it's his fault or not. extending him at this exact moment in time is undeniably ridiculous.
I agree that the best manager in history couldn't have done much more with that group last year but I do sense at least a few possible weaknesses in Cooper: 1. Too aggressive on the basepaths. It was shown statistically that all our efforts to steal bases last season resulted in a net gain of zero. Basically, all we are doing is risking injury to our players that try to steal. Matsui, in particular, is injury prone and Pence is a high energy, reckless-at-times type of player so it wouldn't be surprising to see him eventually hurt himself trying to steal bases. The same goes for big guys like Lee and Berkman who aren't as accustom to running. 2. Mishandling the bullpen. Last season, it seemed like he overused some of the guys and left them out there in the wrong situations, particularly LHPs like Wesley and Byrdak. For some unknown reason, he kept allowing Borkowski to take the mound early on and then again later in the season. And didn't Troy Patton get hurt when he was still with us after being misused by Cooper? I'm not sure about the latter but do seem to recall something to that effect. 3. General impatience. He gets frustrated easily and always seems on edge. The first point (basestealing) may be related to this trait of his. He did seem to be more even keel in the 2nd half of last season. He is obviously a highly competitive guy, which is a good thing to a certain extent, but managers need to be able to stay composed, especially when things aren't going the team's way. There have been some successful managers that always flipped their lids but it seems to me that the ones who keep their emotions in check are generally more successful. Cooper may fix this issue as he gains experience. Having said all that, this team has a lot of holes in it with no real fixes in sight. I'm not sure there would be any benefit to changing managers at this point given that fact. Cooper was at the helm when we overachieved last season even if it wasn't necessarily because of his actions. He hasn't been bad enough, in my opinion, to warrant firing him and I don't have a problem with the contract extension. If we eventually fix our farm system and build a relatively complete team that is still underperforming with Cooper in charge, then it may be time to make a change. That won't be for several years though so it probably isn't even worth thinking about right now. This team has far bigger issues than who is managing.
Drayton knows he has 13 mil coming off the books with Miggy and a couple other players so he will make a move in the offseason for a pitcher or two and maybe another bat. Coop can only do so much with this staff and plus its early. No need to panic.
Worst owner? Pshh, Our payroll is always one of the highest and MM is a beautiful place with great deals!
What a silly thing to be up-in-arms about. Honestly, this exercised option means *nothing*. Garner had more than a couple months left on his contract when he was fired. It's just the business of baseball. If you want to wring your hands about something and actually sound coherent, discuss the farm system.
On point. We have issues far bigger than who is managing. If a team is a legit contender, you want to maximizes your chances to win it all with a proven manager. The Astros could win it all (anything is possible), but even the biggest homer knows it will take a lot of luck. Right now, I say Cooper isn't good or bad. He's still an unkown until he gets a few years under his belt. With the state of this organization, he can't do any more harm. I have no problem with giving him a chance while we try to rebuild our farm system.
so you're upset not because we extended the coach...but because of WHEN we extended the coach? and you use this as evidence that drayton is the worst owner in all of pro sports??
