Aurelias Kazaar
Jun 25th, 2008, 10:07:44 PM
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/5856597.html
June 25, 2008, 10:24PM
Astros suspend Chacon after altercation with GM Wade
Disgruntled pitcher asked to be traded
By JOSE DE JESUS ORTIZ
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
Already upset that he was demoted from the Astros' starting rotation to the bullpen, Shawn Chacon was suspended indefinitely Wednesday night after a heated exchange turned violent with general manager Ed Wade an hour before the Astros played the Texas Rangers.
Chacon, who understands that he may not play again this season, admitted that he lost his cool after Wade insisted he go in the manager’s office to meet with him and manager Cecil Cooper. The argument took place in the team’s dining room, which Chacon admittedly refused to leave even though Cooper and Wade asked him to join them in the manager’s office.
Chacon said he lost his temper after Wade cursed at him and told him to “(expletive) look in the mirror,” he said. When made aware of Chacon’s comment, Wade politely declined comment on the specifics.
“Insubordination to the club,” Wade said. “I'm not getting into the details. It's an internal matter.”
Chacon made his displeasure clear on Sunday after he was demoted to the bullpen, and had asked for a trade though his agent Dan Horwits soon after he was taken out of the rotation. It hadn’t turned ugly, however, until Wednesday.
According Chacon, he was in the lunch room after batting practice when Cooper asked him to join him in his office.
“And I said, 'what do you want to speak to me about?'” Chacon said. “He said, ‘we just want to talk to you.’ I said, ‘anything you can say you can say to me right here. I don’t want to go to the office. He looked at me and I said there’s nothing for me to say to you guys.’ And I don’t think whatever they had to say to me they were going to make me happy. I didn’t want to get in a closed-room conversation. I just wanted to be left alone.
“I sat down to eat and Ed Wade came to me and very sternly said, ‘you need to come with me to the office.’ I said ‘for what?’ I said 'I don’t want to go to the office with you and Cooper.’ And I said ‘You can tell me whatever you got to tell me right here.’ He’s like, ‘oh, you want me to tell you right here?' And I said, ‘yeah.’ I’m not yelling. I’m calm.”
It deteriorated quickly afterward, according to Chacon.
“He started yelling and cussing," Chacon said of Wade. "I’m sitting there and I said to him very calmly, ‘Ed, you need to stop yelling at me. Then I stood up and said 'you better stop yelling at me.' I stood up. He continued and was basically yelling and stuff and was like, ‘You need to (expletive) look in the mirror.’ So at that point I lost my cool and I grabbed him by the neck and threw him to the ground. I jumped on top of him because at that point I wanted to beat his (butt). Words were exchanged.”
Players quickly intervened to separate Wade and Chacon, who remembers being pulled away by backup outfielder Reggie Abercrombie.
Chacon (2-3, 5.04 ERA) signed a one-year, $2 million deal to come to the Astros during spring training and was given a spot in the starting rotation. Despite a record-setting nine straight no-decisions to begin the season, he pitched well early on and had a 2-0 record and a 3.95 ERA as May turned to June.
But he struggled in June, going 0-3 in four starts with a 9.35 ERA. He pitched just one inning on June 1 in Milwaukee, an outing that saw him turn his back on Dewey Robinson in the pitching coach's visit to the mound.
Following a six-run outing in Baltimore June 19, he was told three days later that he'd be demoted to the bullpen. Chacon called the decision "horse (expletive)" prior to Sunday's game against Tampa Bay and was not used out of the bullpen before he was suspended.
“I'd hoped he pitched better for us,” Wade said. “That's the bottom line. ... We took him out of the rotation on Sunday basically on merit. He'd had 10 starts since late April, and the last three starts, four starts weren't very good. So we hoped that he would help us in the bullpen, and unfortunately we're at a point right now when we think it's in our best interest to move forward.”
Chacon admits he asked for a trade.
“Obviously I’ve not been pleased with the decision to move to the pen and made that clear the day they told me,” he said. “After that I decided I wasn’t going to say anything more and go about my business. After that my agent and I decided we were going to let them know I wanted to be traded.
“Through my agent I also told them the only reason I signed with Houston was because they were going to let me start the season all year.”
After the altercation, though, Chacon wonders if he’ll pitch again in the majors.
“Maybe it shouldn’t have happened,” Chacon said. “But when you do those things and you’re yelling at somebody and you’re cussing you better know what type of person you’re dealing with. If there’s any regret, I just wish they had just let me alone. I wish they had left me alone.
“I’m there for my teammates. I’m not there for them. I’m out there for my teammates. It just sucks that it had to end like that. … Obviously I won’t be able to play the rest of the year or whatever, but it’s fine. I don’t expect to. I don’t expect anything to be different. It’s really just a matter of if I want to play anymore.”
Eesh.
June 25, 2008, 10:24PM
Astros suspend Chacon after altercation with GM Wade
Disgruntled pitcher asked to be traded
By JOSE DE JESUS ORTIZ
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
Already upset that he was demoted from the Astros' starting rotation to the bullpen, Shawn Chacon was suspended indefinitely Wednesday night after a heated exchange turned violent with general manager Ed Wade an hour before the Astros played the Texas Rangers.
Chacon, who understands that he may not play again this season, admitted that he lost his cool after Wade insisted he go in the manager’s office to meet with him and manager Cecil Cooper. The argument took place in the team’s dining room, which Chacon admittedly refused to leave even though Cooper and Wade asked him to join them in the manager’s office.
Chacon said he lost his temper after Wade cursed at him and told him to “(expletive) look in the mirror,” he said. When made aware of Chacon’s comment, Wade politely declined comment on the specifics.
“Insubordination to the club,” Wade said. “I'm not getting into the details. It's an internal matter.”
Chacon made his displeasure clear on Sunday after he was demoted to the bullpen, and had asked for a trade though his agent Dan Horwits soon after he was taken out of the rotation. It hadn’t turned ugly, however, until Wednesday.
According Chacon, he was in the lunch room after batting practice when Cooper asked him to join him in his office.
“And I said, 'what do you want to speak to me about?'” Chacon said. “He said, ‘we just want to talk to you.’ I said, ‘anything you can say you can say to me right here. I don’t want to go to the office. He looked at me and I said there’s nothing for me to say to you guys.’ And I don’t think whatever they had to say to me they were going to make me happy. I didn’t want to get in a closed-room conversation. I just wanted to be left alone.
“I sat down to eat and Ed Wade came to me and very sternly said, ‘you need to come with me to the office.’ I said ‘for what?’ I said 'I don’t want to go to the office with you and Cooper.’ And I said ‘You can tell me whatever you got to tell me right here.’ He’s like, ‘oh, you want me to tell you right here?' And I said, ‘yeah.’ I’m not yelling. I’m calm.”
It deteriorated quickly afterward, according to Chacon.
“He started yelling and cussing," Chacon said of Wade. "I’m sitting there and I said to him very calmly, ‘Ed, you need to stop yelling at me. Then I stood up and said 'you better stop yelling at me.' I stood up. He continued and was basically yelling and stuff and was like, ‘You need to (expletive) look in the mirror.’ So at that point I lost my cool and I grabbed him by the neck and threw him to the ground. I jumped on top of him because at that point I wanted to beat his (butt). Words were exchanged.”
Players quickly intervened to separate Wade and Chacon, who remembers being pulled away by backup outfielder Reggie Abercrombie.
Chacon (2-3, 5.04 ERA) signed a one-year, $2 million deal to come to the Astros during spring training and was given a spot in the starting rotation. Despite a record-setting nine straight no-decisions to begin the season, he pitched well early on and had a 2-0 record and a 3.95 ERA as May turned to June.
But he struggled in June, going 0-3 in four starts with a 9.35 ERA. He pitched just one inning on June 1 in Milwaukee, an outing that saw him turn his back on Dewey Robinson in the pitching coach's visit to the mound.
Following a six-run outing in Baltimore June 19, he was told three days later that he'd be demoted to the bullpen. Chacon called the decision "horse (expletive)" prior to Sunday's game against Tampa Bay and was not used out of the bullpen before he was suspended.
“I'd hoped he pitched better for us,” Wade said. “That's the bottom line. ... We took him out of the rotation on Sunday basically on merit. He'd had 10 starts since late April, and the last three starts, four starts weren't very good. So we hoped that he would help us in the bullpen, and unfortunately we're at a point right now when we think it's in our best interest to move forward.”
Chacon admits he asked for a trade.
“Obviously I’ve not been pleased with the decision to move to the pen and made that clear the day they told me,” he said. “After that I decided I wasn’t going to say anything more and go about my business. After that my agent and I decided we were going to let them know I wanted to be traded.
“Through my agent I also told them the only reason I signed with Houston was because they were going to let me start the season all year.”
After the altercation, though, Chacon wonders if he’ll pitch again in the majors.
“Maybe it shouldn’t have happened,” Chacon said. “But when you do those things and you’re yelling at somebody and you’re cussing you better know what type of person you’re dealing with. If there’s any regret, I just wish they had just let me alone. I wish they had left me alone.
“I’m there for my teammates. I’m not there for them. I’m out there for my teammates. It just sucks that it had to end like that. … Obviously I won’t be able to play the rest of the year or whatever, but it’s fine. I don’t expect to. I don’t expect anything to be different. It’s really just a matter of if I want to play anymore.”
Eesh.