Okay .... Astros manager Cecil Cooper hasn't won every game ..... but he certainly manages his players differently doesn't he?? Coop and Gar (Phil Garner) are longtime friends ...... but even though they spent 2 1/2 seasons together in the Astros dugout ..... it's obvious they're approach to managing the game is alot different.

When Cooper was named to the manager's spot .... he told me that he didn't want to say anything bad about Gar .... but he did believe that Phil managed the team differently the first season and a half compared to last year and this. He felt like Phil was more aggressive with his style in 2004 and 2005 ....and when asked, Cooper really couldn't put his finger on a reason. But whatever the case .... Cooper has the team playing a more aggressive style again.

Cooper wants the Astros to be known for it's great pitching and great defense ...and if you've watched the team's games lately .... you know they need plenty of work in both departments. Cooper told last week when we sat down in a one on one interview that his favorite player when he was growing up was Lou Brock. Coop says he liked Brock the best because he used his great speed to affect games both offensively and defensively. Knowing that ..... you can bet that's the kind of ballclub Coop wants the Astros to become. The odd thing is when Cooper was in his prime ..... playing as an All-Star first baseman with Milwaukee ... that club was known for it's hitting ... especially for his power. They were called Harvey's Wall-Bangers ... a nickname which saluted manager Harvey Kuenn along with his players' long-ball efforts.

I like the way he makes decisive moves. He believes Hunter Pence is the best lead-off man on the team ....so he moved future Hall of Famer Craig Biggio out ...and moved Pence in.....and he didn't hem-haw around about it ...he just did it. He is putting Chris Burke on the field everyday. He flat out says that Burke needs to prove that he belongs in a big-league lineup so he'll be on the field ... even if Biggio is playing 2nd. he also believes Luke Scott has proven that he can play everyday I agree. And I believe if he wasn't stuck with Ty Wigginton at 3rd .... (thanks to a Tim Purpura deal) ..... he'd be playing Mike Lamb there. But again .... at least he was up front with Lamb and told him that Wigginton is the team's 3rd baseman of the future ... so Coop is going to play him there regularly.

What I'm saying is this. As far as I'm concerned ....Cooper is showing he can manage the Astros in a winning manner. He should have the title "interim" removed from his managerial title during the off-season.

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