If you've just spent $200 on a purchase of Shawn Chacon's Houston Astros jerseys, you should consider doing one of two things:
1) Place them in a yard sale and hope you get something for them.
2) Write them off in your income tax return next year as a business loss.
That's because Chacon, a talented pitcher who never seemed to be able to get anything going for Houston, is now an ex-Astro. Chacon, who set a major league record by starting the season with nine consecutive no-decisions, got into a shouting match Thursday afternoon with--of all people--Astros general manager Ed Wade.
According to MLB.com, Chacon had been angry about being demoted from the starting rotation to the bullpen and had earned manager Cecil Cooper's wrath by 1) Refusing to throw a bullpen session, 2) Refusing to meet with Cooper to explain why he hadn't done his bullpen work.
Wade, no doubt, was angry about having to waste time to tell the media that the Astros had no plans to trade Chacon (who'd just told the media he wanted a trade to a team that would let him start).
No problem, Shawn. Never mind that your recent struggles on the mound were part of the reason for your move to the bullpen. Not a very professional thing to do--especially now that you're in baseball's unemployment line.
Wade then went to meet with Chacon, who was in the Astros lunchroom. (Here's Wade's complete statement on the matter). Wade says he tried to explain to Chacon that the pitcher would not be traded since the Astros' plan was for him to go to the bullpen and, if his performance improved, eventually work him back into the starting rotation. A shouting match ensued, and Wade acknowledged that he did use a profanity but that it wasn't directed at Chacon. Still, Wade was shoved down twice before others intervened.
Call it harsh, but what Chacon did was unprofessional and inexcusable.
Several news sources say that Chacon grabbed Wade by the neck; Wade doesn't mention that in his statement and added that he would not file assault charges against Chacon.
Meanwhile, Houston has put Chacon on waivers for the purpose of giving him his unconditional release. If he clears waivers on Monday, Houston then will terminate the rest of his one-year, $2 million contract. If you prorate this contract over the six-month major league season, this means that Chacon would forfeit roughly a million dollars.
Not surprisingly, if that happens, Chacon plans to file a Players' Union grievance against the team. Always nice to see a guy who doesn't take responsibility for his own actions and goes whining to the union. Unprofessional behavior should not be rewarded.
There's a part of me that hopes that Houston has simply removed itself of a cancerous player who put his own intersts ahead of the team's. Time will tell.
