Article:Chacon is GONE!

Just who does Shawn Chacon think he is, Latrell Sprewell? If that's the case, does that make Houston Astros General Manager Ed Wade P.J. Carlesimo? Things have been goofy at the Juice Box, also known as Minute Maid Park. The National League Central team did what they needed to do to protect themselves.

They kicked Chacon to the curb. They basically told him, "Hit the road, Jack!"

This afternoon, the team gave him his walking papers and have opted not to pay him if a team claims the pitcher on waivers by Monday. Good for them!

"His defiance of the manager, the pitching coach, me, and especially the organization led us to this decision," Wade said in a team-issued statement this afternoon. His season totals were 2-3 with a 5.04 ERA after starting the 2008 campaign with a 2.45 ERA in his first five starts.

Wade recounted other incidents between Chacon and management, including a refusal to throw a bullpen session and turning his back to pitching coach Dewey Robinson during a visit to the mound on June 1. Wade also stated that Chacon was the instigator in the attack that took place after he defied an order by Wade to visit Astros manager Cecil Cooper last week. The choking incident took place in Cooper's office after the team lost to their in-state rivals Texas last night. Left up to me, Chacon would have been taken away in handcuffs, courtesy of the Houston Police or Harris County Sherriff.

This was culmination of weeks of poor behavior on the part of Chacon, who had recently been taken out of the starting rotation and was moved to the bullpen. Instead of being a man about and talking to the powers that be, Chacon chose to be a thug. You reap what you sow, as my grandfather would say. This is a team that at one point in time was at the .500 mark and in contention but now find themselves struggling to stay out of the NL Central cellar at 36-42, 12 and a half games behind the Chicago Cubs. This is an organization that has changed since the retirements of Jeff Bagwell and one Craig Allen Biggio. They're ranked 18th in the majors in hitting, 23rd in pitching and somehow holding their heads above water in fielding in ninth. There's too much talent on this team for this distraction. The tribe has spoken and spoken loudly.

Houston, you had a problem. You dealt with it. You dealt with a weak link. You told it goodbye.