Cheo gone and Ortiz up in arms

[jamesa46]

As most of you know Chronicle jr. sports columnist Jose de Jesus Ortiz has a penchant for going ballistic everytime a non-caucasion member of the Astros is dissed by the organization.
Ortiz likely keeps a race card rolidex on his office desk next to his calendar in easy reach.

This time Ortiz is up in arms because Jose Cruz has been relieved of his duties as first base coach for the Astros. He wasn't fired mind you. He was offered another position with the organization so Cheo is not being "kicked to the curb" as Ortiz would say.

I hate to see Cruz no longer in uniform and on the field but he's been with the Astros as a player or coach for at least 25 years so he's had a great run and I'm sure he isn't hurting financially.

My suspicisions is the Astros will be hiring an experienced manager outside of the organization who will likely want to bring in his own staff which meant moving Cheo out of the first base coaching job.

My suggestion to Ortiz is to take a deep breath, stash his worn and dogeared race card rolidex in his desk drawer and calm down.

[changeup]

Maybe Ortiz can get a PR job working for Sheila Jackson Lee.

[iowafan]

Also Cruz could pick up a job that might have more upward mobility. I agree, it is nothing to get up in arms about. But getting up in arms sometimes sells newspapers.

[Coach]

I don't think Jose was bringing anything other than an appetite (cue the tortilla jokes) to the table as a first base coach. Word I heard was that the other coaches couldn't figure out what exactly Cruz was doing for the team other than coach first base.

[changeup]

Drayton kept him on the payroll hoping he'd draw some hispanic fans to the Juice Box.

[jamesa46]

I actually don't know what the purpose of a first base coach is. I remember when the managers used to take the first base position just to be closer to their players on base so they could communicate with their own baserunners.

Now, the manager just sits in the dugout spitting sunflower seeds and the first base coach stands out their reminding the baserunner how many outs there are in an inning.

Cheo will take one of those jobs in the adminstration like Dierker and Cabell who apparently do nothing more than sit around in the club box swatting gnats when the roof is open.

[texiban001]

He brings a sense of Astros history to the band box plus, he has a really cool accent! ;D

[iowafan]

I think those first base coaches don't get paid enough for what they do day in and day out for the team. It is brutal dodging balls that come down that first base line. Also they are often humiliated at away games. They couldn't pay me enough to do that job. Actually they wouldn't pay me to do that job, so what do I have to lose by saying that they couldn't pay me enough to do that job? Nothing!