CLARK NEW ASTROS SKIPPER:

Former Jackson State baseball great Dave Clark was named the manager of the Houston Astros last week. Former manager Cecil Cooper was relieved of his managerial duties and Clark, who had been third base coach, will serve as manager on an interim basis through the remainder of the 2009 season. The Astros have 13 games left.

Clark was a first round draft pick for the Cleveland Indians in 1983, and made his major league debut with the club as a September call-up in 1986. For his career, Clark batted .264 with 62 home runs and 284 runs batted in over twelve-plus seasons. His best season was with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1994, when he batted .296 with ten home runs and 46 RBIs.

This will be the first stint as a Major League manager for the 47-year-old Clark, who joined the Astros Major League coaching staff this season. Prior to that, he served as manager of the Round Rock Express (AAA) in 2008 and manager of the Corpus Christi Hooks (AA) from 2005-2007. He led Corpus Christi to the Texas League Championship in 2006, during which he was named that league's Manager of the Year. Clark also managed in the Pirates system in 2004, guiding the Hickory Crawdads (A) to the South Atlantic League title with an 85-55 record. Clark, a star baseball player at Jackson State, was named to the JSU Sports Hall of Fame in 2000.

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