Hey, remember when Cooper was hired?

I got bored, so I did some Google searching on the response to Cooper's getting hired back in August 2007.

Cooper, on his strengths and weaknesses:
"I'm pretty comfortable with the players when it's just moving around with them and talking one-on-one. What I have difficulty with is when it's a big group. I struggle with that a little bit, but those are things I have to get through and work through. The more I do it, the better I'll get."

Berkman:
"Not that the manager has zero impact, but I think many times, the manager gets too much credit for success and too much blame for as poor a season as we're having."

Interestingly enough, Berkman said the exact same thing on Coop's departure.

Continue, Lance:
"He's been around a long time and, in my opinion, he's a borderline Hall of Fame player. He understands how a team works and what makes a team successful. I think he's deserving of a shot to be a manager. The fact that he was an outstanding player certainly helps when it comes to dealing with us in here. Cooper's been here as long as Phil has. We know him really well. I don't see it as going to be a really huge change in philosophy or way we're going to operate in the clubhouse. From that standpoint, the transition is not going to be a difficult one."

Chris Burke:
"I see a lot of leadership, I see a lot of poise and ability to relate to the players. Those are a lot of good qualities right there."

Cooper, on what needed to be fixed in his tenure:
"We have to play with more excitement, more fire. This is not a criticism of anyone, but we have been really flat, particularly in the last week or so, and we need to pick it up. Sometimes, you just look at the team in general and things are just not clicking."

Ed Wade:
"I'm became very comfortable, very quickly being around Coop. I look forward to a long association."

Drayton:
"Cecil is a perfect fit for the managerial job based on his leadership and experience. We look forward to his influence on our team as we move forward on our quest to bring a World Series championship to Houston. We feel he is the most qualified person to help us accomplish that goal."