June 1, 200422 yr Bluster won't faze McKeon By Dave George, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Tuesday, June 1, 2004 MIAMI GARDENS -- Which came first, the blister or the bluster? It scarcely matters with the Florida Marlins these days. No matter what happens, including Sunday's assignment of Josh Beckett to the 15-day disabled list with a finger blister, the defending world champions continue to lead the division as May turns to June, winning more games than anyone else in the National League but Cincinnati, more, to this point in the season, than any Florida team since the World Series wonders of 1997. Just to catch everybody up, though, here is what happened Monday before most of the people in a crowd of 28,364 had even pulled into the parking lot to set up their Memorial Day tailgate parties. Beckett popped off in the clubhouse about trainer Sean Cunningham making what he considers an unnecessarily sudden call in shelving him for two weeks, even though the medical staff never makes such decisions alone. That was closely followed by A.J. Burnett criticizing Marlins General Manager Admin Beinfest and team President David Samson for supposedly suggesting his return from a major injury be delayed a few additional days. "I don't even think they know what the hell they want to do," Burnett said. Both grumpy messages were delivered to reporters in the clubhouse before Monday's wild 9-7 loss to the Reds. This has been the pattern for Beckett and Burnett and Brad Penny, too, blowing off steam in public whenever they feel they have been wronged, just like kids who don't get their way all the time. Here's the funny part. They are kids, World Series rings and all. Jack McKeon knows it and responds to each new situation the way any other seasoned citizen of 73 does when whippersnappers start whining. For openers, he tells them who's boss. He tells them he's lived too long to worry about what anybody thinks about him. Oh, and most important of all, he tells them that the Marlins can get along just fine without them, for a day or a week or a year, if needed. You'd think A.J. would know that by now, having just spent 14 months on the sidelines while his teammates won it all, but boys will be boys. And managers, at least the good ones, will be managers. When told Monday that Burnett was unhappy about getting his first return start Thursday on the road rather than Wednesday at home, McKeon said, "Too bad. He's pitching in New York. What's the difference where you pitch?" In the grand scheme, not much, and that doesn't change just because a particular player takes a grand slam at management. "They get mad at you once in a while, but that's part of my job," McKeon once said of his decision to skip over Penny and send Carl Pavano out to start Game 6 of the NLCS at Wrigley Field. "My job is to get the best out of these guys and whatever method I have to use, I have to use it. I can't worry about it." I'm still good with that, and Marlins fans should be, too. Jeff Torborg's biggest weakness was trying to be a pal to his players. Sometimes they took advantage of that, daring the manager to hurt their feelings and guessing that he probably wouldn't. Here may be an example of how that can hurt a team, and a player, too. A.J. was hurting last year during spring training and began the regular season on the DL with elbow trouble. Chances are he was experiencing some pain, too, during the four starts he got in April, the last of which resulted in a torn ligament and drastic Tommy John surgery. We'll never know whether greater caution should have been used with this valuable arm, but it's clear that Burnett himself wasn't inclined to request any rest on his own, even if asked. Just a few weeks ago A.J. completed a good rehab assignment and said of his impending return: "I'm not coming out of the bullpen. I'm a starter. My mentality is a starter." Mentality is a big part of what makes these young Marlins guns so confident, so effective, and so ornery, too. It's a mistake to try to flush that from their systems. Physicality, however, is a question that team executives and managers and trainers are responsible for monitoring over the course of an entire season, along with the rest of Jeffrey Loria's investment. With that in mind, what could possibly be wrong about waiting one more sunrise on Burnett's return? What, too, could possibly be wrong with playing Beckett's recurring blister problem on the safe side? That one fickle finger on his pitching hand put him on the DL three times in 2002. Three or four starts in June are a fair trade in return for keeping this ace on top of the deck for a long, strong season, whether Josh gets it or not. Monday Beckett called Cunningham, the Marlins' trainer, an idiot and a jackass, yet last summer it was Josh braying about being skipped over in the rotation one time so that Dontrelle Willis, the hottest pitcher in baseball, could get one more start before the All-Star break. Beckett was sent to the bullpen to get his work in, and following a strong inning of relief with this snide comment: "If I'm good enough to do that and not to start, that's what I have to do to contribute." McKeon's response, again, was appropriate. "We've got a guy who is 8-1," he said of Willis. "This is not a tryout camp." Let McKeon sweat the small stuff, then, for it's all small stuff when your team is in first place. The Yankees got some pretty fair production from their battling Bronx Zoo teams of old, no matter how much prickly heat there was in the clubhouse. If the Marlins develop into some kind of Metrozoo equivalent, so be it, as long as the wins keep coming. It's all about results, which is why thousands of fans were at the ballpark early Monday to line up for a World Series replica ring giveaway. They watched an exciting game, with 24 hits and homers galore and close plays at the plate, and went home hungry for more. It takes more than a little blister to foul all that up. good stuff. It'll probably blow over, just some frustration by our hothead pitchers. McKeon doesn't mess around though. Jack will start kickin asss if he has to.
June 1, 200422 yr In Jack We Trust. Enough Said I wouldn't mind seeing AJ out of the bullpen for a couple of days to keep him in check. This was a very smart move. Facing a righty lineup is much better than facing a red hot lefty cincy team. AJ and Josh are probably one of the biggest talent that we will see in a long time. They need to relax, do their work and trust the coaches.
June 1, 200422 yr Josh and AJ need to grow up. They are not the boss. That is Jack on the field and in the clubhouse and management in other arenas. Hell I could understand Josh being pissed if he was actually performing to his talent level. He isnt. Maybe these 2 weeks will help him get his head screwed on straight.
June 1, 200422 yr I think both of this guys should take a look and learn from Brad Penny. The 2004 model citizen of the Marlins. I never thought I said that about Brad.
June 1, 200422 yr Dime has finally started to grow up and start to mature in all phases. I'm proud of him. Only a handful have ever really been behind him in his corner all along. I nearly left that corner last year....but glad to see patience and faith paying off for Brad. He is clearly the ace of our staff this year.
June 1, 200422 yr Having Willis face the lefty Reds, and giving AJ an easier start against the righty Mets sounds like an excellent decision. It also gives AJ 6 days between his first 3 starts....a more cautious approach. Not having AJ pitch at PPS until June 15 makes sense as well. He'll have more starts under his belt before all the excitement of his first start at home. Altogether, I fully support Jack and the FO on their approach.
June 1, 200422 yr Penny has grown up, but he still has alot more to go. AJ and Josh are gonna get it from Jack if they don't get their attitudes straight. Jack will send out a rotation of Penny, Pavano, Willis, Phelps, and Oliver if he has to prove a point to AJ and Josh. We all know he would. Don't try the old man, because his bite comes way before the bark.
June 1, 200422 yr still hatin on brad dood? seems like both AJ and Josh are doing the same things you hate Brad so much for.
June 1, 200422 yr still hatin on brad dood? seems like both AJ and Josh are doing the same things you hate Brad so much for. yes, they will enter the doghouse if they don't stop. Penny is about to leave, if he has a good start and doesn't give up any of those stupid runs he does when he tries to overpower hitters and fails.
June 1, 200422 yr still hatin on brad dood? seems like both AJ and Josh are doing the same things you hate Brad so much for. yes, they will enter the doghouse if they don't stop. Penny is about to leave, if he has a good start and doesn't give up any of those stupid runs he does when he tries to overpower hitters and fails.talk about high standards
June 1, 200422 yr still hatin on brad dood? seems like both AJ and Josh are doing the same things you hate Brad so much for. yes, they will enter the doghouse if they don't stop. Penny is about to leave, if he has a good start and doesn't give up any of those stupid runs he does when he tries to overpower hitters and fails.talk about high standards they did great last year, but this year is a new slate and they must prove themselves again. They need to earn their jobs, it isn't a birthright.
June 1, 200422 yr Personal grumblings aside, this is indicative of a problem brewing. And while I do think that the age/inexperience of the pitchers involved does contribute alot to the problem remember that teams under McKeon have mutinied before. Just something to keep in mind.
June 1, 200422 yr Personal grumblings aside, this is indicative of a problem brewing. And while I do think that the age/inexperience of the pitchers involved does contribute alot to the problem remember that teams under McKeon have mutinied before. Just something to keep in mind. That is the difference between this team and other teams he has managed. A minority cannot mutiny. Willis, Phelps, Pavano, Penny, Lowell, Redmond, Choi, Pierre, Cabrera, Conine, Harris, Mordecai, Benitez, Gonzalez, and Castillo are all very happy with Jack giving them chances to break out of slumps and play as much as possible. AJ and Josh are just 2 players. Jack won't trade them, he won't bench them. They will be on the DL, rehab or in AAA until they get straight.
June 1, 200422 yr jack's the man he knows what he's doing so these young guys have to take a step back and listen,it will only be good for them...
June 1, 200422 yr On the one hand, you want your starters to be brash. On the other hand, situations like this crop up. The reason McKeon's other teams 'mutinied' were because of a lack of support or resolution in the front office of those organizations. Mckeon has got mad cred - he turned this team around and they won a World Series. Loria and Co. got his back. AJ and Josh have got to learn to trust the organization and stop being ego maniacs. This is not a problem, Josh is frustrated because he has been mediocre - by his standards - thus far. And now he is injured. AJ is only feeding off of that frustration because he is being opportunistic. AJ is lucky he is coming back so soon - I wouldnt let him out of AAA for another couple of starts. Once AJ pitches, he will shut his mouth. (Getting roughed up by the Mets would be a good thing for him) And once that happens, Josh has to grumble by himself. His antics will wear on the classier vets on this team like Lowell and Conine who will straighten him out.
June 1, 200422 yr Josh and AJ need to grow up. They are not the boss. That is Jack on the field and in the clubhouse and management in other arenas. Hell I could understand Josh being pissed if he was actually performing to his talent level. He isnt. Maybe these 2 weeks will help him get his head screwed on straight. Amen.
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