Posted August 6, 200321 yr Intresting.... McKeon has put stamp on youthful Marlins club Not many people had it figured this way when the teams left the Jupiter training camp they shared last March. The Florida Marlins arrived at Busch Stadium on Tuesday with a better record than the local occupants and a two-game edge in the National League wild-card standings. "These guys deserve all the credit," manager Jack McKeon said. "They're the actors, they put on the show. I just try to stay out of the way." Some might suggest the presence of McKeon has been a bit more than inconsequential. Jeff Torborg was at the helm when the season began and Florida got off to a 16-22 start. Under McKeon, who replaced Torborg as the Marlins boss on May 11, the team was 44-29 coming into the series with the Cardinals. The Marlins' 41-22 record since May 23 was the best in the majors. While critics had a field day when Marlins management installed the 72-year-old McKeon to run their youthful club, veteran baseball observers like Tony La Russa knew otherwise. "I know his background," said La Russa, who managed against McKeon in Class AAA ball back in 1979. "He knows the game. Here's a guy who has done everything from being a scout to being a coach, manager, general manager. "They said the same thing when he managed Cincinnati, they said he was out of touch with today's players. But he took them to the playoffs. I knew he'd do a good job because he's consistently done a good job everywhere he's been." McKeon points out his team has benefited from the emergence of two players who were in Class AA when the season began - pitcher Dontrelle Willis and left fielder Miguel Cabrera. Cabrera was named the NL Rookie of the Month for July, as he hit .318 with five homers and 21 runs batted in. Willis, who will oppose Cardinals rookie Danny Haren on Wednesday, is 10-2 with a 2.50 earned-run average. He was the rookie award winner for June and a member of the NL All-Star team. "I knew they had a lot of good young talent when I came in," McKeon said, "but I didn't know how good it was. ... The young guys have been terrific and then you have a guy like Mike Lowell, who has been a real pro." McKeon's touch might be most recognizable with a young pitching staff which is ranked seventh overall in the NL. McKeon has helped some of the still-maturing hurlers learn a thing or two about old-fashioned work ethic and preparation. The staff came into the game on Tuesday with a 3.28 earned-run average since the All-Star break, third best in the league. "I don't know if he's just a good-luck charm or if he knows what he's doing," pitcher Josh Beckett told the Palm Beach Post. "I think he just knows what he's doing. And he's showing us how to win. Most of us never really knew how." The fit-looking McKeon still chomps on his familiar cigars, but he also walks and jogs every day. And his competitive team is keeping him young at heart. "They have a lot of enthusiasm," McKeon said. "Everybody chips in and pulls for each other. They haven't been in this (contending) situation before and they're excited about it." Haren admires Willis Speaking of being excited, Haren (2-2) is looking forward to his matchup with Willis on Wednesday. "I'm not going to say it's just another game," Haren said. "I know him, not personally, but I played with him on an All-Star team in the Midwest League last year, so I've met him before and he's an awesome guy. I'm not putting any extra pressure on myself, but it should be a little extra fun." Haren did not pitch against Willis in the minors, but he watched him from the dugout. He said the demonstrative lefthander did not cause nearly the stir in the Midwest League that he has in the majors. "He does the same stuff, I remember, as he's doing now," Haren said. "But he's been more successful here than he was there." Link
August 6, 200321 yr "He does the same stuff, I remember, as he's doing now," Haren said. "But he's been more successful here than he was there." :lol
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