October 27, 200323 yr WAHOOOOO!!!! 2-year deal likely for NL Manager of Year candidate By Juan C. Rodriguez Staff Writer Posted October 27 2003 Not long before the Marlins were presented with the glistening World Series Trophy on Saturday night in Yankee Stadium it was smudged with fingerprints and spotted with dried champagne. Their prize presumably polished and ready for its South Florida tour, the Marlins' first order of business is retaining the manager who helped bring it here. Less than a month from his 73rd birthday, Jack McKeon has made no indication he's ready to stop now. And he's shown no evidence that being "between jobs" for two years, as he likes to put it, dulled his tactical acumen. For those reasons among others, look for McKeon and the Marlins to hammer out a two-year contract in the coming days. A virtual lock for National League Manager of the Year, McKeon possesses enough leverage to demand anywhere from $1.5 million to $2 million for his services through 2005. During the National League Championship Series, General Manager Admin Beinfest said he hoped to resolve McKeon's status posthaste once the season ended. The Marlins couldn't be happier with the job he's done, piloting a team from 10 games below .500 to a World Championship. In deflecting questions about his future, McKeon has repeatedly said this is the most fun he has had managing. In addition, he's lauded owner Jeffrey Loria and the front office personnel for their commitment. "It's a joy managing and especially when you got a group like I have this year," McKeon said. "These guys and the coaches have done a tremendous job and I can't say much how much I love these guys ... As far as I am concerned, this is the best run I have ever had in my career. It's been an enjoyable ride. I have to thank my players for making it an enjoyable ride because, like I keep repeating, they are just great individuals." McKeon excelled at putting those individuals in the right circumstances. Hardly a move that he made since taking over the job on May 11 failed. His most notable and heralded bit of strategy was his last, giving Josh Beckett the ball for Game 6 on three days' rest. All Beckett, 23, did was throw a complete-game, five-hit shutout and win World Series MVP honors as he propelled the Marlins to the title. "He's a fun guy to play for," Beckett said. "He expects a certain amount out of you and if you don't give it to him, I think his way of motivating, if you're pitching [poorly]or something, he won't even talk to you. It's to get under your skin, but it's also to motivate. He's awesome to play for." Beckett helped put McKeon in the World Series record book. He became the oldest manager to win it and just the second to do it after taking over a club in midseason, joining Bob Lemon (Yankees, 1978). "I am elated," McKeon said. "I hadn't even had time to think about being in the World Series ... It happened so quick, I don't know. I took this job with the idea that I could turn this club around and make a winner. "I didn't feel like I needed to change anything. I just needed to get the guys to believe in that they can have fun coming to the ballpark and go out there and play relaxed baseball. Just focus a little better, play a little smarter, and work a little harder." McKeon wasn't exactly rewarded for his hard work in Cincinnati. The 1999 Reds made a 19-game improvement from their 1998 record and came within a victory of the postseason. Management gave McKeon a one-year extension and a $33,000 raise. After finishing with an 85-77 mark in 2000, 11 games worse than 1999 despite the $116 million addition of Ken Griffey Jr., McKeon was fired. This fish story should have a markedly different ending. "I'm happy for him too, just personally," Beinfest said. "His kids are so proud and his wife. He's a baseball lifer and achieved great success as a GM, but never got in the postseason as a manager. It's got to be one of the biggest stories of the year in baseball." Juan C. Rodriguez can be reached at jcrodriguez@sun-sentinel.com. Link
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