Posted August 3, 201113 yr In My Opinion Florida Marlins should bring Jack McKeon back Manager Jack McKeon #25 of the Florida Marlins watches during the game against the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field on July 29, 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia. KEVIN C. COX / STAFF Photo By Greg Cote gcote@MiamiHerald.com The latest couple of letters to Jack McKeon you would find in his office, in the wobbly cursive of old hands. He will get a dozen or more some weeks. They are full of admiration and thanks and hope. “Older people telling me, ‘Keep it up,’ ‘You make me proud,’ ‘I’m going back to work myself now,’ stuff like that,� McKeon said. “It makes me feel great.� Before a game in Chicago earlier this baseball season, they honored Vietnam veterans, the aging old soldiers standing along the baseline. McKeon went to shake their hands, only to be pulled into a hug. “They’re thanking me ,� he said. On his way to Catholic Mass, to the usual pew at Saint Matthew’s in Hallandale Beach every morning he’s in town, it’s the same thing. “Thank you.� He’ll answer, “For what?!� But by now, he has an idea. You can’t be the second-oldest manager in baseball’s long history, work 7 a.m. till 1 a.m. some days, travel on cross-country flights and generally give old age a good name without inspiring a few people. It helps that he isn’t just in this position, but he is excelling at it, from the miracle World Series he helped mint for the Marlins in 2003 to his comeback this season, taking over a team on an unfathomable 1-18 skid and guiding it back to respectability. McKeon is thankful, always. “It’s almost like the good Lord put me in this position, gave me this platform,� he is saying on the Citi Field dugout phone from New York, a few hours before Tuesday’s game against the Mets. “I appreciate it. I love it.� May that position and platform continue. Bring back Jack! It is time for the Marlins to stop focusing on a “next manager,� a new guy for the new stadium. They should drop the interim tag from McKeon and let him continue in 2012, assuming his health is good and he’s up for it. It would be warm and fuzzy, bringing back the old guy, but no condescending is needed. He has earned the chance to continue by performance and results. He should neither have that chance nor be denied it because of his age, which happens to be 80. Interim for now The word “interim� and that number form a hard assumption that McKeon will finish this season and be sent on his way, replaced. The Marlins only say they will make that decision later, but the likelihood seems clear. It shouldn’t be. McKeon had the Marlins 22-15 entering Tuesday’s game. If that continues, there is no valid reason to discount his return. McKeon seemed taken aback by my asking Tuesday if he would like to be back. He hadn’t been before, another indication of assumptions to the contrary. “I really haven’t thought about it, honest to God,� he said. “I just want to get the club over .500, get it righted. It’s a tough question to answer. Probably would want to discuss it with my wife, see how I feel. I don’t know if they’d want me back!� I pressed gently. It didn’t take much. “I think you’d have to consider it. I think it would be an honor if they thought they might want me back,� he said. “I’m having a lot of fun. Same thing I tell my players. ‘If you don’t have fun, it’s a burden.’ I love this.� Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria said the other day he could guarantee his next manager would have big-league experience, after his previous three — Joe Girardi, Fredi Gonzalez and Edwin Rodriguez — did not and, to their boss, were disappointments. Loria’s point, a reasonable one, is that he is done volunteering his club as a managerial testing ground for guys still on their career training wheels. My point is that if Loria wants his next manager to have big-league experience, well, who is more big-league experienced than McKeon? White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, who won a World Series in 2005, is seen as a strong frontrunner to be the next Marlins field boss if he becomes available. I could see the interest, if only because, at 47, he would offer the one thing McKeon couldn’t: the possibility of long-term stability this franchise has never had in a manager. If the choice of Guillen isn’t there, though, why not stick with McKeon? It is too easy to dismiss a man that age, too easy to simply pigeonhole him as lovably eccentric. After all, McKeon, I think, was in the inaugural class when Old School first opened. He can be unorthodox. Reminisces in a cloud of cigar smoke. Comes complete with the fabulous old-man middle name: Aloysius. Might be the sport’s steadiest purveyor of malaprops since Yogi Berra, as when he calls Twitter “Tweeter.� He is this, too, though: Strong as he ever was as a baseball mind. McKeon manages not from computer printouts of tendencies but from instinct and gut, and he has a full bank of that accrued since his first season as a big-league manager in 1973. He’s a winner McKeon’s record in all or parts of four Marlins seasons shows an overall winning percentage of .542. As of Tuesday, only eight MLB teams had that percentage or higher this season, and six are on playoff pace. It is hard to believe he wouldn’t accept a chance to come back. “There’s nothing like that adrenaline rush, that fire in your belly from competition, the decision-making, the pressure. That’s what I missed,� he said. Don Shula (who is 10 months older) said the same thing, that, “You can’t replace Sundays.� Bobby Bowden always talked about wanting to keep coaching by noting, morosely but with a wink, “After retirement, there’s only one big event left.� McKeon isn’t still in it to be the affably beloved old man. He’s in it to win it. The day he took over on June 20, he benched star Hanley Ramirez for being tardy to a meeting. He publicly chided left fielder Logan Morrison for his attention to Twitter. He upset reliever Randy Choate by twice yanking him in the middle of a pitch count. McKeon is not a “player’s manager.� He touts discipline, refers to most players as “babied all their lives.� He makes the rules. “They probably rolled their eyes initially,� he said. “But the more you get your message across — and you start winning — they begin to see the value in it.� It is that bottom line by which all managers should be judged, whether they are 80 years old or young enough to be McKeon’s grandchild. Choate calls McKeon “radically different� than Rodriguez, the man he replaced. This has been radically different, too: the results. Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/08/03/v-fullstory/2342474/florida-marlins-should-bring-jack.html#ixzz1TzP6Yrvd
August 3, 201113 yr I want the Marlins to bring back Jack, for all the reasons stated above and most importantly the fact that he wins games. If it's not Jack I want someone like Jack, someone who's not afraid to pull a pitcher out in the middle of the count, someone who plays players because they are hot at the plate, that kind of stuff. We don't need some new big name we have Jack.
August 3, 201113 yr Unless Guillen's available, the Marlins absolutely want McKeon back. The real question is does he want to come back at 81 years old? Also, that's a typical Cote article. A bunch of fluff thrown around to get a basic point across. Lebatard>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Cote. Hell, floridafly>>>>>>>>>>>Cote.
August 3, 201113 yr Unless Guillen's available, the Marlins absolutely want McKeon back. The real question is does he want to come back at 81 years old? Also, that's a typical Cote article. A bunch of fluff thrown around to get a basic point across. Lebatard>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Cote. Hell, floridafly>>>>>>>>>>>Cote. He will coach until he's on his death bed.
August 3, 201113 yr Unless Guillen's available, the Marlins absolutely want McKeon back. The real question is does he want to come back at 81 years old? Also, that's a typical Cote article. A bunch of fluff thrown around to get a basic point across. Lebatard>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Cote. Hell, floridafly>>>>>>>>>>>Cote. He will coach until he's on his death bed. I'm not usually a grammar Nazi, but I gotta get you to change "pray" to "prey" on your sig.
August 3, 201113 yr Unless Guillen's available, the Marlins absolutely want McKeon back. The real question is does he want to come back at 81 years old? Also, that's a typical Cote article. A bunch of fluff thrown around to get a basic point across. Lebatard>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Cote. Hell, floridafly>>>>>>>>>>>Cote. He will coach until he's on his death bed. I'm not usually a grammar Nazi, but I gotta get you to change "pray" to "prey" on your sig. Done.
August 3, 201113 yr i love him. doesnt think about tomorrow's game, cares about winning today's. ozzie used to be my choice number 1 but i think jack might be ahead of him by now.
August 4, 201113 yr Unless Guillen's available, the Marlins absolutely want McKeon back. The real question is does he want to come back at 81 years old? Also, that's a typical Cote article. A bunch of fluff thrown around to get a basic point across. Lebatard>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Cote. Hell, floridafly>>>>>>>>>>>Cote. He will coach until he's on his death bed. I'm not usually a grammar Nazi, but I gotta get you to change "pray" to "prey" on your sig. Done. I actually think "pray" is a better option. It's a play on words, since it IS a Praying Mantis.
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