Sunday, June 19, 2011

Trader Jack is about to be back and manage Marlins

Jack McKeon
((ht:cbssports.com))

It appears that the Florida Marlins are going to announce 80-year old Jack McKeon as their interim manager on Monday after the Sunday morning resignation of Edwin Rodriguez.

McKeon last patrolled a dugout as manager back in 2005...and did we add he's 80? That would make him the second oldest manager in the history of Major League Baseball, trailing only Connie Mack who managed at age 87--in 1950. For the past 5 years he's been a Marlins special assistant, reporting to crazy owner Jeffery Loria.

Loria has this odd impression his team should be much better than they are. Granted they are 1-18, in the month of June, after leading the N.L East at one through most of March. Loria had tried to get rid of Fredi Gonzalez after his blowup with Hanley Ramirez a couple of years ago and basically ran Joe Girardi out of Miami. Gonzalez recovered...he's the manager in Atlanta. Girardi did alright too, ending up with the Yankees.

For his part, McKeon is a pretty good baseball manager, having won a World Series with the Marlins back in 2003.

Read more from CBSSports.com RIGHT HERE

Oddly, McKeon might just be what the young Marlins team needs. They aren't lacking in talent and have shown they can be successful. The problem has been more a lack of discipline. If nothing else, McKeon will help solve that issue.

Nobody seriously thinks that "Trader Jack"--a name earned by his penchant for trading players, is the long term solution at manager for the Marlins. But then again, who is? The minute things go bad, Loria will bail on them. Though it should be mentioned, like we said earlier, failed Florida managers tend to do pretty well once they escape the purgatory in South Florida.

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