McKeon to be named Marlins interim manager

[cinreds21]

Trader Jack is back! Buster Onley is reporting that 80-year-old Jack McKeon will come out of retirement and manage the last-placed Florida Marlins once again. The New Jersey native managed the Marlins from May of 2003 through the 2005 season, leading the young Marlins to a 2003 World Series victory over the New York Yankees.

[Redsfan320]

MODS: Please MERGE this thread with this one (http://www.redszone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=90097) including the titles. THANKS

320

[LoganBuck]

Trader Jack will be the Oldest Manager other than Connie Mack! Be careful Jack.

[Slyder]

Trader Jack is back! Buster Onley is reporting that 80-year-old Jack McKeon will come out of retirement and manage the last-placed Florida Marlins once again. The New Jersey native managed the Marlins from May of 2003 through the 2005 season, leading the young Marlins to a 2003 World Series victory over the New York Yankees.

Is it safe to say that Jack McKeon is the Art Shell of MLB managers?

[The Operator]

I always liked Jack McKeon. I hope he does well in his return to the game.

[Blitz Dorsey]

Good for him! The Reds were foolish to ever let him go. He was a big part of the magic in '99 when the team won 96 games (any other year 96 W's automatically qualifies you for the playoffs).

[OldXOhio]

Speaking of the Fish, WEHT to Ramp?

[marcshoe]

If McKeon could handle Ruth and Gehrig, he can handle Hanley.

[Guacarock]

Never liked McKeon. Thought he grossly underestimated Konerko's talents, and not only sold him short as a player but also us as a franchise in need of a long-range uplift on offense.

True, we had Casey on board for 1B. But it seemed like the Reds could have gotten creative and worked Konerko into the mix for LF. Always suspected McKeon was too old and sleepy to put up with the bother. And nothing I've seen since then has altered my opinion of the Trader Dude.

I pity the Marlins fans.

[Blitz Dorsey]

If McKeon could handle Ruth and Gehrig, he can handle Hanley.

:D :laugh:

:lol::beerme:

[Blitz Dorsey]

Never liked McKeon. Thought he grossly underestimated Konerko's talents, and not only sold him short as a player but also us as a franchise in need of a long-range uplift on offense.

True, we had Casey on board for 1B. But it seemed like the Reds could have gotten creative and worked Konerko into the mix for LF. Always suspected McKeon was too old and sleepy to put up with the bother. And nothing I've seen since then has altered my opinion of the Trader Dude.

I pity the Marlins fans.

Jim Bowden was the Reds' general manager during that time, not McKeon. McKeon had the nickname of "Trader Jack" from his time as the Padres' GM, but he did not make the personnel decisions while he was the Reds' manager. And he did a fine job as the Reds' manager.

Then he leads the Marlins to the 2003 WS championship. The guy is too old to be a permanent answer for the Marlins, but I'm glad he's getting one more chance at glory. And I can't believe there are Reds fans that don't appreciate what he brought to the franchise during his brief time here. He was a good manager for sure ... and his attitude was a breath of fresh air. (Well, as long as he wasn't puffing cigar smoke in your face at the time.)

[Guacarock]

Yes, Bowden was the GM and McKeon the manager. But McKeon, as the manager, made quite clear his disdain for Konerko, playing him in only 26 games after the Reds dealt their All-Star closer Jeff Shaw to the Dodgers on July 4, 1998 to land Konerko and reliever Dennys Reyes.

Konerko barely got a cup of tea with the Reds, collecting only 73 at bats, while getting tried out fewer than 10 games apiece at 1B, 3B and LF under McKeon. I remember the frustration of watching it all play out -- McKeon whining pretty persistently about Konerko's defensive liabilities without showing much grasp of just how prodigious his bat might become. It wasn't surprising that Konerko failed to click with the Reds because he had a manager who didn't believe in him, didn't give him the slightest chance to succeed and turned him into a whipping boy.

Before Thanksgiving, Konerko had been dealt again, flipped by Bowden to the White Sox for Michael Cameron. A year later, of course, Cameron would be packaged by the Reds as the centerpiece in our deal with Seattle for KGJ.

True, Bowden was the architect for all of these trades, but I still, to this day, believe he never intended to move Konerko so quickly, but had little choice but to control the damage and accommodate McKeon. In that regard, McKeon did force this personnel move, and he was dead-wrong in doing so.

[GAC]

Happy Jack wasn't old, but he was a man.
He lived in the sand at the Isle of Man.
The kids would all sing, he would take the wrong key,
So they rode on his head in their furry donkey.

The kids couldn't hurt Jack,
They tried, tried, tried.
They dropped things on his back,
They lied, lied, lied, lied, lied.

But they couldn't stop Jack, 'or the waters lapping,
And they couldn't prevent Jack from being happy.

[RedLegSuperStar]

Get a couple pillows together and an alarm clock for the old timer because he will fall asleep.

[15fan]

Brett Favre likes this.

[Blitz Dorsey]

Yes, Bowden was the GM and McKeon the manager. But McKeon, as the manager, made quite clear his disdain for Konerko, playing him in only 26 games after the Reds dealt their All-Star closer Jeff Shaw to the Dodgers on July 4, 1998 to land Konerko and reliever Dennys Reyes.

Konerko barely got a cup of tea with the Reds, collecting only 73 at bats, while getting tried out fewer than 10 games apiece at 1B, 3B and LF under McKeon. I remember the frustration of watching it all play out -- McKeon whining pretty persistently about Konerko's defensive liabilities without showing much grasp of just how prodigious his bat might become. It wasn't surprising that Konerko failed to click with the Reds because he had a manager who didn't believe in him, didn't give him the slightest chance to succeed and turned him into a whipping boy.

Before Thanksgiving, Konerko had been dealt again, flipped by Bowden to the White Sox for Michael Cameron. A year later, of course, Cameron would be packaged by the Reds as the centerpiece in our deal with Seattle for KGJ.

True, Bowden was the architect for all of these trades, but I still, to this day, believe he never intended to move Konerko so quickly, but had little choice but to control the damage and accommodate McKeon. In that regard, McKeon did force this personnel move, and he was dead-wrong in doing so.

That's a very good recap. I remember all of that as I've been a Reds diehard since 1983, but you really have a detailed memory of that time and outline it very well. I just remember thinking Konerko didn't really get a fair shake with the Reds after they traded Shaw for him. It was also weird to all of us that just months earlier the Reds had traded their scheduled Opening Day starter (Burba) on the cusp of Opening Day for a first baseman (Casey) only to turn around and trade Shaw for a guy that most everyone said would be a first baseman (Konerko). Then the Reds needed to pick between the two and they picked Case. We all loved Case, but obviously Konerko turned out to be far-and-away the better player. Then again, Konerko has also commanded a ton of cash in recent years, so who knows if the Reds ever would have been able to keep him.

[Guacarock]

For an even more detailed chronicle of Konerko's whirlwind stay in Cincinnati, check out this essay from Beer Leaguer, a Chicago White Sox blog:

http://beerleaguer.typepad.com/whitesox/2011/03/paul-konerko-mike-cameron-white-sox-reds-part-1.html

And here's Part II:

http://www.beerleaguer.com/whitesox/2011/03/paul-konerko-mike-cameron-white-sox-cincinnati-reds-part-2.html

[westofyou]

The guy always has a couple of favorites who LOVE him, but meanwhile he had trouble connecting to the other 20 guys on the club.

GHe then ends up barricading himself in his office with his yes men and cigars.... and poof he's asked to leave, happens all the time, true Jack managed to pull some strings successfully at all his stops, but he eventually tires of the people aspect of the game and it shows in his relationship with the younger guys on his teams.

At 80, let's note that Jack was 21 years old and Eisenhower was still not President, that's old.

[Big Klu]

The guy always has a couple of favorites who LOVE him, but meanwhile he had trouble connecting to the other 20 guys on the club.

GHe then ends up barricading himself in his office with his yes men and cigars.... and poof he's asked to leave, happens all the time, true Jack managed to pull some strings successfully at all his stops, but he eventually tires of the people aspect of the game and it shows in his relationship with the younger guys on his teams.

At 80, let's note that Jack was 21 years old and Eisenhower was still not President, that's old.

Herbert Hoover was President when Jack was born.

[Tom Servo]

Am I the only one who hadn't heard this news and thought this thread was being topped from 2003?

[savafan]

Speaking of the Fish, WEHT to Ramp?

Last I heard, he was leaving message boards behind after a change in ownership of marlinsbaseball.com.

[Tony Cloninger]

He was awake enough to know that even after the Reds traded for Griffey....they still needed pitching.

He said that very clearly and was laughed at and scoffed....people at Fastball.com and Cincinnati Talk.....got ticked at him for spoiling the the fun of the trade and they blamed him for blowing the 1999 race. His use of the bullpen. He knew though how badly they needed another 2 starters....and that the bullpen could not just carry the staff.

[Matt700wlw]

McKeon to Bob Boone....

Brilliance by Jim Bowden.

[savafan]

McKeon to Bob Boone....

Brilliance by Jim Bowden.

Wasn't it actually McKeon to Oester to Boone?

;)

[cinreds21]

Last I heard, he was leaving message boards behind after a change in ownership of marlinsbaseball.com.

Wait, Ramp posted on here? I know him. He posts on a forum I post on, if it's the same Ramp.

[Matt700wlw]

Wasn't it actually McKeon to Oester to Boone?

;)

I guess technically, but you know how Jim Bowden is :)

[savafan]

Wait, Ramp posted on here? I know him. He posts on a forum I post on, if it's the same Ramp.

He was pretty prolific back in the day, offering a lot of nice outsider insight.

[cinreds21]

He was pretty prolific back in the day, offering a lot of nice outsider insight.

Well guess I've taken his place :)

[ramp101]

Speaking of the Fish, WEHT to Ramp?

You know, doing my thing :D

[savafan]

You know, doing my thing :D

It's like someone put out the Bat signal in Gotham!

[Tom Servo]

As a side note, I find it interesting that McKeon is several months older than Willie Mays.

[ramp101]

It's like someone put out the Bat signal in Gotham!

ha yea... anyway just been working/traveling a bunch and I'm mostly on the marlins site known as soflamarlins.com

as for Trader Jack.... don't love him as a manager but if it means this team can start playing decent ball again and generate some (just some) excitement heading into the new stadium for 2012, then it will be worth it

as for Edwin Rodriguez, he may have been my favorite manager that I have watched. He liked to hit and run, use his closer not just in the closing roll in a tie game late, he wouldn't bunt in the first inning with his 3 hole hitter with the team slumping or against a good pitcher. Loved the guy. It's unfortunate that Josh Johnson got hurt and Hanley Ramirez turned into Nick Punto. Not many teams can lose players of their caliber and do well (prob better than 1 for June) but still..

[Playadlc]

Benching Hanley is a really bad career move by Jack McKeon.

Honestly, I can’t see him get hired again after this move. :)

[redsmetz]

Here's an interesting blog post on McKeon from Baseball-Reference.com, showing his first baseball card when he managed the Royals in 1973.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/1973-Topps-593-Jack-McKeon-A.jpg

http://www.baseball-reference.com/blog/archives/12132

[Unassisted]

And he has announced his retirement at the end of this season (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/baseball/jack-mckeon-says-hes-retiring-after-three-month-comeback/article2180953/).


Florida Marlins manager Jack McKeon says he'll retire after the season, ending at age 80 a three-month career comeback.

He's the second-oldest manager in major league history, and he joked he hopes to come back in a few years to surpass Connie Mack, who managed the Philadelphia Athletics until age 87.

“I'll still be on call,” he said with a chuckle. “Hopefully in 2017 or ‘18 I'll be back. That would be the big motivation — to beat Connie.”

[RollyInRaleigh]

Here's an interesting blog post on McKeon from Baseball-Reference.com, showing his first baseball card when he managed the Royals in 1973.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/1973-Topps-593-Jack-McKeon-A.jpg

http://www.baseball-reference.com/blog/archives/12132

I have that card. Also has Charlie Lau on it!

[George Anderson]

I have that card. Also has Charlie Lau on it!

Did you know McKeon's relative, i think it is his nephew is the new coach at Plainfield?? He used to be at Brownsburg as the first base coach.