McKeon's return to Marlins makes sense

Jack McKeon was less than two months from turning 75 at the time of his last game as the Florida Marlins’ manager, on Oct. 2, 2005.

Not in this century has an older man coached or managed in the NFL, NBA, NHL or Major League Baseball, according to research by STATS LLC.

That will change Monday. The free-falling Marlins have chosen McKeon as their interim manager, and he will skipper the team in tonight’s series opener against the Angels.

McKeon is 80 – the Octo-Marlin, if you will. He will be the oldest big-league manager in over a half-century. Connie Mack was 87 in 1950, when he managed his final season with the Philadelphia Athletics.

It has been pointed out that McKeon is four years younger than Joe Paterno. That is true. But the Penn State Nittany Lions don’t play every day. Even if it’s only for three and a half months, McKeon is willing to take on one of the most draining off-field jobs in sports today.

I mean, he’ll have to start tweeting, right?

(For another two-sport parallel, consider this: Rory McIlroy’s win at the US Open was Sunday’s biggest sports story. McIlroy is 22. When McKeon was 22 – in 1953 – Ben Hogan won the US Open for the fourth and final time.)

The Marlins are among the league leaders in eyebrow-arching decisions. That’s what capricious ownership and spendthrift ways will get you. Today’s move absolutely falls under that category.

But the more I thought about McKeon and the Marlins, the more I realized that his candidacy for the job shouldn’t be such a shock, for two major reasons.

1. Despite all the changes in baseball and society, there is a place for managers who have a rich knowledge of the game and the ability to motivate young, talented, millionaire players.

2. McKeon didn’t declare that he was burned out on managing when he walked away in 2005.

Let’s not forget how McKeon joined the Marlins in the first place. They were scuffling with a 16-22 record when Jeff Torborg was cashiered in May 2003. In came McKeon, old-school and blunt.

It worked. McKeon found ways to reach the old (Lenny Harris, Jeff Conine) and young (Josh Beckett, Miguel Cabrera). The Marlins upset the New York Yankees in the World Series. So, McKeon is familiar with the principle of a midseason takeover.

In fact, McKeon’s last four managerial jobs began in the middle of a season. In the last three instances – ’88 Padres, ’97 Reds, and ’03 Marlins – he had a combined winning percentage of .579 as a “relief” manager. He’s the baseball version of a turnaround expert. That matters here, even if the Marlins need more of a shaman. They had lost 19 of 21 prior to Edwin Rodriguez’s resignation on Sunday morning.

For good measure, they lost again on Sunday afternoon.

Does McKeon still have the passion necessary to manage in the major leagues? In all seriousness, his body language in the dugout will be closely scrutinized. At the end of long nights, when a manager must be at his tactical best, can an 80-year-old manager exude vigor and authority?

We are about to find out. But I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Consider these quotations in a 2005 Palm Beach Post story, after McKeon announced his “retirement” following the final game of that season:

… “I haven’t given up the thought of managing again.”

... “My family, they live and die with every game. I promised them last year that this would be my last year, so I’m going to honor that request.”

… “Whoever wants to give another chance to an old guy of 75, I’ll be glad to listen. I’m not 75, though, I tell you. I may be 50 now, and I probably was 45 when I got here, but I’m ready to go.”

Doesn’t sound like a man for whom fly fishing is suitably exhilarating, does it?

Sure, McKeon can be called a convenient hire. He was already with the organization, having served as a special assistant to owner Jeffrey Loria since putting away the uniform. And he’s not viewed as a long-term candidate to manage the team – at least, we don’t think so – meaning the Marlins could initiate their oft-theorized pursuit of Ozzie Guillen after this season.

McKeon will also change the conversation – internally and externally – at a moment that demands an end to the Marlins’ collective muttering. Josh Johnson is on the disabled list, Hanley Ramirez is hitting .201 and reserve Scott Cousins seems like the most famous player on the team. He’s the guy who injured Buster Posey in that home-plate collision … and is now on the disabled list himself.

Another midseason masterstroke by McKeon probably won’t be enough to get these Marlins back to the playoffs. The Marlins – not to mention fans and reporters – must be reasonable in the expectations they place on Trader Jack. But if you’re McKeon, why not have a few more months of fun – while taking the opportunity to make your legacy in Florida that much harder to match?

For Ozzie to manage at 80, after all, he would need to stay in the dugout until 2044.

By then, Rory McIlroy will be 55 years old.