Back in 2003, septuagenarian Jack McKeon, 72, led the Florida Marlins to a World Series title. Now the Marlins are hoping that McKeon has improved with age.
After suffering a 1-17 record in June, Florida manager Edwin Rodriguez resigned on Sunday. The organization has turned to McKeon, who managed the team from 2003 to 2005, to rescue the floundering franchise once again. In 2003, McKeon also took over during the season, replacing Jeff Torborg in May. Florida shouldn’t expect a storybook ending this year; in the National League East, teams like the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves are just too tough to handle.
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Can an octogenarian manager be successful? McKeon, whose first managerial job was in Kansas City in 1973, is the second-oldest manager to ever run a team. The legendary Connie Mack managed the Philadelphia Athletics until he was 87 years old (Mack owned the team, and ended his last season in 1950, with a 52-102 record). At Penn State, Joe Paterno, 84, will enter his 46th season this fall. While many Nittany Lions supporters have long felt it’s time for Paterno to step aside, he’s still a popular and revered presence in State College, Pa.
Baseball lends itself to the elderly. Physically, managers don’t have to do much. They can sit on the bench all game, and disseminate instructions through hand gestures. Walks to the mound are the most strenuous activity they’ll face. Unlike basketball coaches, they don’t stomp up and down the sideline, shouting instructions to their players, and invective at the refs. In football, you have to stand all game, often in the freezing cold.
The McKeon hiring will inspire plenty of late-night age jokes. Twitter has already charged up.
@TheBillWalton, a fake account that tweets in the voice of the Hall of Fame player and ex-hoops analyst, wrote: “It seems that the Marlins are set to hire 80 year-old Jack McKeon. In doing so, he will actually lower the average age of Florida residents.”
Wrote @nealbradley: “Jack McKeon is so old that he remembers when the Yankees fastest runner was Paul Revere.”