Braves waste no time, Gonzalez takes over for Cox

Talk about a seamless transition. Less than 48 hours after Bobby Cox wrapped up his managing career, the Atlanta Braves introduced his protege, former Florida manager Fredi Gonzalez, to take over the job yesterday.

The decision was expected since Gonzalez was fired in June by the Marlins. Cox announced more than a year ago this would be his final season, and his two-decade-long tenure ended with a loss to San Francisco in the NL Division Series Monday night.

Cox held a farewell news conference at Turner Field, reminiscing about a career that left him as the fourth winningest manager in baseball history and a likely Hall of Famer. As soon as he was done, the Braves introduced Gonzalez as their new manager.

"This is perfect for us on so many levels," general manager Frank Wren said.

Gonzalez was the Braves' third-base coach from 2003-06. He then took over as Florida's manager, going 276-279 in 3 1/2 years.

The Braves didn't interview anyone else, and Gonzalez turned down the chance to talk with four other teams, most notably the Chicago Cubs.

"Our goal is simple: We want to keep putting flags on that facade up there," Gonzalez said. "I don't think there's a person alive that's going to replace Bobby Cox. We just want to continue the winning tradition and go from there."

- AP