Marlins rehire 80-year-old McKeon

MIAMI -- New Florida Marlins manager Jack McKeon sat listening as team president David Samson offered a spirited defense of the decision to give the job to an octogenarian.

Samson said the 80-year-old McKeon works harder than many people half his age and seems even sharper mentally than in 2003, when he led the Marlins to an improbable world championship.

In response to the comments, a grinning McKeon intentionally messed up Samson's name. "Thanks, George," McKeon said.

The new, old skipper drew some laughs at his re-introductory news conference yesterday, but the hiring was no joke. Nearly six years after McKeon retired as the Marlins' manager, he returned to his former job on an interim basis and will lead the team for the rest of the season.

The cigar-chomping McKeon succeeds Edwin Rodriguez, who resigned before Sunday's loss at Tampa Bay. McKeon becomes the second-oldest manager in major-league history. Connie Mack managed the Philadelphia Athletics in a suit, tie and straw hat until 1950, when he was 87.

But McKeon couldn't turn the Marlins around immediately. They lost to Jered Weaver (9-4) and the Los Angeles Angels, 2-1 -- Florida's 11th straight defeat, dropping the team to 1-19 in June.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi, who was NL Manager of the Year in 2006 with the Marlins -- and got fired -- was excited to hear that McKeon is taking over.

"God bless him," Girardi said in Cincinnati. "I would hope I'd have the energy at 80 years old to do that. Jack's been a great manager, he's been a great general manager, he's done a lot of things in the game. I think it's great he wants to be back on the baseball field. I'm not so sure that would happen with me."

Said McKeon, "I've managed since I was 14 years old. I'll probably manage until I'm 95." He may have been joking.

With Erik Boland