Managers of the Year led Marlins to a shocking world championship, Royals into unexpected contention.
By Wire services
Published November 13, 2003
NEW YORK - Jack McKeon calls himself an "old goat." He can add "wise."
The Marlins manager, 72, was voted NL Manager of the Year for the second time after transforming a last-place team into a World Series champion.
"This is something that topped off all the good things that happened to us this year," he said Wednesday after the voting was announced.
Kansas City's Tony Pena won the AL honor after the Royals rebounded from their first 100-loss season to stay in contention until the final week.
McKeon received 19 of 32 first-place votes and 116 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, becoming the first manager to win the award after taking over a team during the season.
He is the third-oldest in major-league history, trailing Hall of Famers Connie Mack (88) and Casey Stengel (75). He thanked the Marlins for hiring him.
"They had the courage to go out and hire an old goat like me," he said in Miami. "I wanted one more crack."
Florida was 16-22 when McKeon replaced Jeff Torborg on May 11. The Marlins dropped to 10 games under .500 on May 22, falling into the East cellar, then rebounded to finish 91-71 and win the wild card.
"When I came in here, I didn't think they were having any fun," McKeon said. His solution was to tell his team to "play it like a kids' game."
Voting took place before the postseason, when Florida upset San Francisco in the first round, overcame a 3-1 deficit to beat the Cubs in the NL Championship Series, then rebounded from a 2-1 deficit to beat the Yankees in the World Series. It was McKeon's first time in the postseason.
Pena was an overwhelming choice for the AL award, getting 24 first-place votes and 130 points. Minnesota's Ron Gardenhire was second with four firsts and 44 points.
"When they told me, I got on my knees to thank God. Then I cried with my family," Pena said from his home in Santiago, Dominican Republic. "There are no words to describe what I feel."
After the unexpected success, Pena thinks more will be expected from Kansas City.
"Everybody believes we have a good chance to win," he said.
Pena, 46, took over the Royals in May 2002 and Kansas City finished 62-100. The Royals started 9-0 this season, reached 16-3 and were 51-41 at the All-Star break, leading the Central by seven.
They slumped in the second half and wound up 83-79, their first winning season since 1994.
