By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Florida Marlins manager Jack McKeon argues with umpire Chuck Meriwether during Game 1 of the NLCS Tuesday. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

CHICAGO - When someone from the Cincinnati media congratulated Jack McKeon on his postseason success Tuesday, he accepted with a quick thanks, then added:

"We could have done this in Cincinnati if they would have left me alone."

McKeon is enjoying his moment in the sun as the manager of the Florida Marlins, who opened the National League Championship Series Tuesday against the Chicago Cubs.

It's McKeon's first stint in the postseason as a big-league manager. It comes 48 years after McKeon first managed professionally and is his 16th different job.

"I'm really enjoying it," he said.

But it's clear McKeon is still stung by the way his tenure in Cincinnati ended. He went 96-66 in 1999 and 85-77 in 2000, then was fired. The Reds are 213-273 since.

"We had it going the right way in '99," McKeon said.

He hasn't said it in so many words, but McKeon thinks the direction of the club changed with the trade for Ken Griffey Jr. in February 2000, and the re-signing of Barry Larkin in July 2000.

McKeon's problems with Larkin and Griffey are well-documented. He thinks he had less influence on moves then-general manager Jim Bowden made than the two players did.

Griffey and Larkin's contracts forced the Reds to break up the young nucleus of 1999. Mike Cameron went in the trade for Griffey. Pokey Reese and Dmitri Young went after the 2001 season. The dismantling continued through the trades that sent Scott Williamson and Aaron Boone packing in July.

McKeon thought his career as a manager ended when Bowden fired him, and he was happy in retirement in Elon College, N.C.

"I never made one call," McKeon said. "I knew I could get a job if I made a call."

He said two GMs called him about being a bench coach before this season, but in each case, the field manager brought in his own guy.

Then in May, Florida GM Larry Beinfest called.

"It wasn't really an interview," McKeon said. "We just talked baseball philosophy."

Beinfest liked what he heard. He hired McKeon on May 11 to replace Jeff Torborg, with the Marlins at 17-22.

"I thought we had a chance," McKeon said. "I told the players that. I knew we could be a force with the young talent."

It didn't happen right away.

The Marlins started 2-7 under McKeon. They were 10 games under .500 - 19-29 - and 13 1/2 games back May 22.

A three-game sweep of the Reds in Cincinnati started the turnaround.

"He's done a great job," first baseman Derrek Lee said. "He has a history of turning clubs around in the middle of the year. The players respect that."

The Marlins went 75-49 (.605) under McKeon to win the NL wild card over Philadelphia, a higher-priced and more veteran club.

McKeon said he's managing exactly the way he did in Cincinnati, but he has made adjustments. In Cincinnati, McKeon left nearly every pitching decision to Don Gullett.

With the Marlins, pitching coach Wayne Rosenthal was added to the staff when McKeon took the job. It's Rosenthal's first stint as a major-league coach.

"I've learned so much from him," Rosenthal said. "This is the first time he's ever made pitching changes. He always left that to the pitching coach, but he wanted to take the pressure off me.

"He knows when to laugh and have fun, and he knows when to kick butt."

McKeon still plays to the media as he did in Cincinnati. Someone asked Tuesday what he thought of the pitching matchup for tonight.

"I don't know who's pitching for them," he said.

Chicago's young ace, Mark Prior, is starting. You can bet McKeon knew that and had a lineup worked out in his head.

Nothing has been set yet, but it's a given that McKeon will be back next year and maybe the year after that.

"I feel great," he said. "I feel better than I did in Cincinnati. I don't have to spend my time putting out fires here."

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E-mail jfay@enquirer.com