The Associated Press

CHICAGO - Florida manager Jack McKeon has not decided whether to return to the Marlins for another season or retire to his North Carolina home after the playoffs.

"I told management when I took this job I'd talk to them after the season," he said Tuesday. "Maybe I want to come back, maybe I don't. Maybe they don't want me back."

There's little chance of that.

McKeon, 72, the third-oldest manager in major-league history, took over a losing team when he was hired May 11 and turned it into one of the best in the NL.

After May 23, the Marlins had the best record in the majors at 71-42. They won the wild card and beat the San Francisco Giants in the first round of the playoffs.

McKeon has been in baseball for more than a half-century, with managing stops in Kansas City, Oakland, San Diego, Cincinnati and Florida. He also was the vice president of baseball operations with the Padres from 1980-90 and was a senior adviser for the Reds from 1993-97 before becoming their manager.

This season has topped them all.

"I've enjoyed it tremendously. It's probably the most enjoyable year I've ever had," McKeon said.