I am not usually a big fan of "old" coaches. I hate JoePa, because he is really just a figure standing there. He doesn't do anything, except maybe poop his pants a little bit on the sideline and be a story line of being really old. Yea, fuck him.
I didn't know what to think of Jack McKeon. I mean I always love his cigar smoking ways, but other then that I was indifferent. That was until he managed his first game since coming back. The first thing he did was bench Hanley Ramirez, by far the best player on the team. It was a ballsy thing to do, and exactly the right move. Hanely hasn't done shit all year. He was batting below .200 until last night, and there were reports he wasn't running out plays (sounds like another Ramirez we knew).
The story doesn't end there though. McKeon then turns around and puts him hitting cleanup the next day after a "good conversation". Basically, he brought him in the office and was like "Hey, you're are best player, we need you, be the star you're supposed to be". Ramirez responded with his first multi hit game in a long time, and I guarantee he goes on a roll.
A lot of people questioned bringing him back, but now I see why. They needed someone who had no future. They needed someone who could say the things that needed to be said without worrying about 2-5 years down the road. He can knock some sense into these players and that's exactly what this young team needs.
