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Jeffrey Loria defends Marlins manager change: 'We shouldn't be the Flounders'
Jeffrey Loria, the meddlesome owner of the Miami Marlins, who has a knack for changing managers like he would the oil in his car, went on record Monday defending the bizarre hiring of general manager Dan Jennings as the team's new field manager.
It's a head-scratcher to baseball fans across the country and in the other MLB front offices, according to the reports out there. Jennings has only coached high-school baseball, and that was 30 years ago. He's been a scout and front-office guy throughout his MLB career. He's liked and respected in that role, but as a manager?! This is already being called a "crazy decision," but the club has a history of those.
The Marlins canned Mike Redmond on Sunday after a game in which they were one out away from being no-hit by the Atlanta Braves. It was promised that the new hire would be a shocker, and that it was.
Loria wasn't at the Monday morning press conference announcing Jennings' new job, but he did talk to USA Today's Bob Nightengale Monday afternoon. Loria, who is generally the most despised owner in pro sports, dropped this gem:
"You don't have to be a rocket scientist to see the team wasn't performing,'' Loria said. "Everybody in baseball can see it. A lot of players lost accountability, and structure was lacking.
"We're supposed to be the Fish. The Marlins. We shouldn't be the Flounders.
"A Marlin isn't a flounder. We've got to get it going."
See, that's a pun, because flounder means to struggle but it's also a type of fish. Oh, Jeff, you're so clever. He also gave USA Today a less punny defensive of the Jennings hire:
"People like to say this is controversial, different, outside the box,'' Loria said. "I can't think of anyone better suited for this job than him. There was a tremendous lack of energy and fire in that clubhouse and dugout. We needed to bring some life in there.
"We needed more accountability, more energy, more fire, more communication, and Dan fills all of those roles."
Jennings will be the Marlins sixth full-time manager since 2010, the seventh overall manager if you count Brandon Hyde's one game in 2011. Jennings, though, has worked for the Marlins since 2002, so he knows the score. He best not flounder.
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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz
