A new chapter of the Jack McKeon Is Really Old Chronicles was written last night: The 80-year-old Marlins manager skippered a game against the son of a player he managed in the early 1970s.
John Mayberry was the Kansas City Royals' hard-hitting first baseman when McKeon took the reins for the 1973 season. Wednesday night, his son John Mayberry Jr., a 6'6" center fielder for the Philadelphia Phillies, hit two home runs in the Phillies' 10-inning loss to the Marlins.
It's certainly not the first time a manager has played in games with father and son -- Ken Griffey and Ken Griffey Jr. played for the Seattle Mariners at the same time -- but McKeon was penning Mayberry's name on lineup cards 38 years ago.
And McKeon, who earlier this week made a reference to Dale Carnegie after a game, will be in a similar situation next week, when the Fish travel to play struggling pitcher (and Fort Myers native) Casey Coleman and the Chicago Cubs. Coleman's father, Joe Coleman, was on the Oakland Athletics team McKeon managed in 1977.
In addition, San Francisco Giants closer Brian Wilson, who comes to town next month, is believed to be descended from an early homo sapien that McKeon played against in the Cro-Magnon Leagues.
Follow Miami New Times on Facebook and Twitter @MiamiNewTimes.
