Front-Office Executive Becomes Field Manager For The Florida Marlins

The Florida Marlins look lethargic because they strike out too much, rarely walk and can’t run.

They’re slow, sluggish and sloppy. Their bullpen is suspect, their bench thin, their bunting bad. They get booed by small home crowds, and they’re lost on the road.

John Boles’ job is to change all that.

The new manager takes over a team with a $30 million payroll and expectations of contending for a wild-card playoff berth. But at the All-Star break, Florida is 40-47, which prompted general manager Dave Dombrowski to replace manager Rene Lachemann with Boles.

The head of Florida’s player development since November 1991 (18 months before the Miami-based Marlins played their first game), Boles had a record of 349-271 in 5 years as a minor-league manager in the 1980s. He’ll try to turn them into a winner for the first time.

Boles’ big challenge will be to put some life into the lineup.

“We’ve been getting great pitching,” Lachemann said just hours before being fired Sunday. “The defense has been fine. We just haven’t swung the bats.”

The pitching, anchored by All-Stars Kevin Brown and Al Leiter, ranks third-best in the major leagues. But Florida is the only team averaging fewer than four runs per game, and the lack of punch left Lachemann searching for answers.

“You got any ideas how to score runs?” he asked following one recent defeat.

Dombrowski anticipates Boles will come up with an answer to spark fan interest. Attendance at Joe Robbie Stadium is down for the third year in a row, and when the Miami Dolphins’ training camp opens next week, the Marlins run the risk of being eclipsed by Jimmy Johnson.

The Marlins also have a problem on the road, where their record of 14-30 is the worst in the National League.

One supporter donned a baseball cap and swung a black bat as the California State Assembly decided to let Sacramento try to attract a major league team and build a stadium.

The bill to create the Sacramento Ballpark Authority, consisting potentially of Sacramento city and five counties, was sent to the Senate by a 53-8 vote.

The SBA would consist of the city plus, if they chose to join, the counties of Sacramento, El Dorado, Placer, San Joaquin and Yolo.