Now that he has come home to manage the Florida Marlins, Fredi Gonzalez expects to give the team's woeful attendance a boost.
``Ticket sales will go up by at least two _ my mom and dad,'' he said.
Born in Cuba, Gonzalez grew up in Miami. He began his managerial career with the Miami Miracle of the Florida State League in 1990, became the first manager in the Marlins' organization two years later when he joined a minor league affiliate, and broke into the majors as a Florida coach in 1999.
After spending the past four years as third-base coach for the Atlanta Braves, Gonzalez rejoined the Marlins on Tuesday as the successor to manager Joe Girardi.
Gonzalez, 42, said he's ready for the challenge of working in his hometown.
``It's a double-edged sword,'' he said. ``It's fun because I'm home. The tough thing is going to be when the honeymoon is over and your friends and parents and family hear how bad you are. I told Mom and Dad, `Your little boy is going to get called a dummy.' But they're ready to go through it with me.''
The Marlins can only hope the honeymoon lasts longer than it did with Girardi, who was fired after only one season. His relationship with owner Jeffrey Loria and general manager Larry Beinfest began to sour last spring, partly because of personality clashes.
That's less likely with the genial Gonzalez.
``Fredi is a very warm guy,'' Beinfest said. ``He's very easy to talk to. It's a matter of being at ease _ being able to talk about stuff, about baseball, coaches, free agents, whatever.''
Gonzalez expects no problems with his new bosses, even though Loria is on his fourth manager since buying the Marlins in 2002.
``I left a pretty good place in Atlanta,'' Gonzalez said. ``If I had any hesitation, I wouldn't have come here. The more I spoke to Mr. Loria, the more comfortable I got. I think our relationship will be fine.''
Gonzalez was runner-up to Girardi for the job in October 2005. A year later, the Marlins were so eager to reverse their decision that they began negotiations with Gonzalez a week before the season ended, hoping to head off other teams in the market for a manager.
The Marlins are coming off a surprising 78-win season with baseball's youngest roster, including four rookies who won 10 games or more. San Francisco, Washington and the Chicago Cubs also decided to change managers, but Gonzalez found the vacancy in Miami especially appealing.
``This one might have been the most coveted one in baseball,'' he said. ``With a good young pitching staff, you've got to like that.''
The roster should remain largely intact through the off-season. Gonzalez said he's confident the Marlins will keep left-hander Dontrelle Willis and slugger Miguel Cabrera, even though they're the highest-paid players on a cost-conscious club. The biggest holes are in centre field and the bullpen.
Although Gonzalez spent a decade in the organization, he said the only current Marlins he knows are Cabrera and backup catcher Matt Treanor.
``I knew Miguel when he was 15 and 145 pounds,'' Gonzalez said. The new skipper undoubtedly had Cabrera in the middle of the lineups he was drafting at 3 a.m. Tuesday, less than 12 hours before his hiring was announced.
Gonzalez actually managed the Marlins before _ he filled in for 14 games when manager John Boles was away. Gonzalez smiled recalling a 1999 game when he ordered a bunt by a rookie named Mike Lowell, who even then was a pretty good power hitter.
``First and second, no outs against the Reds in the seventh inning,'' Gonzalez said. ``He popped it up, and it was a double play. We laugh about it all the time. What a boneheaded move that was.''
Hey, no manager's perfect. But maybe Mom and Dad should brace for the occasional boos.
