Florida Names Boles as Its New Manager

A week ago, Rene Lachemann got a note from Atlanta Braves’ Manager Bobby Cox congratulating him for having the Florida Marlins near .500.

Then the Marlins lost seven games in a row and Lachemann was fired.

On Monday, his replacement was named. John Boles will lead Florida for the first time on Thursday . . . against Cox and the Braves.

“I was hoping we’d be opening at Joe Robbie Stadium against Elmer Milquetoast and the Gigiville nine,” said Boles, the second manager in Marlin history.

“But, unfortunately, it’s Bobby Cox and the world champion Atlanta Braves in Atlanta,” he said. “There’s no better way to start than that.”

General Manager Dave Dombrowski’s choice of Boles, 47, was unexpected, if only because Boles has never managed at the major-league level and last managed in the minor leagues 10 years ago.

Two of the three Marlins who remained in Philadelphia to participate in the All-Star game offered no comment on the choice because they said they really didn’t know Boles, who has been with the Marlins since the team’s inception in 1991.

“I can’t say I’m familiar with him,” said pitcher Kevin Brown. “I don’t even know him.”

Pitcher Al Leiter said he didn’t know Boles “other than seeing him in the minor-league camp during spring training” and exchanging greetings.

Boles, who will leave his position as vice president of player development, said that he’s not worried about being rusty.

“I haven’t managed since 1986 in uniform, but I’m on the field every day,” he said. “I’ve seen 200 games a year from the stands, and I’ve managed every night from the stands. And I’ve been undefeated for 10 years. I’m going into it 2,000-0.”

Boles began as a minor league manager in the Chicago White Sox’s system in 1981 and has an overall minor league record of 349-271. He went to the front office with Kansas City in 1986.

“I decided in 1986 when I went into player development that this was not the course that I was going to take, being a field manager on the major league level,” he said. “But the company asked me to do it.”