McRae and Pujols Fired as Managers

Managers Hal McRae of Tampa Bay and Luis Pujols of Detroit were fired Monday after their teams tied for the worst record in the major leagues.

The Devil Rays and Tigers each finished 55-106. But neither McRae nor Pujols was completely to blame, insisted the men who fired them.

“I’m not making him a scapegoat,” Tampa Bay General Manager Chuck LaMar said. “I’m responsible for the personnel. I think he could’ve won more games with better talent.”

McRae accepted a position as an assistant to the general manager.

“I don’t think there’s many people that could’ve walked into this situation that would have made a significant difference in the number of wins we had,” Tiger President Dave Dombrowski said.

Pujols replaced Phil Garner in April after an 0-6 start. The Tigers’ 1-0 loss at Toronto ended their poorest season since they went 53-109 in 1996.

McRae replaced Larry Rothschild on April 18, 2001, and managed the Devil Rays to a 58-90 record over the rest of the season.

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An employee of the Florida Marlins was allegedly asked to put a padlocked bag containing a pound of marijuana aboard the team’s charter flight from Montreal, club officials said.

Carlos Luis Perez, a former bullpen catcher for the Marlins who now has a similar job with the Montreal Expos, asked Florida video coordinator Cullen McRae before last Thursday’s game in Montreal to bring the bag back to Pro Player Stadium.

When McRae and team equipment manager John Silverman opened the bag in Montreal, they found the marijuana and turned it over to police, Silverman said.

Perez was arrested Friday on charges of drug possession with intent to export. He pleaded not guilty and was given conditional release after posting a $5,000 bond.

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Average attendance in the major leagues dropped 6.1% this year, its second consecutive decline and the biggest decrease since the season after the 1994-95 strike.

This year’s average of 28,168 was the majors’ lowest since 1996 and was down from 30,012 last year, according to figures compiled by the commissioner’s office.

Talk of a possible strike dominated baseball news in July and August, perhaps contributing to a decline that worsened in the last six weeks of the season.

The largest decline was experienced by the Milwaukee Brewers. In their second season at Miller Park, the Brewers saw attendance decline by 841,888 or 30%.

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Outfielder Ruben Rivera, infielder Donnie Sadler and left-handed pitcher C.J. Nitkowski were granted free agency by the Texas Rangers after all three refused outright assignments to triple-A Oklahoma. Meanwhile, third baseman Hank Blalock had arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow to remove a bone spur and loose bodies.... Cincinnati shortstop Barry Larkin underwent surgery to remove bone spurs from his right big toe. Red infielder Juan Castro is to undergo arthroscopic surgery today to clean out loose material in his left knee.... Pittsburgh Pirate first baseman Kevin Young, catcher Jason Kendall and pitcher Josh Fogg had arthroscopic surgery, one day after the season ended. Young, who has a history of knee problems, had floating tissue removed from his right knee. Kendall had a cyst and bone chips removed from his left foot. Fogg needed a shard of glass removed from his right foot.... Often injured pitcher Wilson Alvarez, shortstop Chris Gomez and reliever Tom Martin were released by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.... Bill Virdon, who has more than 40 years of major league experience as a player, manager and coach, has retired after two seasons as the Pittsburgh Pirates’ bench coach.