St. Petersburg, FL (Betting Express) - The Tampa Bay Rays' Joe Maddon and the Florida Marlins' Fredi Gonzalez were named the Sporting News' Managers of the Year, as selected by a panel of 18 major league managers. Maddon took the American League honors after leading the Rays from last place in the AL East a season ago to a division pennant and a World Series appearance in the 2008 campaign. The Rays finished with a 97-65 regular-season record and knocked off the defending champion Boston Red Sox in a memorable seven games to capture the AL pennant. The National League recipient Gonzalez led the Marlins to an 84-77 record, good for third place in the competitive NL East and a 13-game improvement in the win column from a season ago. The Marlins had the lowest payroll in the majors, while the Rays ranked second to last in that department. |
