Joe Maddon's Thoughts on Edwin Rodriguez's Resignation as Marlins Manager

Florida Marlins manager Edwin Rodriguez resigned his position with the team Sunday morning. The resignation comes as the Marlins have lost 17 of the 18 games they played in the month of June.

Prior to Sunday's game against the Marlins, Rays manager Joe Maddon shared some of his thoughts on Rodriguez's resignation and the Marlins decline, and offered some advice to the incoming manager.

Jamal Wilburg is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained first hand.

You can follow him on Twitter @JWilburg

Shocking Announcement

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ST. PETERSBURG, FL - JUNE 17: Manager Edwin Rodriguez #36 of the Florida Marlins watches his team against the Tampa Bay Rays during the game at Tropicana Field on June 17, 2011 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by J. Meric/Getty Images)

The announcement that Edwin Rodriguez resigned was a Sunday morning shock to Major League Baseball.

Joe Maddon offered some brief comments and words of support for Rodriguz prior to Sunday's matchup against the Marlins.

"I’ve only known Edwin a bit but, he’s one of the nicest and most decent men I’ve met in this game and it’s unfortunate he has to go," Maddon said."It’s a small fraternity and when that happens it bothers me."

It has been speculated that Rodriguez may have been under some pressure to resign with the team's dismal June performance. Another potential contributing factor is the pressure for fan support for the new Marlins ballpark.

The Marlins were only two games behind the Phillies for the division lead at the close of May. Now, 19 days into June, they find themselves 12.5 games back.

Marlins Past Performance

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MIAMI GARDENS, FL - MAY 21: Hanley Ramirez #2 of the Florida Marlins is congratulated by Mike Stanton #27 after scoring during a game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Sun Life Stadium on May 21, 2011 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Im

The Marlins were only two games out of first place at the end of May. They were playing at a very high level and were looking like a possible playoff contender in the National League.

Every team has a slide during the season. The Rays and Red Sox both started their 2011 seasons with pathetic performances. It is a shame that the Marlins didn't provide Rodriguez with more support. Although, with the way the Marlins handled Joe Girardi as a manager, it isn't much of a surprise that there could be internal friction within the organization.

"They were just doing so well a couple of weeks ago," Maddon said before Sunday's game. "That’s the strange part about it. We just played them and they beat us two out of three down there and they were playing really good baseball.

"I really thought they’d be in the thick of things all year from what I saw."

Advice to the Interim Manager

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JUPITER, FL - FEBRUARY 23: Brandon Hyde #17 of the Florida Marlins during Photo Day at Roger Dean Stadium on February 23, 2011 in Jupiter, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

The Marlins haven't announced who the interim manager will be for the remainder of the season. Bench coach Brandon Hyde will manage the team in Sunday's game to close the three-game series with the Rays.

Maddon did offer some advice to whoever the interim manager for the Marlins will be.

“You just got to do what you think is right always," Maddon said. "When I’ve been interim manager I’ve just relied on my experiences and I didn’t want to try to be like anyone else. You need to bring yourself to bear on a daily basis. That’s where you’re going to make your best impression and the team is going to respond the best.”