In his tenure as Manager for the Tampa Bay Rays I watched Joe Maddon in 100’s of post game pressers. In fact it is safe to assume I’ve watched Maddon deliver more post game analysis than any other manager in baseball.
The reason is simple. No one does it better.
Now as the Chicago Cubs skipper Maddon has elevated his game. After the Cubs’ 8-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday, Maddon started his post game press conference with effusive praise for Starlin Castro. Castro’s two home runs surely helped the Cubs on the field and Maddon made sure as is his style to make sure everyone is the room heard him talk about his now part-time player.
“I never read this book the Cardinals wrote way back in the day regarding how to play baseball,” Maddon said after the game. “You can take that book and read it yourself because I don’t give a crap about that book. I want everyone there to understand we don’t start stuff, but we stop stuff.”
“I’m really disappointed in what the Cardinals did right there,” Maddon said. “Absolutely. We did not hit their guy on purpose at all. That was an absolute mistake. There was no malicious intent whatsoever on Dan Haren’s part.
“To become this vigilante group that wants to get their own pound of a flesh, that’s absolutely insane, ridiculous and wrong,” Maddon ranted of the Cardinals. “We don’t start stuff, but we will stop stuff.”
This is classic Joe Maddon and the Cubs should enjoy the goodness. After all its been a 100 or more years since they have been in this position.
The Cubs will likely be in the playoffs in 2015. Maddon has his share of critics to be sure, but he does get behind his players in ways not many managers can. Be sure they would of they could. The Cubs are playing some off their best baseball of the season right now and oh yes its September, something else thats happens to Maddon led teams.
