Apparently Joe Knows What He’s Doing!?
“That was one of my least favorite games as a Cubs manager,” Maddon said in the middle of a doubleheader split between the Cincinnati Reds and the Chicago Cubs on Saturday. But it wasn’t just the media who got an earful from the Cubs skipper, no, he also decided to bite the ears of the players for an underwhelming performance. Maddon, who typically allows the team to mentally escape games when they are over, took the couple hour break between game one and the nightcap to send a message to the team, and they responded with a 10-0 rout in that second game.
He also wasn’t one to shelter his guys, something he normally does when someone isn’t performing up to expectations. Joe was pretty blunt with Javier Báez’s lack of hustle in game one, immediately removed him in favor of Ben Zobrist, and sat him for the second game Saturday.
“We don’t do that,” Báez told reporters while explaining his lack of hustle. “At the same moment, there were so many things in my head. That’s why I didn’t run down the line. [Now] I’m the one who’s looking bad.”
The message was received incredibly well by Báez who came back on Sunday going 3-4 with a home run and just missing a second homer in his last at-bat. But it wasn’t just offense for Javy, who made a couple of stellar defensive plays in the 6-1 win.
He does things many humans just can’t do. pic.twitter.com/RkPAwBCiWQ
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) May 20, 2018
Joe isn’t the red-ass fiery manager that guys like Don Zimmer, Leo Durocher, or Lee Elia were. He gives his players the benefit of the doubt. He allows them to police themselves. He allows them to hold each other accountable. This irks some Cubs fans as he doesn’t seem to hold guys accountable. He will let guys go out there day-after-day regardless of the troubles they might be having (but then also gets hate for constantly changing lineups).
I know it is frustrating at times to be a fan of a team, especially one which you expect to be playing better than they should. I would still argue that Joe has a better pulse on this team and this roster than any of us sitting at home watching the game. I don’t mean that as a knock, I’m just simply suggesting that the public roller coaster that a lot of fans tend to live by doesn’t have as many winding hills within the organization as it does outside of it. It’s additionally harmful to have a guy that is constantly freaking out claiming the sky is falling when the schedule has 73% of its games remaining.
There are some legitimate things we can question Joe on, but when it comes to managing this young roster, Joe knows what he is doing.
Featured Photo Source: Mitchell Leff/Getty Images North America
