Joe Maddon on a Radio Tour and Other Bullets

joe maddon speaksWhich do you like less: raking leaves, mowing lawns, or shoveling the driveway? I think I’ve got to go with raking leaves. It’s not as frequent as the lawn, but it’s much harder. And shoveling the driveway is also kind of rare, but strangely gratifying. Leaves, though … I just hate it.

  • Joe Maddon did a radio tour yesterday, speaking on The Score and ESPN1000. You can listen to each appearance here and here. The guy is simply a lot of fun to drink in. Among the things he discussed: there is nothing substantive to report on the coaching staff just yet, as everyone’s still trying to get to know each other; sometimes the roster rules and the complementary nature of constructing a team dictate who makes your 25-man roster; Maddon is not into hard-line bullpen roles (more on that later); Maddon is open to regularly working on his lineup to accommodate the unique conditions at Wrigley; and Maddon isn’t worried about dealing with a high-priced free agent in the clubhouse, even though he hasn’t done that before.
  • Patrick Mooney makes a great point in his latest piece on Joe Maddon: because of his rock star ways and his ability to command a microphone, Maddon may take a lot of the attention/pressure off of the young talent on the team because the media may understandably focus on Maddon’s comments. We often talk about having veterans in place to allow the youngsters to develop and adjust without the spotlight being too bright, but I hadn’t considered the simple media deflection that having someone like Maddon around will create. Really solid point there, Mr. Mooney.
  • I’m still not over Anthony Rizzo losing the Silver Slugger to Adrian Gonzalez last night, but if you want to check out the other winners, you can see them here. There are some other absurd selections.
  • Kris Bryant isn’t just good at Twitter and fan appreciation, he also posts fun things on Instagram.
  • Speaking of Twitter skill, Ryan Theriot said something silly and got an education in how rapidly you can be corrected (CSN).
  • And one more Twitter thing – the Tampa Bay Rays are clearly a very unique organization. In their managerial search, they tweeted this out in a show a truly impressive transparency:
  • Jeff Sullivan on the Astros’ Hank Conger acquisition, which sets up the latest deep dive on pitch framing.
  • written by

    Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here. Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

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