I can accept a lot of ups and downs from a manager. Some decisions just won’t pay off. Sometimes, the gut gets it wrong.
Joe Maddon is, and long has been, one of the best of the best. He makes mistakes, but by and large, he has my support.
Or, I should say …Â had my support. There are a lot of things I can take. But this? This is just too far, Joe:
Brace yourselves, Cardinals-hating Cubs fans: Joe Maddon compared Javy Baez to David Eckstein https://t.co/2BJB5XqOrD
— Cubs Talk (@NBCSCubs) September 28, 2018
I am, of course, just kidding … BUT I AM NOT KIDDING!
OK, I’m kidding. Read up at NBC Sports Chicago for the full take on how Javy Baez reminds Joe Maddon of long-time former Cardinals infielder David Eckstein. It’s obviously a very complimentary comparison, because Maddon wasn’t talking about the baseball skill set.
“David [Eckstein] had that same kind of thing about him where he would see things, he’d come off the field and I’d be standing there and we’d talk about maybe something I saw and something that he saw, we’d try to morph it together,” Maddon said of his time with Eckstein in Anaheim. “Javy, I can communicate with him during the game, he looks in all the time, he’s really good about that. His little hand signs or thoughts or points, he’s really intuitive.”
In other words, Maddon is pointing out the leadership and initiative that Baez shows, translating his high baseball IQ and instincts into a better overall performance for the Cubs. I love it.
So, actually, ok: comparing Javy Baez to David Eckstein is a good thing. You’re re-hired, Joe Maddon.