The Chicago Cubs Joe Maddon needs to light the fire
In his 16 years as a manager and five years at the helm of the Chicago Cubs, Joe Maddon has been tagged with the nickname of “Cool Joe.”
From the suave outfits and sunglasses to the Binny’s sponsorships and offseason life in an RV, the Chicago Cubs’ Joe Maddon himself has become an enigma. And, of course, he is one of the most successful managers of this generation.
Maddon helped the Tampa Bay Rays become relevant and orchestrated one of the greatest single-season turnarounds in MLB history, leading the 2008 Rays to the AL Pennant after going just 66-96 in the year prior.
In his first season in Chicago, the Cubs won 97 games (a 24-game improvement) and made it to the NLCS. Then he would go on to lead the team to their first World Series title in 108 years.
And yet–despite a 187-138 record throughout the next two seasons–frustration has mounted over Maddon’s performance as a manager. Why is this?
Maddon has continued to live up to his “Cool Joe” moniker, professing faith in the process and insisting that the team’s young talent will speak for itself.
But after their first losing month since 2017, the Cubs need more than faith…they desperately need a spark.
Chicago Cubs: Follow the “Zen Master” model
Maddon does not need to go far back into the past to find a former Chicago coach that knew how to invite conflict while still getting his players to achieve the ultimate goal.
Phil Jackson presided over all six of the Chicago Bulls’ NBA championships in the 1990s. And although the Bulls’ dominance over the league may have appeared rather seamless, that dynasty was anything but easy.
Jackson used anything he could as motivation for his team. He turned the players against Jerry Krause and the front office. In a pivotal Game 6 of the 1992 NBA Finals against the Portland Trail Blazers, he started the second unit in the fourth quarter with his team down double-digits, only to have the Bulls respond and win the game.
More from Cubbies Crib
- Cubs starting pitching has been thriving on the North Side
- Make no mistake: the Cubs are very much about power hitters
- Cubs are giving pitcher Javier Assad a deserved shot
- Cubs: It’s time to start thinking about potential September call-ups
- Cubs: P.J. Higgins deserves to be in the lineup on a daily basis
He even somehow managed to integrate Dennis Rodman into the team’s culture during the second three-peat.
Of course, Jackson also had the benefit of having a ruthless competitor and leader like Michael Jordan at his disposal. But he still knew how to provide inherent challenges and ramp up the competition.
Especially given that he is managing a roster full of young stars, Maddon needs to find a way to do the same. Heck, he can even use similar tactics to those employed by Jackson.
After all, the front office has done just about nothing to improve the team. Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer struck out on Carlos Gonzalez and, unless things change in a hurry, they have also struck out on Daniel Descalso, Brad Brach and Xavier Cedeno, amongst others. Not to mention, the Addison Russell redemption story has been fruitless.
Maddon and the Cubs repeatedly stressed the desire to compete on every pitch, in every inning heading into this season. Where is that kind of intensity right now?
Chicago Cubs: Set a different tone
Before the Cubs’ 5-1 loss to the Pirates on Tuesday night, Maddon continued to profess his belief in what the team might be able to achieve (subscription required):
“I’m committed and believe that this group can be what we thought it can be,” Maddon said before a dreary 5-1 loss to the Pirates. “That’s my job and I take that very seriously. I take it to heart. That’s why I talked to them like I just did. That’s why I communicate with them the way I do. That’s why I’ve been really so much more involved, teaching-wise, this year. The drama and everything else is not for me to evaluate. For me, it’s to lessen the drama, to be the absence of drama. I want us just to play and get the best out of every one of these guys.”
But sometimes, drama and adversity are needed to inspire performance. After all, the Cubs were below .500 at the All-Star break in 2017 before they led the league in runs scored and run differential in the second half.
So why does Maddon continue to be so “matter of fact” when things are –very clearly–not ok?
No, the Cubs are not legitimate World Series contenders right now. They are nowhere close to beating the likes of the Dodgers or Braves in a playoff series. And yet, all anyone hears is this same talk of “potential” that Cubs fans have been listening to ad nauseam.
Urgency is needed. If an incredible June from a leader like Jason Heyward cannot inspire the team, where is that urgency going to come from?
It needs to come from Maddon, who has three more months to prove his worth.