Former Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon says goodbye to city and fans

Chicago Cubs: A great manager and even better human being

Maddon is not only one of the greatest minds in the history of this game but an overall fantastic human being with a heart of gold. This is a guy who welcomed in packages of different t-shirts that raised awareness to causes we had no idea existed and wore them during postgame interviews.

Also, he and other members of the Cubs shaved their heads during spring training each year for ‘Respect Bald’. In his final camp with the team, Anthony Rizzo, Ian Happ, Kyle Schwarber, Steve Cishek and Taylor Davis were a few names who stepped to the plate for their skipper.

At the time, Rizzo was rocking a hairstyle similar to shortstop Javier Baez. Of course, the big first baseman would participate since it was all for pediatric cancer research. Another human being with a heart of gold.

On Sunday, Maddon said goodbye and thanks in a heartfelt letter that took up a full page in the Chicago Tribune as posted by Carrie Muskat on Twitter. In his touching farewell, Maddon used notable one-liners that provided hope for the entire fanbase as this team clawed their way to success.

From “embrace the target” to “never permit the pressure”, everything was pieced together well that featured a photograph of Joe and his wife Jaye. To close it out, Joe wrote, “THANK YOU, for the past five years, for your passion, for your open hearts and minds, for forging everlasting relationships and for sharing your beautiful city with Jaye and me. Cheers and Happy Holidays.”

Chicago Cubs: At the end of the day, Maddon got the job done

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There’s no question Maddon will forever be a legend in the heart of Cubs fans around the world. No matter how frustrated you were with him pulling Kyle Hendricks for Jon Lester in Game 7, leaning on Aroldis Chapman for way too many postseason frames, bringing in Pedro Strop to pinch-hit or anything else that resulted in heart rates to increase rapidly.

Either way, Maddon ranks fifth in franchise history with 471 wins – and, obviously, that World Series title that eluded so many of his predecessors. He also ranks third all-time among Cubs managers (with at least 162 games managed) with a .581 winning percentage at the helm on the North Side.

With the Angels, he has guys such as Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, Albert Pujols, Anthony Rendon, Andrelton Simmons  and Tommy La Stella ready to take over the American League. Pending a World Series showdown, the Cubs and Angels will go head-to-head on Monday, March 2 and Saturday, March 14 both in split-squad action during Cactus League play.

Surely, Maddon, Mallee and La Stella will be embraced with hugs during these encounters. And once it’s time for them to return to Wrigley, expect an emotional tribute to the greatest manager who has ever worn a Chicago Cubs uniform.