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Culture of ‘continual growth’ sets Maddon apart
- Updated: October 10, 2016
SAN FRANCISCO — Sixty-five miles each way. That’s how far Joe Maddon was willing to drive to play part-time for the Santa Clara Padres in 1979, his last chance to make it as a catcher.
Maddon was getting paid $200 a month, he remembers. He says he lived “in a closet” in Salinas, Calif., and was able to survive financially only because he drove a Volkswagen that got good mileage. He did it because baseball was his passion.
Thirty-seven years later, that’s still true. Because it is, Maddon traveled first class on his latest trip to the Bay Area, arriving for Game 3 of the National League Division Series (Monday at 8:30 p.m. CT/6:30 p.m. PT on FS1 and FOX Deportes) as manager of a Cubs team that has done nothing to diminish its standing as World Series favorites.
Game Date Time Matchup TV/Highlights Gm 1 Oct. 7 CHC 1, SF 0 Gm 2 Oct. 8 CHC 5, SF 2 Gm 3 Oct. 10 9:30 p.m. CHC @ SF FS1 *Gm 4 Oct. 11 8 or 8:30 p.m. CHC @ SF FS1 *Gm 5 Oct. 13 8 or 8:30 p.m. SF @ CHC FS1 *- If necessary | All times listed ET • Division Series start time scenarios • Giants vs. Cubs NLDS coverageShop for postseason gear: Cubs | Giants
Maddon learned long ago to take nothing for granted. He knows it won’t be easy to finish off the Giants but vows to “control the controllables.” If you’ve paid attention to Maddon’s decade as a Major League manager, you know his team will be both prepared and fearless.
Catcher David Ross, the 15-year veteran who is retiring after this season, raves about the “freedom” that Maddon gives to players while finding little ways to make them better.
“There’s a power in letting the guys be free and play kind of without any restraints and thinking [about] things,” Ross said. “He wants you to kind of just play the game, almost like in Little League. When you make mistakes, which we have done all year, you learn from them, try to teach and move on. These guys continue to grow. … There’s a continual growth, and that stems from Joe.”
• Cubs postseason gear
While the Cubs were the winningest team in the Major Leagues this season, they were also one of the youngest. Their postseason roster includes six players who have made their debuts since Maddon left the Rays to join the Cubs two years ago.
That list includes Kris Bryant, Addison Russell and …
