Maddons host Thanksmas meal in Hazleton

HAZLETON, Pa. — This is how Thanksmas began:

Long before Joe Maddon managed the Cubs to their first World Series Championship in 108 years, he was a coach for the Angels, and he used to ride his bicycle up and down the Southern California coast. His usual route was between Sunset Beach and Huntington Beach, and the vistas could be spectacular. But he focused on something else.

“You’d see so many guys and ladies pushing their entire life in a shopping cart,” Maddon explained. “It really bothered me. Bothered me. I didn’t have the platform as a bench coach to really do something. So I swore if I did, I would try to utilize the soap box better.”

This is what Thanksmas has become:

At the Hazleton One Community Center in his hometown, nearly 600 people who might otherwise have gone without were treated to a meal. And not just any meal. This one included homemade meatballs and sausage, pasta with homemade sauce, pirogues with butter and onions, chicken with rice and beans, salad and rolls, with cake and cookies for desert.

Bob Curry is founding president of the Hazleton Integration Project. He was there at the beginning along with Joe and Jaye Maddon and his wife, Elaine, who is Joe’s cousin.

“The heart of our message is that the people who come to us can have as fine a quality meal as in any restaurant,” Curry said.

It’s Maddon who sets the tone. On Sunday, he wore a Santa cap and an apron with a Cubs logo, greeting the guests as they came through the door. A brass quartet and singers added to the festive atmosphere.

The event capped a whirlwind weekend. …

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