Cubs Fire Renteria, Hire Maddon

[Guest]

So how soon could we start hearing about interviews or any kind of news on where he might be headed. You would think teams would want a manager in place before the winter meetings, aren't those in mid November?

Winter meetings are in the winter. January or early February, I believe.

 

GM meetings are in a few weeks in November.

 

Winter meetings are in early December.

Ah that's why I was confused, was thinking about the GM meetings.

 

To answer your original question, I think any interview process the Cubs might go through with him will be done mostly on the down-low and we might not even officially hear about it until he's hired.

[Elrhino]

Two part interview that Maddon did with Baseball Prospectus in 2006. I didn't know that he had also previously interviewed with Theo about the Red Sox job.

 

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=6629 Part 1

 

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=6629 Part 2

 

DL: Your team, offensively, leads the American League in strikeouts right now. How concerned are you with that?

 

JM: I don't like it at all. Now, I know that some of the numbers guys might say that's OK, but strikeouts come into play in a lot of situations. You look at what we're doing with runners on third base and less than two outs--we're the worst team in all of baseball. That goes for American League, National League, and I believe all of Triple-A and Double-A. A lot of that is strikeouts, because we expand our zones too easily. I think if you can change your two-strike approach, and put more balls in play, you're going to have an opportunity to score more runs.

 

Mallee also specifically mentioned instilling a 2 strike approach to cut down on the strikeouts.

[Guest]

Said it in that other thread about the hitting approach, but I'm totally fine with selling out more for contact with 2 strikes, particularly in bad counts. At that point, I think the odds of making an out when going for maximum damage are probably so high that it isn't worth doing anyway. Then again, I'm not really sure how much lower the odds get of making outs if you do make more of an effort to just make contact rather than hit the ball really hard.

[Guest]

If we get Maddon, and the Cubs start winning...watch out for the Telander article telling us how Theo got lucky that Maddon became available, and that the success of the Cubs is all Maddon's doing.

 

That's on you for reading Telander.

[UMFan83]

So how soon could we start hearing about interviews or any kind of news on where he might be headed. You would think teams would want a manager in place before the winter meetings, aren't those in mid November?

Winter meetings are in the winter. January or early February, I believe.

 

GM meetings are in a few weeks in November.

 

Winter meetings are in early December.

Ah that's why I was confused, was thinking about the GM meetings.

 

To answer your original question, I think any interview process the Cubs might go through with him will be done mostly on the down-low and we might not even officially hear about it until he's hired.

 

I have it on good authority that the Cubs won't even reach out to Maddon for an interview until this thread hits 100 pages.

[gscool89]

I have it on good authority that the Cubs won't even reach out to Maddon for an interview until this thread hits 100 pages.

In before Big Bird

[Banedon]

If we get Maddon, and the Cubs start winning...watch out for the Telander article telling us how Theo got lucky that Maddon became available, and that the success of the Cubs is all Maddon's doing.

 

That's on you for reading Telander.

 

No doubt. I can't help it. I hate-read his columns.

[mul21]

Said it in that other thread about the hitting approach, but I'm totally fine with selling out more for contact with 2 strikes, particularly in bad counts. At that point, I think the odds of making an out when going for maximum damage are probably so high that it isn't worth doing anyway. Then again, I'm not really sure how much lower the odds get of making outs if you do make more of an effort to just make contact rather than hit the ball really hard.

 

Depends on the situation for me. 2 outs and nobody on in a tie game? Go for it, maybe win the game. 1 out, down a run late in the game with a guy on 3rd? Cut down the swing and get the run in. The likelihood of that happening vs. the 2 run dinger to win it is so much better, and with as much power as guys like Baez, Soler, and Bryant have, they may make hard enough contact to put it in the seats anyway.

[Guest]

Said it in that other thread about the hitting approach, but I'm totally fine with selling out more for contact with 2 strikes, particularly in bad counts. At that point, I think the odds of making an out when going for maximum damage are probably so high that it isn't worth doing anyway. Then again, I'm not really sure how much lower the odds get of making outs if you do make more of an effort to just make contact rather than hit the ball really hard.

 

Depends on the situation for me. 2 outs and nobody on in a tie game? Go for it, maybe win the game. 1 out, down a run late in the game with a guy on 3rd? Cut down the swing and get the run in. The likelihood of that happening vs. the 2 run dinger to win it is so much better, and with as much power as guys like Baez, Soler, and Bryant have, they may make hard enough contact to put it in the seats anyway.

 

More or less how I feel.

 

Also depends on how adept the given player actually is at cutting down his swing. Those guys are so strong that they shouldn't have to swing super hard to make good solid contact, though.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

If the hitting coaches say it, then they know better than me, but it seems weird to me that you could just have a whole second swing for two-strike situations. It seems like it would mess up your timing something fierce and make you less likely to make contact at all.

[Guest]

If the hitting coaches say it, then they know better than me, but it seems weird to me that you could just have a whole second swing for two-strike situations. It seems like it would mess up your timing something fierce and make you less likely to make contact at all.

It's about bat control. You shorten your swing, maybe choke up a little and put the ball in play.

[Guest]

If the hitting coaches say it, then they know better than me, but it seems weird to me that you could just have a whole second swing for two-strike situations. It seems like it would mess up your timing something fierce and make you less likely to make contact at all.

 

I get what you're saying but I think the vast majority of hitters have a 2 strike/contact approach and presumably don't have such issues.

[Guest]

here's a tampa bay angle on the whole thing from tomorrow's paper

 

http://www.tampabay.com/sports/baseball/rays/cubs-an-obvious-landing-spot-for-ex-rays-manager-joe-maddon/2203748

 

Until they actually got down to negotiating, Rays officials and Joe Maddon thought they were headed to a new deal that would have kept him in their dugout for at least three and up to 10 additional years.

 

But after both sides spoke longingly of staying together long term, something changed, something that resulted in Friday's unexpected and not particularly harmonious break-up, with bad feelings — and the potential of a tampering charge — lingering.

 

Maybe, as Maddon's side says, it was him warming to the opportunity of free agency due to an opt-out clause and deciding he didn't need to settle for another deal he considered below market value for a top manager, with salaries topping out at just more than $3 million.

 

Or maybe, as the Rays' side wonders, it was a team — the Cubs are most speculated upon — that at least let its intent be known, or perhaps had already cut a deal, for Maddon to take over after it dumps a current manager.

 

Though a handful of other teams could have interest — the Angels, Braves and Blue Jays come to mind; the Dodgers, Mets and Phillies claim to not be interested now — the Cubs make the most sense. (One baseball exec said he'd take the Cubs and give a bettor the other 28 teams as Maddon's next stop.)

 

They have the money to pay Maddon the $5 million for four-five years he'd want, the core of young talent he could mold, the big-market stage he'd enjoy, the intellectual stimulation of NL rules, the chance to be deified for winning a long-sought championship there. During the Rays' August visit to Wrigley Field, Maddon raved about the atmosphere.

 

Cubs baseball chief Theo Epstein has long admired Maddon since interviewing him for the Red Sox opening in 2003. And Epstein's weekend silence on the Maddon rumors seems quite telling.

 

Maddon's agent, Alan Nero, reiterated Saturday that Maddon has nothing lined up, that he could sit out the '15 season and do TV work if the right opportunity doesn't present, and there was "absolutely not" any tampering. But Nero also said he expects Maddon will be in the dugout somewhere. And the Rays are eager to see how they manage that.

 

OPT-OUT: Maddon mentioned in several interviews that Rays president of baseball operations Matt Silverman was the one who told him about the opt-out clause (triggered by the departure of executive VP Andrew Friedman), leading to suggestions that Silverman made a major strategic blunder or, if he really wanted Maddon out, a masterful move. But Silverman was simply following protocol in notifying Maddon. It was Nero who had the clause inserted, was well aware of its impact and was set to fully verse Maddon. Silverman just happened to mention it first as a courtesy.

[treebird]

the ms paint of the cubs stealing maddon is just going to be theo laughing and the rays crying while joe wanders away with a big bag of money

[Sammy Sofa]

the intellectual stimulation of NL rules

 

http://media.tumblr.com/5528b270a8c40c41c07152e40865a7ac/tumblr_inline_mwmxvc2l1q1qz5q5l.gif

[d_money]

If we get him, hoping his tenure doesn't end like the other big managerial signings - Dustys or Lou's. The Cubs have been here before.

 

They have? Neither guy was anywhere near as well regarded as Maddon is and you had plenty of people who were wary of (or outright opposed) the Dusty hire from the beginning.

"Been here before" in the sense the Cubs went and paid top dollar for a manager

[Guest]

the ms paint of the cubs stealing maddon is just going to be theo laughing and the rays crying while joe wanders away with a big bag of money

 

yessssssssssss

[Sammy Sofa]

If we get him, hoping his tenure doesn't end like the other big managerial signings - Dustys or Lou's. The Cubs have been here before.

 

They have? Neither guy was anywhere near as well regarded as Maddon is and you had plenty of people who were wary of (or outright opposed) the Dusty hire from the beginning.

"Been here before" in the sense the Cubs went and paid top dollar for a manager

 

Well, yes, most teams have been there before. Lou was fine and Dusty stunk.

[Gmoney08]

If the hitting coaches say it, then they know better than me, but it seems weird to me that you could just have a whole second swing for two-strike situations. It seems like it would mess up your timing something fierce and make you less likely to make contact at all.

 

I get what you're saying but I think the vast majority of hitters have a 2 strike/contact approach and presumably don't have such issues.

 

You can absolutely shorten your swing up with 2 strikes and improve your contact percentage. Shouldn't change your timing much at all either. Your natural hand eye coordination is doing most the recognition there, i dont see someones swing getting off timing there.

[mul21]

If the hitting coaches say it, then they know better than me, but it seems weird to me that you could just have a whole second swing for two-strike situations. It seems like it would mess up your timing something fierce and make you less likely to make contact at all.

 

Have you ever played or watched golf? There's a minimum of a half dozen swings used in any one round of golf, and I imagine that, much like a varied golf swing, when you practice that alternate swing enough, it becomes a muscle memory thing and not a big deal to pull off.

[Elrhino]

Yeah, like shooting a running floater in the lane would mess up your jump shot.

[Guest]

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/30653895-419/cubs-tone-down-joe-maddon-talk-fearful-of-upstaging-world-series.html#.VEyPBfnF-VA

 

As Day 2 of the Joe Maddon-to-the-Cubs talk played out against the backdrop of Game 4 of the World Series at AT&T Park, the principal players in baseball’s suddenly biggest drama seemed to ­retreat backstage — out of respect for the Series, sources said — even as Maddon’s agent confirmed ­contact with the Cubs.

 

Internally, the belief the Cubs will land Maddon is strong enough that a source suggested team ­president Theo Epstein traveled this weekend to Florida to meet with Maddon.

 

Maddon’s Chicago-based agent, Alan Nero, said that’s not true.

The Cubs are one of 10 teams Nero has talked with since Maddon opted out of his contract with the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday, the agent said Saturday.

 

“And nothing more than a phone call has happened with anybody,” said Nero, who added that he didn’t expect more clarity any sooner than the middle of next week. “To speculate is absolutely insane.”

 

Nero’s timeline coincides with the conclusion of the World Series, which the San Francisco Giants knotted at two games apiece with an 11-4 victory against the Kansas City Royals on Saturday night.

 

Making personnel headlines during the World Series has long been the quickest way for a team to anger the commissioner’s office.

 

Nero said Maddon is keeping multiple options open while making it sound as if the two-time Manager of the Year might be able to strike as quickly as he prefers.

 

“He already has five job offers that aren’t managing,” Nero said, referring to broadcast opportunities as well as front-office jobs among the 10 teams he’s talked to.

 

Nero said Maddon is reluctant to take a front-office job that ­creates the perception he’s the manager-in-waiting hovering over the existing manager’s shoulder.

 

“There’s a sensitivity to this. Everybody being talked about has a manager,” said Nero of the fact that only the Minnesota Twins (and now the Rays) have a managerial vacancy. “All speculation does is create harm. Rick Renteria is the Cubs’ manager until something else happens that changes that.”

 

Renteria, who has two years left on his contract after completing his first season as a big-league manager, hasn’t returned voice mails or texts for two days.

 

Neither have Epstein or general manager Jed Hoyer.

 

The Cubs are by far the team with the best fit for an innovative manager widely considered one of the best communicators in the game, with an especially strong reputation for relating to young players.

 

Several other teams that initially were thought to have interest — the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays — have said since Maddon became available that they’re not interested in changing managers.

 

A Maddon signing could come quickly once the sides meet and determine they’re a fit. Money isn’t expected to be an issue (see the pursuit of Joe Girardi a year ago), and Epstein nearly hired Maddon as a first-time manager a decade ago while the Red Sox’ GM.

[RammyFanny]

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/baseball/cubs/30658147-573/ozzie-guillen-would-love-to-coach-for-joe-maddon-with-cubs.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter#.VEyQDrm9LCQ

 

Ozzie volunteering himself for the staff apparently.

[Guest]

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/baseball/cubs/30658147-573/ozzie-guillen-would-love-to-coach-for-joe-maddon-with-cubs.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter#.VEyQDrm9LCQ

 

Ozzie volunteering himself for the staff apparently.

 

lmao

 

on the one hand, i think he's crazy and a dumbass, so i dont want him anywhere near

 

on the other, how much harm can he do in some random coaching job and the reaction from sox fans would be hilarious

[Guest]

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/baseball/cubs/30658147-573/ozzie-guillen-would-love-to-coach-for-joe-maddon-with-cubs.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter#.VEyQDrm9LCQ

 

Ozzie volunteering himself for the staff apparently.

 

lmao

 

on the one hand, i think he's crazy and a dumbass, so i dont want him anywhere near

 

on the other, how much harm can he do in some random coaching job and the reaction from sox fans would be hilarious

No.

 

Please, no.

 

No! No! No!