With one mantra during his introductory press conference on Monday as the new manager of the Chicago Cubs, Joe Maddon aptly summed up why he’s the perfect man to lead a talented young team to prominence.
“Don’t ever permit the pressure to exceed the pleasure,” Maddon said on MLB Network. “That’s on the top of my lineup card every night.”
If they were hollow words, perhaps they wouldn’t have resonated, but coming from one of the more eccentric and exuberant personalities in the game renowned for his outside-the-box thinking—and aimed at an organization that has suffered a World Series drought dating back to 1908—well, those words said everything.
So did these words, per Fox Sports MLB:
Maddon’s introduction was everything you’d expect from the manager—loose, upbeat, casual yet intellectual, wise yet not pretentious. He even showed some savvy right out of the gate, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today:
Had it been anyone else, it might have come off a bit phony or pandering, but as Buster Olney of ESPN tweeted, Maddon was just being Maddon at this press conference:
Maddon spoke about how his primary concern when signing with the club was his baseball philosophy aligning with the Cubs front office and noted that he felt very comfortable with the organization.
He also seemed thrilled with his new home digs, per MLB on Twitter:
And he didn’t stop at the ballpark, per Fox Sports MLB:
Maddon also talked about the challenges that he’ll face with the Cubs, via Bruce Levine of WSCR-AM and Richard Justice of MLB.com:
The vibrant farm system and young talent the organization has acquired are what makes this Cubs team so intriguing, and Maddon talked about how impressed he was with the player-development program and scouting.
Still, despite having so much unproven talent coming up through the ranks—and young talent already in the majors who’ve yet to reach their prime—Maddon preached some patience but also said his expectations will be high from the start, per the MLB on Twitter:
If anyone can do it, Maddon can.
He helped rejuvenate a Tampa Bay Rays organization that had languished for years in the basement of the AL East. He’ll combine a progressive and fresh approach to the game while establishing a positive, optimistic environment for the players. He’ll focus on his players as people, not just hitters and pitchers and fielders. He’ll lay out clear goals and a strategy for reaching them.
“It’s hard to find old-school and new-school in the same package,” Theo Epstein said during the press conference.
That had to be a huge factor in deciding to fire Rick Renteria—who did quite well as the manager last season—and pursue Maddon so aggressively this offseason once he became available. As Bill Chuck of the Chicago Sun-Times noted, it was hardly a poor reflection on Renteria:
Still, watching the press conference, the fit between Maddon and the Cubs seemed perfect. After over 100 years of failure, a profoundly different approach was needed. If there is one thing Maddon provides, it’s a radical perspective.
Ending the press conference in the most Maddon-esque way, the new manager said he’d buy a shot and a beer for the room:
The first round is on Maddon, Chicago. But if he leads the Cubs to a World Series title, well, you can bet he’ll never have to buy himself a drink again.
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