And just like that, the Joe Maddon era is over in Chicago. The veteran manager guided the Chicago Cubs to four-straight playoff appearances, and their first World Series title in 108 years in 2016. This summer he missed the playoffs for the first time during his five-year tenure, and what did the Cubs give him? A pat on the back, and a swift kick toward the door. In five seasons he accumulated the second best win percentage by any manager to ever coach the north-siders, and won the most playoff games in franchise history.
Okay, time to be real honest though.
Not only did Maddon manage 2019 within the last year of his contract, but unlike his team’s in his first four seasons, they played some of their worst baseball in August and September. To top it off, Maddon agreed that change was needed and change was good for the Cubs. He would likely agree that the Cubs could have won the World Series this fall, and he would still have likely moved on.
From what could have been a Chicago dynasty that rivaled the Jordan-led Bulls, the Maddon magic in the windy city is officially dead.
Baseball is a business, and Tom Ricketts, Jed Hoyer, and Theo Epstein run the Cubs with the best of them, but this has fans scratching their heads. And rightfully so.
I, like many others have mixed emotions. As a fan, it is hard to part way with a guy that took the lovable losers to World Series champions almost instantly. On the other hand, when you get used to winning, you want the winning to continue, and you want changes to be made in order for the winning to return if it is lost. At this time, the Cubs are lost. The 2019 roster was only a little bit better than average, and definitely underperformed.
Change is needed.
Where the Cubs turn? I don’t really care. David Ross, Joe Girardi, or Mark Loretta. All are attractive names, and pull their own wait.
But, it doesn’t really matter who the Cubs bring in. Chicago is now a mainstay in World Series hunt, because of what Joe Maddon did. He turned a losing culture into a winning one, and no matter how many rings he brought back to Chicago, Cubs fans everywhere have him to thank for that.
Thank you, Joe.
Jared McMurry was born and raised in Montgomery County and is the Sports Editor of the Journal Review. He can be reached by phone at 765-918-8656 or by email at jmcmurry@jrpress.com