tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730822.post8139645929428379130..comments2024-03-28T19:45:50.194-07:00Comments on the joy of sox: It's Hard Not To Like Joe Maddonallanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673233312198832937noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730822.post-26303635356878377412011-03-23T05:09:43.516-07:002011-03-23T05:09:43.516-07:00It's not so much that the computer wins the ga...<i>It's not so much that the computer wins the game, but it helps you organize and think more clearly during the course of the game. </i><br /><br />I.e. it's a TOOL. <br /><br />And not in the sense that Johnny Damon is a tool.<br /><br />Good summary of information vs people and how they work together in the game.laura khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05524593142290489958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730822.post-75437678201787132942011-03-23T05:06:57.683-07:002011-03-23T05:06:57.683-07:00When I saw the name, I thought you had a connectio...<i>When I saw the name, I thought you had a connection!</i><br /><br />When I was in college, I wrote him to say thank you. He sent me autographed copies of his other books. We still have those.laura khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05524593142290489958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730822.post-23888497172232144302011-03-22T21:48:57.162-07:002011-03-22T21:48:57.162-07:00A reader sent me a link with Maddon talking about ...A reader sent me a link with Maddon <a href="http://m.espn.go.com/mlb/story?storyId=6246086" rel="nofollow">talking about managing Manny</a>:<br /><br />"I used to have a T-shirt. And it said, 'Tell me what you think, not what you've heard.' So I'm not going to rely on what I've heard. Ever. Ever. ... I've got to make up my own opinion. I've got to make up my own mind at the end of the day."<br /><br />(What's the best way to manage a complicated figure like Manny? The secret, Maddon believes, just might be to listen.)<br /><br />"You know what I've learned about Manny? He's very serious about his craft. I mean, he messes around. He has a good time. But he's very serious about playing this game and playing this game well. I think there's a real misconception out there that this guy doesn't care, or he's just going to go through the motions. He truly wants to do well, extremely well. I think he loves this game as much as ever. ... So I'm finding out how serious he is. And I'm finding out how knowledgeable he is, about hitting in particular. He really has some great thoughts on hitting. And he's also able to relay them on to other guys."<br /><br />****allanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04673233312198832937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730822.post-44487327402379618462011-03-22T11:19:33.328-07:002011-03-22T11:19:33.328-07:00When I saw the name, I thought you had a connectio...When I saw the name, I thought you had a connection!allanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04673233312198832937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730822.post-32340580883121066332011-03-22T11:18:32.393-07:002011-03-22T11:18:32.393-07:00I went back to my November 2003 post that mentione...I went back to my November 2003 post that mentioned Maddon's interview with the Red Sox. Two of the links still work: <a href="http://www.projo.com/redsox/content/projo_20031113_13joe.6a7e.html" rel="nofollow">ProJo</a> and <a href="http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20031112&content_id=603029&vkey=news_bos&fext=.jsp&c_id=bos" rel="nofollow">MLB</a>.<br /><br />Maddon:<br /><br />I used to be made fun of for carrying a computer. Now everyone on (the team) airplane has one. It was met with a lot of resistance at first. Like anything new, it takes a while to catch on.<br /><br />It can improve your work. I started using them in the early '90s. I've always been an organization freak. When computers came along, I found it a better way to organize my stuff. I started using computer programs to track the opposition, whether it was a spray chart or a manager's tendencies.<br /><br />It's not so much that the computer wins the game, but it helps you organize and think more clearly during the course of the game. You're talking about information and people. They are two separate issues. The person is always going to count more. When it comes down right to it, you can only give (data) to the players in small handfulls. Once you get it and dispense it, you have to determine who can handle what and how much and if it's going to be productive and counter productive.<br /><br />[The Red Sox] are one of the most desirable and fascinating franchises in all of sports. For me, it's about time I started getting into the flow of these things. I've been a Major League coach for 10 years. Everyone keeps asking when I'm going to try and become an Major League manager. I said, when somebody asks. This (opportunity) came together when Theo called me about a week ago. It's very flattering that they would ask me. I think this is a tremendous opportunity.<br /><br />It's something you can't just walk into and feel totally comfortable from jump street. You have to walk in there and feel the pulse and get to understand it. It's an intimidating job, a big job. Baseball-wise, it's at the top end of the baseball world. It's very intriguing. That place has somewhat of a magic sense to it. It's different than all the other ballparks. Of all the parks I've been to, Fenway is absolutely the most unique.allanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04673233312198832937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730822.post-37266897833220502942011-03-22T11:11:37.137-07:002011-03-22T11:11:37.137-07:00I'd say Mark Twain, Wayne Dyer and Branch Rick...<i>I'd say Mark Twain, Wayne Dyer and Branch Rickey</i><br /><br />This is amazing. I love what this says about him.<br /><br />I don't know if you all know Wayne Dyer, it's probably a little outdated, or been swamped by all the pandering imitators. But in the late 1970s into the early 1980s, this man's books changed my life - literally. Helped free me from so much crap and completely remake my attitude and self-image. <br /><br />To see him included with Branch Rickey and Mark Twain - wow!!laura khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05524593142290489958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730822.post-72700500546540065932011-03-22T11:07:23.607-07:002011-03-22T11:07:23.607-07:00Maddon is definitely my second favourite manager. ...Maddon is definitely my second favourite manager. (I might secretly like him better than Tito, but team loyalty wins out.)<br /><br />I knew I had to learn more about Joe Maddon when he needed time off during the season to attend his partner's (i.e. girlfriend's) law school graduation. <br /><br />The announcers were being snide about it, clearly they didn't consider this important enough to miss games for. But I thought, 1, the guy has a partner becoming a lawyer, so she's smart, and that speaks well of him, and 2, he is putting aside his own career for a bit to support her. There's something to this guy.laura khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05524593142290489958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730822.post-76856210178532440692011-03-22T08:42:56.980-07:002011-03-22T08:42:56.980-07:00Maddon deserves a lot of credit for generating so ...Maddon deserves a lot of credit for generating so many wins with the players he has.<br /><br />I agree that Francona is just as good at what he does--although he has the somewhat different challenge of dealing with the egos of superstars, crazed fans, and a swarming media, problems Maddon doesn't face.Professor Twainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07474864507085156778noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730822.post-11009295884128845072011-03-22T05:28:21.144-07:002011-03-22T05:28:21.144-07:00With Tito, Maddon, and Showalter as managers in th...With Tito, Maddon, and Showalter as managers in the AL East this year, it's going to be fun to watch.<br /><br />Those pants are making me giggle out loud at work! Ha!Pokerwolfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06087637119337918275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730822.post-42961435653177173082011-03-22T05:26:55.897-07:002011-03-22T05:26:55.897-07:00What a great attitude. He is like Francona in tha...What a great attitude. He is like Francona in that both understand that baseball is too important to be taken with an undue degree of seriousness. 'Loose' (and hairy!) is right.johngoldfinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09322562737172405323noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730822.post-78250933418695146292011-03-22T04:04:02.250-07:002011-03-22T04:04:02.250-07:00Stop it, Allan. Between you and Jonah Keri, I'...<em>Stop it, Allan. Between you and Jonah Keri, I'm starting to like the Rays.</em><br /><br />Liking Joe Maddon. Still not liking the Rays.FenFanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02348863925130603048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730822.post-31564762648498522382011-03-21T21:51:27.106-07:002011-03-21T21:51:27.106-07:00Stop it, Allan. Between you and Jonah Keri, I'...Stop it, Allan. Between you and Jonah Keri, I'm starting to like the Rays.mattymattyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08291132296368578632noreply@blogger.com