YouSaid · the spoken record

Joe Maddon

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88

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2017-03-30

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2017-03-30

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1

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1. “I appreciate it, sir. And it's such an honor to be sitting here with you like this right now. And I appreciate that very much. Dinner with our wives has to be forthcoming very soon. But to the people of Chicago, man, thank you so much for including me. I mean, that sincerely.”

   2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

2. “I appreciate you asking that question because it is to me, I mean, it's, you know, like I said, when I go back there, listen, these people took care of me and they gave me this opportunity to do what I'm doing right now. And for the kids, they're now not to have that same kind of opportunity. It's about the kids, man. Listen, put your ego in your back pocket. It's about the kids. Stop worrying about you so much and worry about your children a little bit more. And if we do that, this thing can work again.”

   2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

3. “Part Took us, this is what, 2017. It's taken about five solid years of this stuff to really get this town going in the right direction. And I think if we all considered that and everybody took care of their own little pocket, you'd see a dramatic improvement in five to ten years.”

   2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

4. “And all of a sudden they see how wonderful these people are, and then they realize, finally, the connection is being made. They're just like we were. Designation illegal immigrant, whatever. I'm not concerned about that. The people that are here, I'm concerned about taking care of and making this whole thing work. Now, I'm not smart enough to know all that other stuff, but I do know in my hometown, it's very important to me that my hometown prospers and thrives. It was the best place ever to grow up. I wanted to be that same way for the kids that are growing up there now. So for me to not get involved and then to wish for something like that would ridiculous concept. So we're involved, my family's involved, my wife and I are involved. So if we could take care of Hazelton, if everybody could take care of where they came from, kind of, and the folks that have left, come on back, come on back from where you're from and try to help that group get back on its feet. I think just without this worrying about definition so much and worrying about actual people, I think we could all, if we all do our”

   2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

5. “So you have this little town that you could, okay, we're going to get together and create a community center with all these after school programs and we're going to try to, it's open to everybody, but primarily the Hispanic kids came in and Hispanic grown-ups. We have English, Spanish classes, Spanish English classes, but we started doing this and it was like, why are you doing that, Joey? You know, you're not one of us anymore, Joey. Why would you ever want to take care of these people, Joey? That's what I'm hearing back home. But now with everything that's been going on and when these people come and visit our kids who speak much better English than most native Hazeltonians and they come in our building now,”

   2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

6. “Of course, absolutely. And I am concerned about that, but I also believe what we started in Hazleton, like I'm saying, can become a model of how to solve this. Now, it was pointed out by Monsignor to me from Mont Wilsburg that Hazelton was the perfect situation to do this in. It was a finite area. It's a finite small town that you can experiment with, almost like the devil rays back in the day, right?”

   2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

7. “That was the beginning in the 2006, 78 Mayor Barletta, Louis Nell, a congressman. He's there in Washington right now. But Louie, And that group at that time was really creating legislation against illegal immigrants to the point where it became a national issue. And the term illegal immigrant was really very prominent in Hazelton. If you rented an illegal immigrant, you would be fined a certain amount of money. And there was all other kind of little other mini legislation that was created. And that really created a lot of the divide. And also there was a spike in crime at that point, which was solely attributable to the Latino community, which was not correct, but was. So it was all this little stuff.”

   2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

8. “We hire a minuscule staff, but now all of a sudden these kids have somewhere to go at the end of the day who had so much contributions from the state of Pennsylvania, Ripkin Foundation, all these other fellows that have helped out. We've raised money on our own. And now this building is thriving. Penn State University is a part of our group. Temple University is part of our after-school program. We're becoming a national model. And it continues to grow and expand. And now all of a sudden, the people that were pushing away back in the day are now coming on board and they're seeing why it's so important to cohabitate in this manner. Our original goal was to nail it down in Hazelton and hopefully then help the surrounding bergs or burbs around Hazelton in the upcoming years. And that's what's happening right now too. So started with a thought, became the Hazelton integration project. Now we have the Hazelton One Community Center. We have our own staff and it's becoming a”

   2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

9. “To look like back in the 60s and fifties growing up. And I'm saying this is who we were, this is who these people are now. And we're pushing these folks away. And they're the Italians and the Polish and the Slovaks. And the Irish had settled this community in the 1910s, 20s, 30s. So how do we bring this together? Talking into the people in that daycare center that day, the big problem was after school. Where do these kids go after school while these folks are working? And that's where all the problems were occurring. So the community center, we wanted to develop would be a natural place for the kids to go afterwards, get help with their homework, a place for them to go to, the parents to pick them up after they're done working. That was the primary thought. So we buy most precious blood school parochial school there with 25 classes, Big Gym, big cafeteria, all this stuff is right there in the middle of all this action. We purchased this building.”

   2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

10. “Industry The full industry was on the decline or was on the decline. And we had a couple. Distribution centers, Amazon, cargo, meatpacking, whatever low skill kind of jobs. So that was Hazleton. Used to be booming coal down to about 25,000, almost 50% Hispanic when I grew up, it was 0%. I mean, absolutely. There's one black kid in town when I was growing up in the 60s and the 70s. So I get back. I saw this. I didn't like it. So I get home back to California. I call my cousin Bob and Elaine along with my wife, Jay. And I said, we got to do something about this. While I was there, I went to a daycare center of Hispanic folk after a church on a Sunday at like one o'clock, two o'clock in the afternoon. And quickly I'm trying to be quick with this, but they're sitting around a low set table potluck dinner lunch, the grown-ups with some kind of like sangria would drink whatever, but the kids are running around crazy in this house. And I thought to myself, this is exactly what we started.”

    2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

11. “The Going great. Actually, Hazleton Integration Project is something that was born in 2010, I think it was. I go home the Christmas for Christmas on an annual basis. I went home right around 2010, and I was really upset. The town was dark. There was an abject lack of trust. There was no trust whatsoever in the city, a real conflict among the new members, which were the Latin community, the Hispanic community, primarily Dominican, and the Anglo group that had been there for 100 years, whatever. When I say dark, I mean, even the streets were dark. There's nothing I liked about it. The sidewalks were broken, the infrastructure was horrible. Nobody trusted one another, and crime was spiking, drugs were horrible.”

    2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

12. “I would say so. You know, not job security. Job security indicates the manager of the Cubs. Employment security would be industry-wide. And I think what I've done at this point, I feel good about whatever I choose to do in the coming years. I'll be able to do. So right now, damn, focus right here. If you focus on this right now, it's going to turn out well and that other stuff takes care of itself.”

    2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

13. “I don't know. I mean, I've not had that thought yet, in a sense. I think my biggest concern right now, again, being present tense, is that taking care of the 2017 team, in regard to that remaining contemporary in my methods of thinking, remaining working out, eating properly, getting my rest. Those are the important things to me right now. If I do that, then I think I could do an equally good job again this year. And if that's the case, again, try to repeat that next year. So I don't get caught in that trap again of, oh, when this contract runs out, what are you going to do next? I feel like I have employment security”

    2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

14. “And the locker room last year. The veterans in this group are spectacular, and the veterans in this group are all winners. So you could be, you could have veterans or the term leadership applied to your group, and it could be the absolute worst thing because these guys are leading you down the wrong path. Our lead bulls lead us down the proper path. And so it's a combination of where they came from. Scotting and development really recognize and produced them well. And the group that Theo and Jed and the Ricketts family have presented to our players here, the veteran group, are the exact right group to carry on the proper message.”

    2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

15. “To this point they've been raised properly, they've not been raised by wolves. That's what I get with this. I mean, whether it comes from their parents or professionally their coaches, their mentors at this point.”

    2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

16. “To be uncomfortable meaning, you really want to avoid the potential for complacency. So if you're uncomfortable growth continues, if you're a comfortable growth diminishes. So I really want to emphasize that thought among our guys. You put a t-shirt out there, guys walk around with it on constantly, so the message is constantly given to them.”

    2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

17. “We just admitted to be uncomfortable. That's going to be one of the t-shirts coming out. You combat that by talking about it. How do you combat pressure and expectations? By talking about it. I've talked about my Jack Ryan approach, clearing present danger, Tom Clancy. I used to read all of his stuff. Jack Ryan in clearing present danger was confronted with that moment where there was a drug bust or a drug deal gone badly in the Caribbean and the dude on the boat was a good friend of the president of the United States at that time and all the spin doctors wanted to say, Mr. President, you got to distance yourself. You hardly knew the guy, walk away from this, et cetera. But Jack said, no, Mr. President, he was not only a friend, he's one of your best friends. And that has always resonated with me. So you run towards the issue of the problem. You don't run away from it. The best way to disarm it is to do that. So that was the expectations and pressure. There goes my bag. Pressure and expectations thought from last year. And this year,”

    2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

18. “Years. I mean, and it started right down the street here in Mesa on McKellops at Geonotry Park, where I cut my teeth with some of the best coaches in the history of this game. And beyond that, strategically, Don Zimrup, great asset to me for so many years with the Rays. So I encourage the second inning. I love the second. I mean that sincerely. Barroom banter, stuff for the media, television, print, whatever. It's part of what we do.”

    2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

19. “You just live with it. Actually, I love it. I do. I mean, that's sincerely. I think we're in the entertainment business, really, at the end of the day. And I'm really confident in what I do and how I do it. Very confident. Because it's not haphazard. It's been, I've been trained for many years. And I feel good about what I do and how I do it. I promise if you have a question, I'm going to have an answer. I'm not just doing it to do it. I'm not doing it to upset anybody. I'm not doing it to upset one of my players or ameliorate one of my players. I'm doing it because I think it's... The right thing to do in that moment. And everybody sees me now. Nobody has any idea what I've done to get here and the work that I've done and the mistakes that I've made or the stuff I've learned.”

    2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

20. “Yeah, I mean, then I probably would have left Kyle in longer. But if John Lester is available to pitch to Jason Kittnis in that situation, I think most people would have done the same thing if they really had that opportunity to be in the dugout. So it was supposed to go from Kyle the Jaunt to Rawlis. It did. Davis hits a home run, but that's the cookie crumbles sometimes.”

    2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

21. “Great old manager of Philadelphia, never went to the World Series, which is unbelievable. But Gene told me back in the day, play the game three times before, during and after. And that's what I'd done. And that's what I always do. So regardless if you agree or not, whether people agreed or not, it really didn't matter to me because, and even with Kyle, I mean, the part that... That made that whole situation different was that John Lester was available. If John Lester is not available, then of course”

    2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

22. “The other way, of course, I can't deny that. That did, but it didn't matter because before the game begins on a nightly basis, the one thing I do map out is the pitching religiously. That day was supposed to go from Kyle to John to Chappie. That's the way I had it listed. And in my mind's eye, I was working out perfectly up until the home run. And everybody was blaming the home run on the fact that he pitched so much. The home run was the function of location. I mean, if that pitches up, that kid cannot do that with that pitch. It just happened to be down where he could get to it, down and in. So I didn't, I mean, I knew I would catch a boatload if it didn't work well. I knew that even before it happened. But I can't worry about stuff like that. I don't worry about stuff like that. It was just a matter of doing what I perceived to be the right thing to do. Again, talking about Gene Mock with Peter Gamma yesterday.”

    2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

23. “As a young man coming out of college recently to be as accepted by veteran players as he is is really unusual, not because he got hits, but because of the way he is. So it's because of his eyes and what he's got going on inside. That's what I was able to do it.”

    2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

24. “I describe Schwerber by his eyes Look him in the eye there's the difference with Schwerbs He's got this intense stare about him I'm not saying menacing in a negative way just he's he's intense intent on the purpose at hand his eyes all summer now all summer he comes by me in a dugout at Wrigley I'm encouraging him listen training's right around the corner I'm watching your work keep it going you feel good good don't worry it's almost there but look in his eyes whenever you talk to this young man look in his eyes and that's it That's the window to the soul. His soul is incredible, his spirit is incredible. And that's what sets him apart. That's it. I mean, I don't know. Maybe 2% of the all major league baseball players could have done what he did last year. Maybe just one guy could have. It might have just been one. He's just a different cat. And he was motivated.”

    2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

25. “Peace of party after we got down three to one, my mom was there, my kids were there, my grandkids were there. Cousins were there pizza party. See, we went back to the apartment, big room, and had a pizza party that night, and everybody was stressing out. I said, no, I like the way the pitching's lining up right now. And if we could just get this back to Cleveland Schwerber's available again. So it was about pitching. And it's about the faith in your group. So honestly, I'm thinking about it right now as you're saying that or asking that question. Pizza Party, Big Homer by KB. And then here comes Squirrel. Yeah, Chris Bryan. And then back to Cleveland where Schwerber is.”

    2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

26. “This is why, I guess. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, if you're focused on winning only, I promise you you're going to screw up a lot more often. If you're more focused on what's happening in this conversation right now where this that, bad, or this pitch or this next play, whatever, if you're focused right there, you have a much better chance of fulfilling the goal at hand. If your anxiety lives in the future, that's the thought. And if you're worried about winning or the outcome, am I doing well? Am I going to go two for four? I promise you it ain't going to happen with any kind of consistency. So if you could stay in a moment, if you could teach yourself to be more of a be present, not perfect, that's another thing I put on my lineup cards. Be present, not perfect. If you could train yourself, and this doesn't happen all the time, I'm not saying that I'm there all the time. I try to be, but if your guys can be in that present tense most of the time, over 90% of the time and worry about the process, the outcome will take care of itself in a positive way.”

    2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

27. “Well, in a major league baseball setting, I promise you, one of the most important things on a daily basis is to not embarrass yourself. It's crazy how that, and again, I've always talked positive, but the negative component is that you really don't want to embarrass yourself. So that really motivates preparation, getting ready, being in the moment, working hard, running hard to first base. You never want to embarrass yourself. So you're trying not to suck constantly. And if you really try not to suck, obviously the outcome is going to be better. The other thing in regards to process, the outcome blows. That may be a t-shirt this show I'm working on also. Where is stress and expectations pertinent in a situation where it becomes a negative when you're always worried about the outcome?”

    2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

28. “To dress uncomfortably and you walk into a hotel lobby and this is something you would never have done, people are going to stare. I think that as a positive impact when you go out and play a game, you get in a crucial moment, that uncomfortable situation you went through is going to play out in a positive way at some point.”

    2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

29. “Listen, whatever you could do to move the thought to the next thought is really important. If you're just going to sit there and dwell on a negative moment Again, what did I learn in clubhouses so many times what the Angels, we would lose a game or two, and these guys would just carry that loss into the clubhouse the next day. Really? I mean, this has been 24 hours. You're going to bring that mood from yesterday into today's event. You're going to lose. You're going to do it. There's no question you're not going to perform up to your abilities. So these are the things that I learned. So poker music, disco on a bus, taking a risk, dressing uncomfortably. One of our themes this year is to be uncomfortable.”

    2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

30. “You try to play to your audience with the raise after a couple tough games up there. The guys you have to walk by the manager's office to go to the bus. Everybody's like Dower. So I put on some really old school, I mean, being half Polak, the Polk. I could just see Aunt Connie dancing with Aunt Henrietta in somebody's wedding as they're all walking out the door to this loud polka music.”

    2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

31. “Yeah, it's just a better way. It's just a better way. And for that group, again, Mox, what we mock what we don't understand. So the group that poo-pooes that doesn't understand, you've never tried it, so you'll stop. I really challenge anybody that's never done that, that has a hard time with the morning or the day in general. Try this. Try this method in the morning. And I really, I could almost promise positive results are going to occur.”

    2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

32. “Absolutely. So when it comes to this game, we could lose a tough game, man. And I mean a real tough game. I have a rule Winhart for 30 minutes, loses hard for 30 minutes, and move on to the next day. Honestly, yes, sometimes it takes longer than 30. It does in a loss, never for a win. But I believe if you could start out that morning more slowly and get your thoughts together, the day has a much better chance of playing out properly.”

    2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

33. “It's all about breathing. And I think this is something we teach math and I'm all about math in school. I'm even more about English and literature and reading. But I really believe we should. And teaching kids to be able to think on their feet and project what they think. I think if you want to teach a kid to go out and get a good job after he graduates, teach them how to project with the potential employee. When he stands or sits on his chair or stands on his feet and attempts to tell somebody else what he's thinking, teach him that because all this other stuff, yeah, all this other stuff will take care of itself. But these are the kind of things that I think are pertinent.”

    2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

34. “Starts in the morning with meditation. I like to meditate for 20 minutes in the morning. If I could do it at least five days out of the week, at least five, I feel so much better, so much clearer day goes in. I meditate on, I try to manifest mentally in the morning what's going to project what's going to happen later on in that day, whether it's, you use the word joy earlier. I just meditate on the word joy or courage or fearlessness or process. I meditate on things like that. It's crazy how whatever you meditate on in the morning transpires during the course of the day in a positive way. I also meditate on my family, you know, good for my family. I meditate on loved ones that are no longer here and think about them. It takes 20 minutes in the morning, I swear it's, and you're breathing.”

    2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

35. “Mid August, mid-August. I always like mid-August. So you declare American Allegiant Week. So show up later. Kicked a bench, shake hands, play the game just like you did when you were a kid, and I promise you you could still be very successful. Just mention it's a long season. I mean, I think the next real panacea regarding success in Major League Baseball is going to be the word rest. Everybody's looking for data, information, whatever's studying your swaying, practice ground balls. No. Come later. Take a break. Don't be out there as long. Be fresher physically. Your mind's going to be fresher. I mean, Lombardy nailed it when he said fatigue makes cowards out of all of us. He nailed it. Absolutely nailed it. The more tired you are, the less effective you always are going to be. That's where hitters chase pitches out of the zone. That's where pitchers can execute that fastbore or slider down and away. They're tired. They're physically and mentally tired. Take a break, American Legion Week.”

    2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

36. “American Leads Week will start right there. When we played, when you played baseball in the summertime when you're 15, 16, 17, 18 years of age, you play America Legion Ball back in Hazelton. You never took BP, you never got there at three o'clock for a six o'clock game that night. You worked all day. I was a fence installer. I was worked on a playground and you would show up and you would play and you'd play well. You'd get hits, you'd make plays, you'd pitch good by just showing up and playing the game. So we, I mean, we don't take batting practice a lot. I want my guy showing up to the ballpark later. We do. This is way overkill here in the major leagues. Guys work too long physically that I think eventually has points of diminishing return sitting in.”

    2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

37. “Wanted to do this since you're six, so why would you ever extract or subtract the pleasure of that moment for whatever you want to perceive as stress, pressure? A lot of these people walk into these clubhouses. And again, this is what I've learned with a negative attitude, really? I mean, this is what you've always wanted to do. This is like, this is the epitome of sport. And then to do it, or I was just going to say it, Wrigley Field, Why would you ever not enjoy that moment? The moment you stop enjoying that moment is the time you really do need to say, I'm done, I'll see you, you hang it up, et cetera, et cetera. Because for me, the word pressure is an absolute positive. The word expectations, one of the most positive words ever can be applied to what you're doing, so never permit the pressure to exceed the pleasure because if you wanted to do it since you're six and don't enjoy it, you're a fool.”

    2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

38. “Yeah, I mean, you got to put yourself and your six year old body, you know, when you're playing junior little league on the Cow Field on 17th Street and you're facing a curveball for the very first time. It had no clue what that was supposed to be all about. But I knew when I was six I wanted to play in the big leagues. I knew that. Absolutely knew that. So I never got a chance to play in the big leagues. I got a chance to play into minor leagues. Got a chance to coach in the major leagues. Then I become a manager in the big leagues.”

    2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

39. “All over the place, and I thought this is unbelievable. So that was my first impression of Wrigley Field. So, I mean, yes, that means going to the Cubs, that was in the back of my mind, researching their players. I was really impressed with the team on the field that year also, even though they had not have a good record. I liked a lot at the attitude of the guys. I can see that coming. I like that they played hard. And then you look at what was coming after that. So there were so many reasons. And then the city. I mean, listen, when you're a visiting player, you always look on the calendar to see when we go into Chicago. And being with the Rays and even the Angels before that, we used to go maybe just once a year, sometimes twice. And that always bummed me out that it was always a one city, one-time trip.”

    2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

40. “Isn't this the best? Isn't this the greatest? I'm telling people this during the course of that series, I had to go out and make a pitching change. And it was a day game, of course, and walking back to the dugout. And I said to myself, take your time and check this out. And I remember walking off, and again, this realistic moment. That the computer enhanced You see, the people in the stands, the white lattice on the light standards, and the sky was perfectly blue with almost like Simpson clouds.”

    2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

41. “So I go up there and I do a circle around the ballpark because this place is pretty cool. And then in 2014, the Rays go there to play the Cubs in late in the season. So we get there. First of all, I mean, I was always enamored by the fact that this ballpark's in a neighborhood. And so you get there and the bus is weaving its way in there. And I don't even know how to get there, but it's so cool. Buses driving through normal streets, very narrow, navigating, and all of a sudden, boom, there's the ballpark, there's Wrigley. And then the bus parks, and you walk in that long aisle there, the hallway there, whatever, to get to the clubhouse. Got in the clubhouse, put my bag down immediately, went down. I wanted to sit in that dugout and see the ivy. First thing I did, and I said, wow, it did not disappoint. And actually, it's another one of those surrealistic moments where it was the same but different. And it really made a strong impression on me the first moment.”

    2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

42. “Right. So you weren't at Wrigley. No, it was not at Wrigley. So very good. I should explain myself better. So I go up to yourself well, Joe. Don't worry about it.”

    2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

43. “Ellie rid my bicycle around the streets. I was there with the Angels once early two thousands. I took my bike and I went north on Lakeshore, then ended up. I said, where's Rick?”

    2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

44. “Well, you know, Dio and Jed, the city itself, the ballpark. Jed Hoyer, the general. Well, here's the other thing. In 2014,”

    2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

45. “Baby, right, you know, like some kind of Sam Adams. But all this, I'm grateful that I got the chance to do it. Like I said, if I did not get the job in Tampa Bay, that'd have been the first time. I'd have been absolutely disappointed that I did not get a job that I had interviewed for.”

    2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

46. “I think I do believe I could have, because I mean, I was aware, I got good self-awareness, I think I would have been aware when to maybe spring something out there or not. But like I said before, I mean, having an expansion group like this clean slate with no preconceived notions, not this provincial town and all the sports fighters and looking at me like what's he, you know, with the wine rack in his office and all this other crap. I mean, that would have been very, although maybe wine rack in the office in Boston would have gone over actually pretty well.”

    2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

47. “But all of a sudden you go out there in a 10th inning and things are flying all over the place. And you had a plan going on, the plan got blown up, and all of a sudden you could talk about generals and people in army or navy or whatever and military. And when you got this wonderful plan going on, all of a sudden it gets boom. It's gone. So you have to make adjustments on the fly. And that's where, please, don't forget the heartbeat.”

    2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

48. “Where we continue to move forward in a sense, and we are. And I'm all about numbers, but please don't ever forget about the heartbeat. It's about human beings. It's about character. It's about makeup. It's about the ability to stay in the present tense and think right now. So don't be confused by all of this. I mean, numbers are great, and numbers are normally extracted in a very calm moment, in a room.”

    2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

49. “No math. There's no math involved. That's all about the heartbeat. That's about your heartbeat. And that's the point where.”

    2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

50. “In game seven of the World Series. In game seven of the World Series, our guys got together, came out entirely different looks on their faces, and we go out and we win the game.”

    2017-03-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 134 - Joe Maddon · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source