As the Cubs and Indians prepared Sunday for what some reporters dubbed "Game 8," Joe Maddon conceded he had not watched any of the replays of the World Series or documentaries on their memorable season.
"I really haven’t," Maddon said. "You know, you get busy. I didn’t do that with the Angels (after their 2002 Series win) or the Rays (after the ’08 Series)."
So once it’s done it’s done?
"Yeah," he said. "I probably will a couple years from now, but for right now, I’m good. I prefer reruns of TV shows."
Maddon reiterated his wish from last spring training, saying he needed to get back to reading more novels. Last year he spent much of his downtime in his RV in Mesa watching the latest developments in the presidential race. Though he’s a political junkie, Maddon admitted he mostly ignores the political news now that the election is over and the nonstop, post-election bickering has begun.
"Damn, it’s gotten really annoying," he said. "So I stopped watching all that stuff. It’s just not good for your brain. It’s really not. There is nothing to be gained."
Sunday’s Cactus League game at Sloan Park, a 1-1 tie between the Cubs and Indians, was no rerun, as evidenced by the lineups and the sellout crowd of 15,388 sun-worshippers who still took it seriously enough to boo Jason Heyward after a fifth-inning strikeout.
Cubs fans will probably be watching reruns of the 2016 World Series forever, reliving the moments that made them cheer, then wince, then wail, and then celebrate. And for many, watching it again will undoubtedly remind them of how upset they were with some of the decisions Maddon made, even as they were rendered moot by the Cubs winning Game 7.
Cubs manager Joe Maddon on World Series Game 7 and spring training
Cubs manager Joe Maddon on World Series Game 7 and spring training.
Cubs manager Joe Maddon on World Series Game 7 and spring training.
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In a recent episode of HBO’s "Real Sports," Bryant Gumbel asked President Theo Epstein if, when Aroldis Chapman was out there with a five-run lead in Game 6, part of Epstein thought "he’s going to be gassed" for Game 7.
"In every cell of my body," Epstein replied. "But not every manager’s going to get everything right. But you better have a reason for it. And Joe always has a good reason for it."
A random sampling of Cubs fans at Sloan Park on Sunday suggested they felt the same as Epstein — disagreeing with Maddon while ultimately backing him.
"I questioned it a little because Chapman had pitched so much," said Pat Bennett of Champaign. "But he’s the manager, and he knew what he was doing. The (Kyle) Hendricks and (Jon) Lester decisions (in Game 7) I questioned. But hey, the Cubs were down 3-1 in the Series and came back. That says a lot about Joe."
Peter Gesler of Littleton, Colo., whose car windshield was shattered by a Kyle Schwarber batting practice home run here last spring, recalled yelling "No, no, no, too early!" when Maddon pulled Hendricks in the fifth inning.
"And obviously he overused Chapman," he said. "But you can’t argue with the outcome. (Maddon is) not going to be right every move. He had an amazing season and was operating on his best instincts. The players pulled him up, and that was what was neat. They easily could’ve collapsed."
Tom Bardon of Dubuque, Iowa, said he was at Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS when the Cubs blew the eighth-inning lead to the Marlins, and "it felt like a death in the family." So he was willing to forgive Maddon for moves he didn’t agree with.
"When he pulled Hendricks, I was like, ‘Are you kidding me?’" Bardon said. "But I listened to something Theo said on TV recently: ‘I didn’t like some of the decisions, but we wound up winning, so…’ Joe is a different bird. I go by that old saying, ‘There’s a reason they put erasers on pencils.’ And in the end, it worked."
Photos from Game 7 of the World Series at Progressive Field in Cleveland on Nov. 2, 2016.
Ken Keefer, a bleacher bum from Wrigleyville, said he expected Maddon’s moves because his father, a "Maddon disciple" who lives in Florida, warned him not to question the manager’s "unconventional" decisions.
"When he took out Hendricks, I thought he was nuts," Keefer said. "My mom told me that Dad, who told me not to question Maddon, was so upset at the move he told her, ‘I’m going to bed,’ and missed the ending.
"Sure, Joe has a little ego. But you’ve got to love him for the other things he does. Nobody is perfect."
Maddon wasn’t perfect last year, and it’s unlikely he’ll make all the right moves in 2017 either.
But if they get the same results, Cubs fans will be happy in every cell of their bodies.
psullivan@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @PWSullivan
Caption Cubs manager Joe Maddon on World Series Game 7 and spring training
Cubs manager Joe Maddon on World Series Game 7 and spring training.
Cubs manager Joe Maddon on World Series Game 7 and spring training.
Caption Cubs manager Joe Maddon on World Series Game 7 and spring training
Cubs manager Joe Maddon on World Series Game 7 and spring training.
Cubs manager Joe Maddon on World Series Game 7 and spring training.
Caption Jason Heyward on level of comfort with new swing, support from Cubs
Cubs right fielder Jason Heyward discusses his comfort level with his new swing and the support from the organization on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017. (Mark Gonzales/Chicago Tribune)
Cubs right fielder Jason Heyward discusses his comfort level with his new swing and the support from the organization on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017. (Mark Gonzales/Chicago Tribune)
Caption Mike Montgomery on his expected role with Cubs, first exhibition start
Cubs pitcher Mike Montgomery discusses his upcoming role with the team this season and reacts to his first exhibition outing in which he threw one scoreless inning on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017. (Mark Gonzales/Chicago Tribune)
Cubs pitcher Mike Montgomery discusses his upcoming role with the team this season and reacts to his first exhibition outing in which he threw one scoreless inning on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017. (Mark Gonzales/Chicago Tribune)
Caption Manager Joe Maddon on the Cubs’ first games, at-bats and lineups
Manager Joe Maddon talks about the Cubs’ first games, at-bats and lineups. (Mark Gonzales/Chicago Tribune)
Manager Joe Maddon talks about the Cubs’ first games, at-bats and lineups. (Mark Gonzales/Chicago Tribune)
Caption Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer on Pedro Strop’s contract extension
Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer discusses the contract extension of reliever Pedro Strop on Friday, Feb. 24, 2017. (Mark Gonzales/Chicago Tribune)
Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer discusses the contract extension of reliever Pedro Strop on Friday, Feb. 24, 2017. (Mark Gonzales/Chicago Tribune)
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