Joe Maddon
Encyclopedia
Joseph John Maddon is the Major League Baseball
manager
for the Tampa Bay Rays
.
He previously served as interim manager of the Anaheim Angels
in both 1996 and 1999. He was also a long-time bench coach for the team.
, where he played baseball and football
. He is a member of Zeta Psi
fraternity. He received an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from Lafayette College on September 2, 2010.
He is a former minor league catcher, who never advanced higher than A ball, which he played for four seasons. In his four seasons, he never had more than 180 at bats, and the most home runs he ever hit was three for Salinas in 1977.
He served in the Angels organization for 31 years.
Maddon was considered a leading candidate for the Boston Red Sox manager job in 2004, which went to Terry Francona
. On November 15, 2005, he was hired to manage the Tampa Bay Devil Rays
. His signature thick-rimmed glasses
have led to giveaways featuring mock pairs, and tributes from Angels players wearing the glasses when playing against the Rays.
In 2008, Maddon led the Tampa Bay Rays to their first American League
Eastern Division Title. He held a steady hand over a team of young players that won a division title over the heavily favored New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. Maddon led the team to the franchise's first playoff win in the American League Division Series ALDS vs the Chicago White Sox
by 3–1 and a thrilling 4 games to 3 triumph over the rival Boston Red Sox
in the American League Championship Series ALCS. This was the first World Series
appearance for the Rays,
in which Tampa Bay held home-field advantage against the Philadelphia Phillies
. The Phillies won the World Series by a 4–1 game score. It completed a full-circle turnaround for the Rays, who had the worst record in Major League Baseball in 2007. Because of this, on November 12 of that year, he was given the American League
Manager of the Year Award
. He also received the Chuck Tanner Major League Baseball Manager of the Year Award.
The manager became engaged to his girlfriend of four years, law school graduate Jaye Sousoures, in June 2007 in Boulder, Colorado
, on a side trip during a Rays road trip to the Colorado Rockies
. He married her in November 2008. He has two children with his first wife: a daughter, Sarah; and a son, Joey. He also has two granddaughters, Tyler and Coral Ray.
On May 25, 2009, the Tampa Bay Rays and Maddon agreed to a contract extension that would keep him manager of the Rays through 2012. He had been in the final year of the initial contract he signed when he first became manager of the team. The Rays stated that there was "never a question" on whether to keep Maddon or not after the conclusion of the 2009 season. Maddon was quoted as saying, "This is where I belong. This is where I want to be. I really have to use the word love when I talk about this organization."
On July 14, 2009, Maddon managed the American League All Star team to a 4–3 victory. Controversy accompanied his failure to avail himself of multiple opportunities to pick second baseman Ian Kinsler
as a reserve on the team, even when Dustin Pedroia
and Evan Longoria
bowed out. He failed to pick him, despite Kinsler having narrowly come in second in the fan voting, the player voting, and the Sprint Final Vote competition. Instead, for example, while avoiding picking Kinsler to replace fellow second baseman Pedroia, Maddon went with one of his own, choosing Tampa Bay's first baseman Carlos Peña
, who was leading the league in homers but batting .228 (and who had come in fourth in the Final Vote competition, behind Kinsler). Similarly, a final opportunity presented itself when Longoria withdrew because of a finger infection; but again, Maddon (a former Angels coach) chose someone else as a replacement, this time Figgins of the Angels, who had come in third in the Final Vote competition (behind Kinsler).
When Major League Baseball ordered in April 2010 that managers and coaches can only wear the official team jacket or approved Majestic pullover over their jersey, and not "hoodie
s", Maddon complained that "It's almost like a security blanket for me. Managing without a hoodie on a cool night could be very disconcerting. Furthermore, I think it's wrong." MLB reversed their decision a few days later.
In 2011, the Rays made a second consecutive playoff appearance despite an 0–6 start to the season and a 9-game deficit in the wild card race in September. After the end of the season it was announced that Maddon had been named the American League
Manager of the Year
for the second time in his career.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
manager
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
for the Tampa Bay Rays
Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League. Since their inception in , the club has played at Tropicana Field...
.
He previously served as interim manager of the Anaheim Angels
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
in both 1996 and 1999. He was also a long-time bench coach for the team.
Early life and career
Maddon attended Lafayette CollegeLafayette College
Lafayette College is a private coeducational liberal arts and engineering college located in Easton, Pennsylvania, USA. The school, founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter,son of General Andrew Porter of Norristown and citizens of Easton, first began holding classes in 1832...
, where he played baseball and football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
. He is a member of Zeta Psi
Zeta Psi
The Zeta Psi Fraternity of North America was founded June 1, 1847 as a social college fraternity. The organization now comprises about fifty active chapters and twenty-five inactive chapters, encompassing roughly fifty thousand brothers, and is a founding member of the North-American...
fraternity. He received an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from Lafayette College on September 2, 2010.
He is a former minor league catcher, who never advanced higher than A ball, which he played for four seasons. In his four seasons, he never had more than 180 at bats, and the most home runs he ever hit was three for Salinas in 1977.
He served in the Angels organization for 31 years.
Managerial career
He managed each of the six years from 1981–86 in the minor leagues, but managed his team to a losing record each season.Maddon was considered a leading candidate for the Boston Red Sox manager job in 2004, which went to Terry Francona
Terry Francona
Terry Jon Francona , nicknamed "Tito," is a former Major League Baseball manager and a former player. He was a first baseman and outfielder in the majors from 1981 to 1990. After retiring as a player, he managed several minor league teams in the 1990s before managing the Philadelphia Phillies for...
. On November 15, 2005, he was hired to manage the Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League. Since their inception in , the club has played at Tropicana Field...
. His signature thick-rimmed glasses
Glasses
Glasses, also known as eyeglasses , spectacles or simply specs , are frames bearing lenses worn in front of the eyes. They are normally used for vision correction or eye protection. Safety glasses are a kind of eye protection against flying debris or against visible and near visible light or...
have led to giveaways featuring mock pairs, and tributes from Angels players wearing the glasses when playing against the Rays.
In 2008, Maddon led the Tampa Bay Rays to their first American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
Eastern Division Title. He held a steady hand over a team of young players that won a division title over the heavily favored New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. Maddon led the team to the franchise's first playoff win in the American League Division Series ALDS vs the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
by 3–1 and a thrilling 4 games to 3 triumph over the rival Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
in the American League Championship Series ALCS. This was the first World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
appearance for the Rays,
in which Tampa Bay held home-field advantage against the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
. The Phillies won the World Series by a 4–1 game score. It completed a full-circle turnaround for the Rays, who had the worst record in Major League Baseball in 2007. Because of this, on November 12 of that year, he was given the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
Manager of the Year Award
Manager of the Year Award
In Major League Baseball, the Manager of the Year Award is an honor given annually since 1983 to the best managers in the American League and the National League . The winner is voted on by 28 members of the Baseball Writers Association of America . Each places a vote for first, second, and third...
. He also received the Chuck Tanner Major League Baseball Manager of the Year Award.
The manager became engaged to his girlfriend of four years, law school graduate Jaye Sousoures, in June 2007 in Boulder, Colorado
Boulder, Colorado
Boulder is the county seat and most populous city of Boulder County and the 11th most populous city in the U.S. state of Colorado. Boulder is located at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of...
, on a side trip during a Rays road trip to the Colorado Rockies
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains...
. He married her in November 2008. He has two children with his first wife: a daughter, Sarah; and a son, Joey. He also has two granddaughters, Tyler and Coral Ray.
On May 25, 2009, the Tampa Bay Rays and Maddon agreed to a contract extension that would keep him manager of the Rays through 2012. He had been in the final year of the initial contract he signed when he first became manager of the team. The Rays stated that there was "never a question" on whether to keep Maddon or not after the conclusion of the 2009 season. Maddon was quoted as saying, "This is where I belong. This is where I want to be. I really have to use the word love when I talk about this organization."
On July 14, 2009, Maddon managed the American League All Star team to a 4–3 victory. Controversy accompanied his failure to avail himself of multiple opportunities to pick second baseman Ian Kinsler
Ian Kinsler
Ian Michael Kinsler is a Major League Baseball All-Star second baseman for the Texas Rangers.Despite having been drafted in only the 17th round out of college, Kinsler has risen to become a two-time All Star, and a member of the Sporting News 2009 list of the 50 greatest current players in baseball...
as a reserve on the team, even when Dustin Pedroia
Dustin Pedroia
Dustin Luis Pedroia is an American professional baseball second baseman with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball. Pedroia has won several awards in Major League Baseball, including the 2007 American League Rookie of the Year and the 2008 AL MVP award...
and Evan Longoria
Evan Longoria
Evan Michael Longoria is a Major League Baseball third baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays. Formerly, Longoria was a star infielder for the Long Beach State University baseball team, the Cape Cod League MVP, and the Big West Co-Player of the Year.He made his major league debut for the Rays in , and...
bowed out. He failed to pick him, despite Kinsler having narrowly come in second in the fan voting, the player voting, and the Sprint Final Vote competition. Instead, for example, while avoiding picking Kinsler to replace fellow second baseman Pedroia, Maddon went with one of his own, choosing Tampa Bay's first baseman Carlos Peña
Carlos Peña
Carlos Felipe Peña is a Dominican professional baseball left-handed first baseman. He played previously with the Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics, Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago Cubs.Although he was born in Santo Domingo and his family is from San Francisco de Macorís,...
, who was leading the league in homers but batting .228 (and who had come in fourth in the Final Vote competition, behind Kinsler). Similarly, a final opportunity presented itself when Longoria withdrew because of a finger infection; but again, Maddon (a former Angels coach) chose someone else as a replacement, this time Figgins of the Angels, who had come in third in the Final Vote competition (behind Kinsler).
When Major League Baseball ordered in April 2010 that managers and coaches can only wear the official team jacket or approved Majestic pullover over their jersey, and not "hoodie
Hoodie
A hoodie is a sweatshirt with a hood. The characteristic design includes large frontal pockets, a hood, and a drawstring to adjust the hood opening. They are sometimes worn with sweatpants. Some hoodies have zippers on them to allow easy removal much like a jacket...
s", Maddon complained that "It's almost like a security blanket for me. Managing without a hoodie on a cool night could be very disconcerting. Furthermore, I think it's wrong." MLB reversed their decision a few days later.
In 2011, the Rays made a second consecutive playoff appearance despite an 0–6 start to the season and a 9-game deficit in the wild card race in September. After the end of the season it was announced that Maddon had been named the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
Manager of the Year
Manager of the Year Award
In Major League Baseball, the Manager of the Year Award is an honor given annually since 1983 to the best managers in the American League and the National League . The winner is voted on by 28 members of the Baseball Writers Association of America . Each places a vote for first, second, and third...
for the second time in his career.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball managers in 2006
- List of Major League Baseball managers in 2007
- List of Major League Baseball managers in 2008
- List of Major League Baseball managers in 2009