SU says there is something to the Joe Torre style of managing where you sit back and let your players do their thing. Last night in Game 7, Maddon was obsessed with getting Jon Lester into the game. He had him warm up early and basically forced his own hand to put him in with 2 outs in the 5th inning. Kyle Hendricks was cruising along and getting ground ball after ground ball with a low pitch count. He walked a guy with 2 outs after being ahead on the count 0-2 and then getting squeezed by the home plate umpire. Incredibly, Maddon gave him the hook and while Lester had some bad luck in giving up the 2 runs there, he still needed to cover the last 4 innings of the game. And as we saw, he only trusted Lester and Chapman to make that happen.
Chapman had been wasted in game 6 in a game that was well in hand. And having been used heavily for 3 straight games finally took its toll in the 8th inning. You view Maddon as a genius who knows what he’s doing and isn’t afraid of doing the unorthodox. But you almost feel like he panicked there. Even Andrew Miller was gassed in game 7 and gave up a couple of runs. SU hopes none of these guys have any lingering effects next season from overuse.
It was a great game 7 and shows how baseball can really capture the nation’s interest just like in the old days. The crowd seemed to be evenly split and so much was riding on every pitch. Props to the Indians who didn’t quit there down 5-1 and 6-3.
Chicago was in full party form afterwards. Long-time SU subscriber, S. Levine, was down at Wrigley Field enjoying the festivities and shared these photos. Go Cubs Go!
Sports Update Intergalactic 
SU: Yes, a great World Series … extra innings in game 7. Doesn’t get any better, regardless of who wins. I was certain Maddon screwed the pooch when he pulled Hendricks. He really lucked out after a bad decision. This town will be insane all weekend. I’ll bet the number of murders goes down to zero!!! Steve
It is not easy managing a baseball team at any level, including 11 year old kids… but I have no idea what Maddon was thinking. None at all. Hendricks could have gone at least 8 innings and possibly 9 the way he was cruising. Maybe someone should have checked what was in that Gatorade cup Maddon kept lovingly caressing against his chest. He did not even want to risk spilling the contents after the last out. “Hey guys, I know it has been 108 years, but this ginger tea is so outstanding that I’ll just meet you all at the mound to celebrate in a few minutes. Go ahead and get the championship hats and shirts handed out, and be sure to save me a size large…” When he brought in David Ross it reminded me of keeping Bill Buckner in the game so he could be out there for the celebration. Nothing like risking a World Series victory so your catcher who is old enough to have possibly played on the last Cubs World Series team gets a few innings under his belt. And, how has it been kept a secret that Lester does not field balls in front of the mound nor does he throw to a base? It that part of his contract? I guess it is no different than Carmelo not playing defense… except that Lester has won three championships. Regardless, congrats to both the Cubs and Indians on their great playoff performances and regular seasons. They made for an exceptional World Series and both fan bases should be proud.
Yes… Madden made 2 mistakes… one of which you mentioned. The other one was the safety squeeze bunt with 2 strikes. If it worked Madden would have been considered a genius for the ages… but we all know what happens to opinions if it doesn’t work. Just ask Phil Jackson.
So Chapman becomes a free agent. He is a key component to the Cubs future success. Will they pay him?
Something has to be done about the rigidness that the “Zebras” have in defining too much celebration in the end zone after a TD. Celebrations have become part of the fabric which entertains us all. It also allows the players some creativeness in this game…. which is helpful…. not making a political statement. However in the same breath the NFL should not allow players to do anything political like what Kapernick had done. That could lead to other political moves made on other political topics by the players.
GO RANGERS!!! HOW ABOUT A LITTLE LOVE THERE MR. SU?
Aren’t Epstein and Cashman supposed to be friends? They should chip in for a sports psychologist to teach Betances and Lester how to throw to bases.
It’s amazing how outcomes impact everything. The Cubs are a great team and were a heavy favorite. They won the the World Series needing 10 innings in a 7th game. They deserve plenty of credit but they were a swing away from losing it and there’s a chance they would have lost their genius manager as well. We know that Epstein will fire a manager for boneheaded moves in the playoffs (see Grady Little) and Maddon made more than his share. I’ll give him a pass on the bunted third strike. But using Chapman in Game 6 and giving up on Hendricks so early in Game 7 are hard to justify.