A manager's job is to get the best from his players. I think it can be argued that Maddon has failed to get this team to perform at an optimal level. The team has outstanding talent, but Maddon's misuse of his bullpen and his stubborn nature that saw him stick with Heyward far too long in 2016 and Schwarber in a leadoff spot far too long in 2017 and saw him playing Haap in CF over Almora far too many games earlier this season, suggest that he has an inability to recognize when he has made mistakes in judgment. Bring on Joe Girardi in 2019.

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Go Cubs!!!!

I see it the other way. With all these injuries, this team should not have been anywhere near first but someway somehow Maddon got them in first still. Smoke/Mirrors, management, resting players, whatever....he did a great job even w/ all these injuries.

Lets see what the next 3 weeks give us. seems they're dead tired but they're still in first and in the thick of it.

Sure it would have been great to have a 5 game lead by now but they still got a shot.

And Joe was right about Almora. I've seen enough of him and happ to know they aren't every day starters.

Maddon has done a pretty great job this year considering you got nothing from Darvish, a down year from Hendricks, Bryant hurt, Rizzo hurt, and a closer out for half the season.

....and Chatworth didn't exactly work out.

Maddon's job is nowhere near in question. This thread sucks.

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Someone got wind decastro told Theo about the bored luminaries at CFMB. Gonna try and fix WCUB after checking out a few threads.

Maddon has done a good job this season. His bullpen handling has been eh, but otherwise he has been solid. Theo and Jed get more blame from me. They spent 200 million on pitchers that were bad/injured. The Morrow signing was bad from the jump. He was abused the same way the Cubs abused Chapman. Darvish was damaged goods, plus a mental midget. They needed to do more homework.

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Fuck Edwards and Zobrist

This team is better than the ws team. The manager isn't the problem.. it's baseball not the NBA. We are fine.

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the world will always the world. your entire existence is defined by your response.

Did he stop doing the theme weekends and the penguins?

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Can't believe it took that long to get the correct response.

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Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George

He still does the themes ... this month the theme is "play just a bit better than the White Sox".

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Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George

I don't think they got the memo.

Really. If they do that the Brewers are going to win the division by three or four games

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Eh they'll have a petting zoo and fuck a hot mime night and everything will go back to normal

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Pedro Strop's injury tonight is all on Maddon. Strop has had 59 appearances this season and pitched 58 innings, so it would be fair to say that he averages 1 inning per appearance. He had ALREADY pitched 1 2/3 innings in tonight's game, so he was already extended. In fact, all year he has not gone longer than 2 innings. Plus, the Cubs had the bases loaded, with a one run lead. A golden chance to add onto a 1 run lead with just one out. PLUS the closer they paid a shit ton of money to, is still unavailable, so further extending Strop would mean leaving him unavailable for most, if not all of the Reds series. STUPID on so many levels to have Strop hit. His job should most certainly be in question.

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Go Cubs!!!!

I know that .1 of the 1.2 innings was Wilson not being able to catch the damn ball thus making it a 4 out inning but still... You can not have your closer pitch parts of 3 innings like that. That Joe's go to panic move in the playoffs. That move is going to piss off the players and start turning them on him. He also doesn't need to unload the who damn bench and pen over 2 innings of a game either.

Its time for him to go. I have said this for 2 years. He is phenomenal at taking young ballplayers and creating an environment for them to thrive and grow. Once they become veterans and champions....he doesn't know what the hell to do. Its time for him to hand it off to a manager more suited to lead veterans and champions.

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That's my purse! I don't know you!

If the Cubs shit their pants strops injury will be Joe's out.
Joe's used 17 pitchers the last 2 days. If he continues to pull starters early having success with bum depleted relief staff it will be classic joe ball.

I agree. You'd think if the front-office nerds are calling the shots, as some seem to think, they would have demanded that Maddon pinch hit for Strop. I'm pretty sure that from a numbers standpoint, it's better to have a 2+ run lead with your next-best reliever to close it out, than it is to have a 1-run lead with your "best" closer (especially if he is overextended).

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https://www.mlb.com/news/pedro-strop-ou ... -294617018


Pedro Strop (hamstring) out for regular season

By Carrie Muskat MLB.com @CarrieMuskat
6:46 PM EDT

CHICAGO -- An MRI revealed Cubs reliever Pedro Strop suffered a moderate left hamstring strain, and he will miss the rest of the regular season. Whether or not the right-hander could pitch in the postseason was still to be determined.
Strop was injured trying to beat a throw during the 10th inning of the Cubs' 4-3 win against the Nationals in Washington on Thursday.
View Full Game Coverage

"He's been so big for us now," manager Joe Maddon said of Strop, who has filled in as the closer. "To be without him for the next couple weeks will be difficult."

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Sherman remarked, "Well, Grant, we've had the devil's own day, haven't we?" Grant looked up. "Yes," he replied, followed by a puff. "Yes. Lick 'em tomorrow, though."

Maddon's job is more than safe.

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If Maddon pinch hits La Stella and they don't score a run and the new pitcher blows it, these same people would be pissing and moaning about "Why didn't Maddon let strop hit and stay in, he is our best reliever right now!"

Also, you never get an answer from the "Maddon is done" crowd as to who would replace him. Its like trying to get a straight answer from a 9/11 truther.

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'Your AT&T Universal Card has arrived'? Oh God, Kick-fucking-ass, I got a Master Card! I don't believe it, man. Life is kinda cool sometimes.

No one would be clamoring for Strop to have pitched a third inning, get over yourself.

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Especially after not doing it this year. No one wants him to bat EVER.

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

He has batted four times in the last 6 years. Four.

You tell Pedro "Don't take the bat off your shoulders".

That shouldn't have been that difficult to figure out.

Terrible decision by Joe. I guess he was trying to stretch him into a 6-7 outs guy for playoffs. Not in that situation though.

he was at 20 pitches. this doesnt need to be difficult.

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'Your AT&T Universal Card has arrived'? Oh God, Kick-fucking-ass, I got a Master Card! I don't believe it, man. Life is kinda cool sometimes.

"Why didn't Maddon do that thing that all managers do all the time and leave the reliever in to bat for himself before his third inning of work?" said no one.

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ahh, the age old quandary of whether or not "title dictates behavior."

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'Your AT&T Universal Card has arrived'? Oh God, Kick-fucking-ass, I got a Master Card! I don't believe it, man. Life is kinda cool sometimes.

The idea of "stretching out" a relief pitcher is STUPID. All that is accomplished is to tire the relief pitcher out so he is either unavailable for the next couple games or less effective if he is used.

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Go Cubs!!!!

Except, no not at all. Teams do it every year.