Hopefully Maddux can teach Hendry some fiscal responsibility.

FROM ESPN.COM

The Cubs have hired Maddux to be the special assistant to Hendry

January 11, 2010, 1:26 PM


The Chicago Cubs may have made their most important acquisition of the offseason Monday by adding a future Hall of Famer.

The organization will announce Monday afternoon that 350-game winner Greg Maddux has been signed to become a special assistant to general manager Jim Hendry in 2010.

Maddux's duties will include helping with instruction for both major-leaguers and minor-leaguers during spring training, as well as scouting duties throughout the season.

According to a source with knowledge of the signing, Maddux will be at the beck and call of Hendry during the season to evaluate minor-league affiliates and give the general manger input when trades or free-agent signings are being considered.

Maddux retired after the 2008 season with the San Diego Padres. A four-time Cy Young Award winner, the right-hander had two stints with the Cubs. Originally Maddux came up through the Cubs organization, making his major-league debut in 1986.

He left as a free agent in 1993 after winning his first Cy Young in 1992. From '93 to 2003, Maddux pitched for the Atlanta Braves, who made the playoffs every season with Maddux.

He returned to the Cubs in 2004 and was traded at the tail end of the 2006 season to the Dodgers for shortstop Cesar Izturis. Maddux won his 300th game as a Cub on the road in San Francisco during the 2005 season.

Among baseball people, Maddux is considered one of the best and brightest when it comes to the thinking man's part part of the game.

Maddux called many a pitch for catchers during games he wasn't pitching. Urban legend has Maddux calling every pitch for Cubs starter Frank Castillo during his four-hit, one-run performance in a game in 1992.

The 43-year-old Las Vegas native will be eligible for Hall of Fame voting in Jan., 2014. He, along with Ferguson Jenkins, had his Cubs No. 31 retired last summer in Wrigley Field.

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Proud to be UNVERIFIED.

Can he also be the Cubs 5th starter?

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Sad thing is, If asked to pick between him and Shark...hmmm

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Team Cutler.

they already have plenty of 5th starters.

He will eventually be the Cubs GM.

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

Is that good or bad? My first reaction is that it could be a good thing. I don't think anyone questioned whether or not Maddux knows the game.....But how would that translate to a GM position and everything that comes with that? Well, it's not "rocket surgery"

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Proud to be UNVERIFIED.

Not sure whether it is good or bad, just was my initial reaction to hearing this story. I think he is a really smart baseball guy, but whether that translates into a good GM or not...who knows.

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

I figured this was just to get him a job in the organization till he eventually becomes Sandberg's pitching coach.

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Second City Saint

I feel this would be bad if it means him being GM one day. It is a hustle job, and most things I've heard is that is not a Maddux specialty.

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Maybe. I just see Greg as more of a front office guy than a bench guy.

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

mmmmm....getting the band back together....

What do you mean?

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

I can see that, but he has such a great grasp of pitching, I'd hate to see it go to waste in the front office. Now, if that means evaluating prospects or potential draft picks then fine.

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Second City Saint

Most comments I've heard about Maddux is that he really likes relaxing, golf, etc. (and not just from B and B today). I make fun of Jim Hendry quite a bit, but the GM job is something you really have to be doing 365-24-7.

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In that case, I just hope Greg Maddux + John Paxson don't MATCH

So, Sandberg makes his bones in the minors and can't even be Lou's bench coach, yet Maddux get's a nice comfy seat next to Hendry.

Well, no seat next to Hendry could be described as comfortable. He always looks sweaty and seems like a guy who would get crumbs all over everything.
And who do you think has more responsibility?

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We all have private ails. The troublemakers are they who need public cures for their private ails.- Eric Hoffer

Assistant to the General Manager, huh? Good for him. I hope he changes the uniforms to cotton, suggests they have fitted hat day, and propses to extend the stall doors in the restrooms all the way down to the floor.

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

Exactly.

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CSFMB 2014 Nascar Pick 'em Champion

We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much. — Ronald Reagan

I don't think Maddux gets full time back in the game until his kids are done with high school. His younger kid is 13. (he has a boy and a girl I forget which one is older the older one is 16)
This is a way to get back in the game he can live in Vegas and do this. Dunston and Dawson are doing similar things and this is kind of like what Sandberg's original role was.