It is said that people who do not understand or know history, are bound to repeat it.
Rick Morrissey of the Sun Times wrote on the Joe Maddon hire:
Baker and Piniella have said they were not prepared for the oppressive
atmosphere on the North Side, a heaviness brought on by a century of
futility. Nothing can prepare a manager for that, so it will be
interesting to see how the fun-loving Maddon approaches the massive
expectations. Baker and Piniella balked at being thought of as the Cubs’
Messiah. To wink at the pressure, Maddon might want to show up for his
introductory news conference in white tunic, brown cloak, sandals, fake
beard, all-seeing glasses and say, “I have come to proclaim good news to
the World Series poor.’’
Maddon is not Baker or Piniella, but one could argue that Baker and Piniella had a better resume prior to taking the helm than Maddon. Maddon may be a goofy free spirit, crazy loose player's manager, but Piniella was no wallflower and Baker was an old school players manager (letting the inmates run the locker room asylum). When Baker left on bad terms, he inferred the r-card as being a major problem in winning on the North Side. When Piniella quit, he admitted that the pressure of winning on the North Side was something he had not expected; it broke him. And Piniella had gone through the intense media circus of New York both as a player and a manager. Perhaps, the Cubs managerial position is a coach killer.
Maddon is aware that if his team could ever when the World Series for the Cubs, he would never have to buy a drink or meal in Chicago for the rest of his days. He would become the next Ditka, a revered local icon. Such is the embrace of the City with Big Shoulders: a crushing one.
No one wants Maddon to fail. But everyone has high expectations for his success, even though he has not managed one game for the Cubs. A divisional title in 2015 is a last call drunken bet at the local tavern. A championship by 2019 (when Maddon's deal is over) is a goal, but not a guarantee. GM Jed Hoyer admitted that the Plan is less than 50% complete, so the team still has a long, long way to go.
