Joe Maddon Wants Cubs To 'Run Toward' The Pressure, Expectations
(CBS) Just six regular-season games into his Chicago tenure, manager Joe Maddon has the Cubs in first place in the NL Central at 4-2, and he's more than happy to embrace any lofty expectations that may come, however overzealous and early they may be.
"Everybody always uses this word pressure a lot, and I'm here to tell you man, it's a good word," Maddon said in an interview with the Spiegel and Goff Show on Tuesday. "I really want our players to embrace that because it normally means there's something positive at the end.
"We should all have high expectations. You should have high expectations, I should, we all should. I'm really amazed when you read about people talking about expectations, people want to run away from that. I think you should run toward that all the time. That's the best place to be. That's where the action is. That's when you're alive.
"I want our players to embrace all this stuff in Cubdom. I'm a big fan. The people are wonderful, the fans are incredible."
Early on, Maddon has already been left with one notable impression about his team, which earned a come-from-behind 7-6 victory against the Reds in 10 innings on Monday night with the help of two homers from young outfielder Jorge Soler.
"Coming into it, I knew (Tom) Ricketts, Theo (Epstein) and Jed (Hoyer) and the front office was great, and of course I then heard about the players," Maddon said. "But I was never actually in the dugout and clubhouse with them (before). These young guys are as advertised. They're that skillful. They're going to be that good. But also, when you get in the clubhouse and dugout with them, you understand how young they actually are and how much you really have to nurture them. It's going to take a little time to get them to the point you want them to be."
Click here to listen to the full interview in a new tab or listen below. Maddon talks about No. 1 starter Jon Lester's trouble on pick-off throws to first base, how much he loves the city and more much.