Greg Maddux, the Puppet Master

[Three times a JD]

I saw this link on TCR.  Send all royalties their way.

But when Brad Penny and Maddux were teammates on the Dodgers, during the last two months of 2006, they had a conversation one day that led Penny to reach a stunning conclusion: This guy knows my stuff better than I do. It was eerie, really, how easily Maddux dissected Penny's repertoire and suggested ways to maximize it. Penny, figuring he'd take advantage of the situation, asked Maddux to call a game for him against the Cubs. And so, on the night of Sept. 13, Penny glanced into the dugout before every delivery and found Maddux, who signaled the next pitch by looking toward different parts of the ballpark. Penny threw seven scoreless innings with no walks and beat the Cubs 6-0. "Maddux probably won't tell you that story," Penny says. He's right.

I did some research on the lineup Penny was facing.  I think Dusty Baker and Jim Hendry probably deserve some credit from Penny, too.

Pierre cf                   
Theriot 2b                   
Ramirez 3b                 
Jones rf                     
Murton lf                 
Mabry 1b                   
Izturis ss                   
Blanco c                     
Guzman p 

 

[Lance Dicksons Arm]

I saw this link on TCR.  Send all royalties their way.

But when Brad Penny and Maddux were teammates on the Dodgers, during the last two months of 2006, they had a conversation one day that led Penny to reach a stunning conclusion: This guy knows my stuff better than I do. It was eerie, really, how easily Maddux dissected Penny's repertoire and suggested ways to maximize it. Penny, figuring he'd take advantage of the situation, asked Maddux to call a game for him against the Cubs. And so, on the night of Sept. 13, Penny glanced into the dugout before every delivery and found Maddux, who signaled the next pitch by looking toward different parts of the ballpark. Penny threw seven scoreless innings with no walks and beat the Cubs 6-0. "Maddux probably won't tell you that story," Penny says. He's right.

I did some research on the lineup Penny was facing.  I think Dusty Baker and Jim Hendry probably deserve some credit from Penny, too.

Pierre cf                   
Theriot 2b                   
Ramirez 3b                 
Jones rf                     
Murton lf                 
Mabry 1b                   
Izturis ss                   
Blanco c                     
Guzman p 

 

2006 sucked doberman sack.  I say that we never speak of it again.

[Taylor2]

I saw this link on TCR.  Send all royalties their way.

But when Brad Penny and Maddux were teammates on the Dodgers, during the last two months of 2006, they had a conversation one day that led Penny to reach a stunning conclusion: This guy knows my stuff better than I do. It was eerie, really, how easily Maddux dissected Penny's repertoire and suggested ways to maximize it. Penny, figuring he'd take advantage of the situation, asked Maddux to call a game for him against the Cubs. And so, on the night of Sept. 13, Penny glanced into the dugout before every delivery and found Maddux, who signaled the next pitch by looking toward different parts of the ballpark. Penny threw seven scoreless innings with no walks and beat the Cubs 6-0. "Maddux probably won't tell you that story," Penny says. He's right.

I did some research on the lineup Penny was facing.  I think Dusty Baker and Jim Hendry probably deserve some credit from Penny, too.

Pierre cf                   
Theriot 2b                   
Ramirez 3b                 
Jones rf                     
Murton lf                 
Mabry 1b                   
Izturis ss                   
Blanco c                     
Guzman p 

 

2006 sucked doberman sack.  I say that we never speak of it again.

What 2006 season? MLB canceled the 2005 and 2006 seasons.

[Andy]

Didn't Greg call a shutout for somebody during his first stint with the Cubs?  I forget who (which kind of kills the story, and knowing the Cubs it probably wasn't a shutout, but a 2-1 loss) but I remember reading somewhere that the catcher (Wrona, maybe) looked into the dugout for every pitch.

[BH]

It always surprises me to hear Maddux speak so kindly about Rothschild.

[Lance Dicksons Arm]

Is there any question that the Cubs should backup the cash truck and pay this man a stupid sum of money to be pitching coach when he hangs em' up?  Assuming, of course, he doesn't accept the gig in San Diego.

Maddux in his prime had very good stuff.  But it wasn't Pedro, Clemens, Bob Gibson nasty sort of shit.  His mental approach is what sets him apart.  He will win over 350 games barely being able to hit 90 on the radar gun.  If I'm a GM, THAT'S the guy I want teaching my pitchers.

THAT'S the guy the Cubs need to pay.    

[Thrillho]

More...

http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3336514

Inside the man's head resides the most comprehensive history of the most essential confrontation in sports: pitcher vs. hitter. Maddux sees things nobody else sees, senses things nobody else senses. The examples are legendary, almost mythical. He can speed-read a batter's stance—a little more open, a few inches up in the box—in the middle of his windup, allowing him to change his grip from changeup to fastball in the time it takes him to lift his leg. That's why, throughout his career, Maddux has steered clear of certain catchers, because they couldn't think fast enough to keep up with him. Padres catchers Josh Bard and Michael Barrett will sometimes go an entire game without giving him a sign. A little tap on the thigh for location is all that's necessary.

(Something seems amiss here.)

Pro scouts and college coaches started calling and showing up at the Maddux house during Mike's senior year. As one of the scouts was leaving one night, the boys' father, Dave Maddux, shook the guy's hand and said, "You'll be back for the little one."

With the Cubs, the story goes, Maddux once sat in the dugout and watched José Hernández of the Dodgers set up in the batter's box. After two pitches, Maddux turned to the guys around him and said, "We might have to call an ambulance for the first base coach." On the next pitch, Hernández whipped a shot that hit first base coach John Shelby in the chest.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3337786

Greg Maddux is famous for his inability to hold runners on base. It's about the only thing he hasn't done well in his career, and last year the problem extended through the entire Padres starting rotation. For instance, runners were 44 for 44 against 6'10" Chris Young.

It was a problem, and as the season wore on it became a huge topic for discussion in San Diego. They were stealing on Jake Peavy, and Maddux, and of course Young.

So one day Maddux told Young to forget about the runners, that it wasn't the big deal everybody else was making it out to be. He told Young, "Only 17 percent of runners who steal second go on to score."

Maddux made another point: If opposing players have a low batting average against a pitcher—as is the case with Young—then it makes sense to go after the hitter and not worry about the runners.

The next time Young was interviewed about all those stolen bases, he said, "It's like Greg says, only 17 percent of the runners who steal second go on to score."

This 17 percent solution became something of a mantra in the second half of the season for the Padres. Why? Because Maddux said so, that's why.

Nobody bothered to check the stats; they just repeated Maddux's assertions. When I was in San Diego last September, a savvy and wry reporter for the San Diego Union-Tribune told me, "I've got a feeling Maddux just made up that 17 percent thing to take the heat off these guys. It gives them something to say, and everybody just nods because it's Maddux."

Then a guy in San Diego who writes a blog by the name of SDPads1 decided to check it out. He went through every 2007 boxscore and discovered that slightly more than 40 percent of the base-stealers eventually scored against the Padres.

He broke it down further and further—eliminating from the equation guys who would have scored anyway—eventually whittling the number down closer to Maddux's estimate. But the truth was, 17 percent wasn't exactly science.

There was no arguing about one point, though: It was classic Maddux.

[Buck Naked]

Is there any question that the Cubs should backup the cash truck and pay this man a stupid sum of money to be pitching coach when he hangs em' up?  Assuming, of course, he doesn't accept the gig in San Diego.

Maddux in his prime had very good stuff.  But it wasn't Pedro, Clemens, Bob Gibson nasty sort of shit.  His mental approach is what sets him apart.  He will win over 350 games barely being able to hit 90 on the radar gun.  If I'm a GM, THAT'S the guy I want teaching my pitchers.

THAT'S the guy the Cubs need to pay.    

+1

+3 if the cash truck runs over and kills Rothschild while backing up.

[Oleg]

Is there any question that the Cubs should backup the cash truck and pay this man a stupid sum of money to be pitching coach when he hangs em' up?  Assuming, of course, he doesn't accept the gig in San Diego.

Maddux in his prime had very good stuff.  But it wasn't Pedro, Clemens, Bob Gibson nasty sort of shit.  His mental approach is what sets him apart.  He will win over 350 games barely being able to hit 90 on the radar gun.  If I'm a GM, THAT'S the guy I want teaching my pitchers.

THAT'S the guy the Cubs need to pay.    

+1

+3 if the cash truck runs over and kills Rothschild while backing up then drives Rothschild to help out in Cincy.

Reunion'd.

[AMV]

Long-time lurker, first time poster.  This fits here, sort of.

Back in '88 I stayed after a game at the player's lot.  Ended up seeing Maddux.  I had nothing for him to sign (my pre-planning skills were incomplete at 14), so I asked him what a pitcher should do; he'd been doing pretty good and I figured I could learn instead of get an autograph.  He said this:

"Kid, all you need to do is to make the balls look like strikes and the strikes look like balls.  Work fast, get ahead and change speeds, and it doesn't really matter how fast you throw.  Keep 'em off balance and you'll win most of the time.  If you're not having fun then don't play."

[Gil Gunderson]

Long-time lurker, first time poster.  This fits here, sort of.

Back in '88 I stayed after a game at the player's lot.  Ended up seeing Maddux.  I had nothing for him to sign (my pre-planning skills were incomplete at 14), so I asked him what a pitcher should do; he'd been doing pretty good and I figured I could learn instead of get an autograph.  He said this:

"Kid, all you need to do is to make the balls look like strikes and the strikes look like balls.  Work fast, get ahead and change speeds, and it doesn't really matter how fast you throw.  Keep 'em off balance and you'll win most of the time.  If you're not having fun then don't play."

Shut up Paul, you're a douche.

[thehawk]

Long-time lurker, first time poster.  This fits here, sort of.

Back in '88 I stayed after a game at the player's lot.  Ended up seeing Maddux.  I had nothing for him to sign (my pre-planning skills were incomplete at 14), so I asked him what a pitcher should do; he'd been doing pretty good and I figured I could learn instead of get an autograph.  He said this:

"Kid, all you need to do is to make the balls look like strikes and the strikes look like balls.  Work fast, get ahead and change speeds, and it doesn't really matter how fast you throw.  Keep 'em off balance and you'll win most of the time.  If you're not having fun then don't play."

That's what should go on Greg's plaque in Cooperstown.

[Internet Apex]

Long-time lurker, first time poster.  This fits here, sort of.

Back in '88 I stayed after a game at the player's lot.  Ended up seeing Maddux.  I had nothing for him to sign (my pre-planning skills were incomplete at 14), so I asked him what a pitcher should do; he'd been doing pretty good and I figured I could learn instead of get an autograph.  He said this:

"Kid, all you need to do is to make the balls look like strikes and the strikes look like balls.  Work fast, get ahead and change speeds, and it doesn't really matter how fast you throw.  Keep 'em off balance and you'll win most of the time.  If you're not having fun then don't play."

That's what should go on Greg's plaque in Cooperstown.

I've been wondering what to get tattooed on my taint. Problem solved.

[Gil Gunderson]

Long-time lurker, first time poster.  This fits here, sort of.

Back in '88 I stayed after a game at the player's lot.  Ended up seeing Maddux.  I had nothing for him to sign (my pre-planning skills were incomplete at 14), so I asked him what a pitcher should do; he'd been doing pretty good and I figured I could learn instead of get an autograph.  He said this:

"Kid, all you need to do is to make the balls look like strikes and the strikes look like balls.  Work fast, get ahead and change speeds, and it doesn't really matter how fast you throw.  Keep 'em off balance and you'll win most of the time.  If you're not having fun then don't play."

That's what should go on Greg's plaque in Cooperstown.

I've been wondering what to get tattooed on my taint. Problem solved.

Such a dirty word...tattoo.

[Thrillho]

Long-time lurker, first time poster.  This fits here, sort of.

Back in '88 I stayed after a game at the player's lot.  Ended up seeing Maddux.  I had nothing for him to sign (my pre-planning skills were incomplete at 14), so I asked him what a pitcher should do; he'd been doing pretty good and I figured I could learn instead of get an autograph.  He said this:

"Kid, all you need to do is to make the balls look like strikes and the strikes look like balls.  Work fast, get ahead and change speeds, and it doesn't really matter how fast you throw.  Keep 'em off balance and you'll win most of the time.  If you're not having fun then don't play."

That's what should go on Greg's plaque in Cooperstown.

I've been wondering what to get tattooed on my taint. Problem solved.

In that region, a number of these words might come off as instructions, Pex.

Do you really want the ladies to think you're that bossy? Whatever happened to old fashioned romance?

(Also: Apex either has a comically out-sized taint or an extremely steady-handed tattoo artist.)