At first glance, Tampa Bay manager Joe Madden is an odd-looking duck. His closely-cropped, whitish hair, combined with his horn-rimmed glasses, give him a nebbish, geek-like appearance. But the man is anything but.
In fact, the 56-year-old native of Hazelton, PA might be one of the brightest minds in the game. Never one to go strictly by the book, Maddon has been known to go against the grain. He will have switch-hitters bat right against rightys, put hitters with averages below the 'Mendoza Line' into the clean-up spot and get athletic players to learn multiple positions. And let's face it, Maddon singlehandedly turned around a franchise that looked headed for relocation after taking over a team that was a perennial 100-game loser.
It hasn't been a quick fix in Tampa Bay. During his first two seasons at the helm of the (Devil) Rays, his teams went 127-197, hardly the numbers of which legends are born. But a funny thing happened in 2008. The Rays went the magical worst-to-first route, finishing above .500 for the first time in franchise history and represented the American League in the World. They lost to the Phillies in five games in the World Series but the legend of Joe Maddon was born.
This season, the Rays have been in a season-long struggle trying to wrestle the A.L. East crown away from the Yankees. Heading into Friday night's opener at the Riggers Centre against the Blue Jays, Tampa Bay sits 2.5 games back of New York in the East, but 6.5 games ahead of the Red Sox in the Wild Card race. Barring some unforeseen collapse - the Rays will qualify for their second post-season in three seasons and in my mind, they are the most dangerous team in the American League. The Yankees may have most of the game's brightest stars, but the Rays have the game's brightest manager and a pitching rotation that is better than the Yankees.
As Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos continues his search to find Cito Gaston's replacement, here's hoping that there's another mind like Maddon's is out there. For 36 seasons, he has been around the game in some capacity, the only thing he never did was play in the Majors. While others from that background failed miserably - Carlos Tosca, Mike Trembley - Maddon had a broader vision than just going by the book, always a convenient excuse when things don't quite break right. But his teams have been known to hustle and use their speed to their advantage, always forcing the issue when home runs dry up, which they do from time to time.
This is the direction that the Jays should take moving forward. This weekend, the blueprint is on display across the field. Everyone should pay attention. The Rays were built on high draft picks after several seasons languishing in the basement. The Jays plan to develop from within, with trades and free agency bringing in the finishing pieces when they are finally contending. Having the right man to push the buttons in the dugout is of paramount importance starting next season.
To say this off-season is important would be an understatement.
Scouring the bargain bin
We all do it, every time we go to Wal-Mart, pouring through the $5 DVD bin to find a cheap gem. Alex Anthopoulos does it as well although his search involves finding pitchers or hitters that, for whatever reason, have been discarded by one or more organizations, whether due to injury or under-performing. This week, a couple of more arms found their way to Toronto under similar circumstances. First it was Mississauga, ON native Shawn Hill started on Thursday night after years of rehab due to several surgical procedures, including two 'Tommy John 'surgeries. He pitched well enough to warrant a second look. On that same day, the team picked up reliever Taylor Buchholz off waivers from the Rockies. Neither appears to be superstars in waiting, but they do provide the team with pitching depth, never a bad thing.
