Joe Maddon Waxing Poetic On Technology, Attention Spans Shows How He Connects With Modern Player
(CBS) It was just last week when the Red Sox suspended third baseman Pablo Sandoval for one game after he used Instagram on his cell phone while on a jaunt to the bathroom during the seventh inning of a game. In the minds of Boston's leaders, using social media during the contest showed a lack of focus that needed to be punished.
Which brings a question to mind: How would easy-going, well-respected, smooth Cubs manager Joe Maddon react in a similar circumstance on his team?
"Just don't be dumb enough to do that, please," Maddon said.
But say someone is dumb enough ...
"Personally, I don't find that highly offensive," Maddon said. "The way we use our cell phones today ... it's almost like a form of conversation. It is like a form of conversation. That could not have happened 20 years ago because cell phones did not exist. So for that group that wants to compare 20 years ago to today, you can't. Because I am certain, had the phone been available 20 years ago, there'd have been some dude in the big leagues doing exactly the same thing. So I don't worry about little superficial nonsense like that. To me, it's nothing more than a conversation. It was a moment he (Sandoval) was distracted, whatever it was, that time-filling moment. We cannot just sit anywhere or stand anywhere now without filling time. And that's our own fault. Because we have all these electronic devices that we find absolutely necessary to our existence, and they're just a part of us. So to me, it doesn't bother me in the least."
Maddon wants players who are mindful for an entire game, but he knows attention spans can wander. Adding a layer to this discussion are the continued mental gaffes of shortstop Starlin Castro, who last Friday allowed a run to score when he had the ball in the infield and wasn't paying any attention to the baserunners.
"I don't expect them to be (as locked in as I am)," Maddon said, speaking generally initially. "I don't. I want them to be, but I know it's not going to happen. But you always preach it and you try to get them to that point, knowing it's never going to arrive. It's just not. So why do I want to jones over something like that when I know it's not going to happen? I'm just going to get them as close to 100 percent as I possible can. I want them to know it really does matter. The game is long. It's tedious.
"Getting back to the Starlin thing or even in the outfield, the biggest thing you want to do on defense check in, then check out and check back in. Meaning get ready for the pitch, pitch is thrown. As the ball goes back to the pitcher, get out of your circle, take a loop, walk in a little bit of a circle, maybe pat your glove ... and then get back in the circle to get ready. You try to teach them little tricks."
Listen below to Maddon's full interview. He also shed more light Castro's recent play, some pinch-hitting strategy and much more.
