Emma: Joe Maddon Makes An Impact Off The Field, Too
By Chris Emma--
CHICAGO (CBS) -- With the warm California sun shining down, Joe Maddon would bike from Sunset Beach south to Newport Beach. This was his oasis during his tenure as Angels bench coach.
Yet, among the comforts of Los Angeles living, Maddon couldn't help but notice a sight often seen and forgotten every day. More than a decade later, now entering his second season as Cubs manager, this beachside vision stays with him.
"You'd see homeless people pushing their entire life in a shopping basket," Maddon said. "That really bothered me to watch that."
Maddon couldn't push that to the side. Each year, he and his wife, Jaye, host an event called "Thanksmas," in which he invites in the homeless for a warm dinner. The holiday-themed name brings an event that comes weeks after Christmas, because he feels helping others should come not just on special occasions.
On Wednesday, there was Maddon welcoming the homeless from the brutal January cold in for a warm dinner at the Chicago Help Initiative facility. Despite the cameras on hand, this isn't at all some sort of facade for Maddon -- it means the world for him to give back. His intentions are genuine.
As the homeless filed in to the friendly confines of warmth, Maddon's message to the room brought chills.
"You are not invisible," Maddon told those homeless who had gathered.
The cruel reality stayed in Maddon's mind that many of these people would be out on the Chicago streets not long after he said those words. This is why he chooses to help.
Maddon worked the room and greeted as many patrons as he could. To some, he was the leader of a thrilling Cubs revival, but to most, he was just a helping hand. Maddon, his wife and members of the Cubs organization went to work preparing a dinner of spaghetti and meatballs, sausage and pierogi -- the ideal meal for a man of Italian and Polish heritage. Maddon even used his family recipe as one of the chefs.
This weekend, the annual Cubs Convention comes to Chicago, a de facto celebration of what executives Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer have accomplished in building a World Series favorite. Following a 97-win season and run to the NLCS in Maddon's first season, expectations are certainly sky high.
For Maddon, the high aspirations are part of the thrill in his job as Cubs manager. He enjoys striving for that success, with his mantra of "Don't ever let the pressure exceed the pleasure" permeating through his clubhouse.
The Cubs already had one of baseball's best teams with the core of Jake Arrieta, Jon Lester, Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber and more but improved with the additions of Jason Heyward, Ben Zobrist and John Lackey. To Maddon, Heyward is a top-five player in the game. He went even higher with praise for Zobrist, his star utility man in Tampa Bay.
"Top-five human on the face of the earth," Maddon said of Zobrist.
In Maddon's world, there just seem to be no bad days. Working what's been one of the most stressful jobs in sports, he finds a way to make everything enjoyable.
That special touch Maddon brings to the ballpark each day of the long season is what helped his Cubs evolve into a contender. He brings that same authenticity to the homeless whose lives he attempts to help.
Snow covers the ground of Chicago, and the temperature remains well below freezing. It's unbearable outside, but there's no inside available for far too many in Chicago. The opportunity to bring the less fortunate in for a dinner and warmth means so much to Maddon. It has ever since he was a young bench coach in sunny California.
On "Thanksmas" night in Chicago, Maddon's mind was far from baseball. He wanted to give back and help those who need it, the invisible people. Maddon sees them.
"It's not about me -- it's about trying to do the right thing," he said. "Hopefully, (society gets) to the point where everybody works together on this."
Chris Emma covers the Chicago sports scene and more for CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670 and like his Facebook page.
