Cubs' Joe Maddon Tells The Story Of Proposing In A Liquor Store Parking Lot
(CBS) The Cubs are in Denver to face the Rockies in a three-game series this week, and the scene has a way of bringing back many memories for manager Joe Maddon.
It was in 2007 while he was managing the Rays that Maddon proposed to his wife, Jaye, in Boulder, Colo., which is about 30 miles northwest of Denver and where Maddon had played semi-pro ball in 1975 and 1980. While he was there, Maddon also worked at Baseline Liquors to get some extra cash.
Maddon's plan was to propose to Jaye in a scenic spot at one of the old baseball fields he'd played on, but it didn't go to plan. So he just rolled with it in typical Maddon fashion, popping the big question in the wee hours.
"That's where I worked, up at the Baseline liquor store," Maddon said on the Spiegel and Parkins Show on 670 The Score on Tuesday. "It's right off 36 and 19. I played there in '75 and again in 1980 for Bauldie Moschetti and the Boulder Collegians. When I proposed to Jaye (in 2007), we were out here playing (the Rockies in Denver). We rented a car. She didn't know. I took her up to Boulder. I was trying to find the old ballpark, Scotty Carpenter and CU, Colorado University baseball field. I hadn't been there in 30 years, and it was dark and I couldn't find them. I didn't have a GPS unit at that time.
"I knew where Bauldie's (store) was, I knew where the Baseline liquor store was. So I went there, went in the parking lot. A big billboard with the neon (sign) buzzing, bugs are running into the neon. One knee right there, proposed there. Listen, so many good things have happened to me in Boulder, twice getting signed as a player and then eventually getting a job with the Angels as a scout and manager and then proposing to Jaye. Everything comes in threes in regards to good things."
So does Maddon recommend liquor store parking lot proposals? Maybe.
"Liquor store parking lot to me beats the crap out of any ballpark proposal," Maddon said. "You kidding me?"
Listen to Maddon's full interview with Spiegel and Parkins below. You can listen to full shows here.
