Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon and the Cubs' beat reporters shared a laugh over a tongue-in-cheek threat made by Maddon. (Credit: Philip G. Pavely-USA TODAY Sports)
Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon and the Cubs' beat reporters shared a laugh over a tongue-in-cheek threat made by Maddon. (Credit: Philip G. Pavely-USA TODAY Sports)

Cubs News: Joe Maddon jokingly threatens to beat up sports writers who were critical of him


by - Senior Writer -

ST. LOUIS — Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon was relieved of his duties on Sunday, with the Cubs' 9-0 loss at Busch Stadium to the St. Louis Cardinals marking the end of his tenure. Maddon's contract was set to expire at season's end, and Maddon and Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein announced in a pregame press conference that Maddon would not return as Cubs manager for the 2020 season.

While the pregame presser was very amicable and polished, the postgame presser was much more lighthearted. Although the Cardinals were the ones who won the National League Central on the day, the Cubs had themselves a locker-room party, too, with the team celebrating the Cubs careers of Maddon and impending Cubs free agents Pedro Strop and Ben Zobrist, who might not be back with the club next year.

Maddon chatted with reporters in a hallway outside the visiting locker room for his final postgame media session as the Cubs' skipper. While holding a bottle of Corona, Maddon was jovial, reflective and upbeat when speaking with the Cubs' beat reporters for the final time in 2019. However, in typical Maddon fashion, the conversation ended with a bang.

Although he was assuredly joking, Maddon promised any of the reporters who were critical of him at any point during his stint as Cubs manager that they would have had their asses kicked if they were in the other dugout and made those remarks toward him. Maddon passionately defended himself, saying that he believes in his decisions and knows why he makes them. The veteran skipper shook each and every reporter's hand before departing, though.

Whether he intended to or not, Maddon might have ultimately revealed why the Cubs decided to move on from him, as his unwavering commitment to doing things his way and his way only may have been what ended his Cubs tenure. Maddon and the journalists who covered him in the Windy City shared a hearty laugh before parting ways, but, via his hypothetical threat, Maddon made it clear that he had no regrets for how he managed the Cubs for five seasons, regardless of how it turned out.

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