ST. LOUIS (670 The Score) -- Cubs manager Joe Maddon went out the door Sunday with the same class that defined his tenure in Chicago, thanking his players while expressing his appreciation for everyone in the organization.
Specifically, Maddon was grateful for the close bonds that he held with his players throughout a five-year run in Chicago that included four playoff appearances and a World Series title in 2016.
"I was direct and honest with my players always," Maddon said after he and the team announced he wouldn't return in 2020. "I would prefer they dislike me for one day than hate me forever if I had deceived them."
Knowing the end was near, Maddon had been meeting with players and staffers throughout the week in one-on-one settings to reflect on their time together and share his thanks. He also gathered the whole club together Friday night at the team hotel to essentially tell everyone he wouldn't be returning.
"Joe let us know the other night," first baseman Anthony Rizzo said. "We had a great night with him. It was a bittersweet night, but we know he is in a good place. He is a living legend in this game. He is a bridge to the old and to the new. He came to this market and helped break the curse. It's not like he is being run out of town. He is pretty much going out on his own terms. Joe has helped change my life and my career. I love him like another dad."
Infielder/outfielder Ian Happ echoed that sentiment.
"He is the best ever," Happ said. "His ability to bring in young players and immediately help them to assimilate to the big league culture is just one of the great skills he has. It is so natural to him. I am eternally grateful and so fortunate to have played for him for three years. What an unbelievable person."
Maddon connected with youngsters and veterans alike, using his personality and strong communication skills to form a bond with everyone.
"It was fun," said veteran left-hander Cole Hamels, an impending free agent. "It was a different manager that I played for, and I really enjoyed it. He really let us be ourselves and still being able to compete on the field and enjoying the moments we had. I am happy I got to play for him, and you never know -- he still wants to manage and I still want to play. You never know. Something may line up again for both of us."
While it may be overlooked now after all the Cubs' accomplishments in recent years, Maddon joining the franchise gave it much-needed credibility at a time in which there had been little success. The Cubs had missed the playoffs for six straight seasons when he signed a five-year deal with the Cubs in November 2014.
About a month later, left-hander Jon Lester signed a $155-million, giving the rotation its ace and setting the stage of what was to come.
"Hiring Joe helped create interest over here for sure," Lester said. "With talk of the rebuild, to hire Joe right away made things interesting. He was the first one to believe in it, and when you get a manager like him to believe, it makes it easier for players to believe in it."
After finishing his Cubs career with the season-finale against the Cardinals on Sunday afternoon, Maddon was to hop the short flight back to Chicago with the team and then planned on driving to his home in Pennsylvania with his wife, Jaye. Once there, he would think about the next chapter of his career.
He still wants to manage for three to five more years, and he figures to have plenty of options.
"When I look at my career he is right at the top" Ben Zobrist said about the importance of Maddon on his career".No one has been more of an advocate as much as he has for me as a player"
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.
