Ouch. Why did Aroldis Chapman feel the need to call out Joe Maddon regarding his alleged overuse during the World Series. Chapman may not realize it, but he comes off looking pretty bad in a situation that he brought unto himself. And if he hasn’t already, Brian Cashman should scold Aroldis Chapman for opening his mouth, so it doesn’t happen again.
First of all, why would anyone want to take on Joe Maddon , the “King of Baseball” right now. The main who brought a World Championship to the city of Chicago, the man who captures headlines by just being “Joe Maddon”……what could Ardolis Chapman have been thinking?
Or maybe that’s just it and the kid wasn’t thinking. Because he sure picked a strange time to do it smack in the middle of the press conference formally announcing his return to the Yankees . These are supposed to be feel good moments for the player and the team. And you’re supposed to talk about all the wonderful things you’re going to do during the season, and how happy you are to be a part of this wonderful organization.
Aroldis Chapman: Report To Mr. Cashman’ Office
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It was telling as well that Ardolis Chapman made his remarks via a teleconference call from wherever he was at the time, and not in the room with the reporters. And more importantly, Brian Cashman was not in the same room with Chapman either. But you can be sure that Brian Cashman twinged a bit when he heard Maddon’s name mentioned like, “Oh no, what did he just say?”.
Because of all people, Cashman knows that while Chapman may be telling the truth, and in fact he was overused in Games Six and Seven, he would have done the same thing himself because you do whatever it takes to win in those situations. Moreover, Cashman would also know that Chapman was nothing more than a rental for Chicago. And we all know how tenants treat things they don’t own. So, what’s the big deal? Maddon was only doing what was expected of him.
Besides, Aroldis Chapman pretty much said the same thing himself when he was quoted as saying, “My job is to be ready, to be ready to pitch whenever that is, however many innings it is. I need to be ready for that, and I need to go in to do my job.”
So again, to the point what did Ardolis Chapman gain by even bringing the matter up. For his part, Maddon wisely took the high road downplaying the whole thing. And once again, it’s likely that Brian Cashman breathed a sigh of relief that Maddon did. Because the last thing Cashman would want to be talking about is how Aroldis Chapman found his way back to the Yankees . Maddon also said he spoke to Chapman before each game checking on how he was feeling.
Next: Should Chapman have been used less?
Charge Ardolis Chapman with an error on that play.