Maddon: I like the vibe a lot
MILWAUKEE - As an up-and-coming, but still very young, baseball team, the Cubs are going to have to earn their respect.
So they'll go through various rites of passage, whether with fans, other teams, the media or umpires.
Manager Joe Maddon says that's hardly unique to baseball.
"I just think it's called life," Maddon said Friday evening before the Cubs opened a three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. "Whether you want to talk about a sport or any given profession, as you work your way up through the ranks, you always have to go through certain little test roadblocks, rites of passage, whatever you want to classify them.
"It's our job to keep pushing forward and to not be denied. At the end of the day, you cannot be denied. I keep (saying), 'Keep pushing. Keep pushing. Keep banging on the door until the door opens, man.' That's what you got to do."
The Cubs entered this series having lost three out of four to the Cardinals in St. Louis. The Cardinals are the standard-bearers in the National League Central. They have won and know how to win. The Cubs are trying to get there, and learning how to win is a big part of those rites of passage.
"Yeah, I think you do learn how to win," Maddon said. "You learn how to do something over a period of time. You don't read about it in a book and then know how to do it. You've got to go out there and practically do it, and you've got to feel it. You've got to earn it. You've got to live it. You've got to do all those different things.
"And I like the way we're going about it. I have no problem. I think our guys have been great. I like the vibe a lot. I think it's getting better. We just lost three out of four, and I felt really good about our team."
The Cubs entered Friday second in the NL Central with a 14-13 record. They've done some things very well. For example, their batters entered the game leading the National League in pitches seen per plate appearance, at 3.99. In major-league baseball, only Boston batters had exhibited more patience at the plate.
Even more impressive, rookie third baseman Kris Bryant was tied with Curtis Granderson for the NL lead by seeing 4.40 pitches per plate appearance, and first baseman Anthony Rizzo was ninth (4.23).
No doubt the Cubs have struggled in certain areas, too. Their bullpen suffered some rough moments beginning with last Sunday's home loss to the Brewers and continuing into the St. Louis series. Compounding that, the starters had just 2 quality starts in their previous 6 heading into Friday.
As for getting respect, Maddon stuck up for his guys Wednesday in St. Louis, getting himself ejected for arguing balls and strikes and venting about it to the media after the game. He admitted he had a talk with MLB disciplinary chief Joe Torre.
"I did," he said. "Nice conversation. As of now, nothing definitive (as far as a fine) except a good conversation. It was very quick to the point. Joe and I talk at least once a year, at least once a year."
Keeping in mind that the Cubs have accelerated their rebuilding program and are fielding a team full of young players, Maddon seems to be OK with where the Cubs are in the division after having seen every team in it.
"After having seen everybody, I feel more confident," he said. "I really feel that we compete with everybody very well. Again, we have not played up to our capabilities yet. We're still in a decent spot, decent shape. I think overall, quite frankly, before the season began, if you'd have asked for this record on this date, a lot of people would have bought into it, so I'll take it. So I like a lot of that.
"If we had been pitching like crazy or just hitting like crazy … but we haven't done anything great yet, but we're going to, because we have those kind of athletes and players. That's the encouraging part."
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