Wills not surprised Maddon has made instant impact on Chicago Cubs

Dave Wills, pulling for the Chicago Cubs?

Let's not go that far, but the former Chicago White Sox radio broadcaster does have a rooting interest thanks to Joe Maddon.

Wills, a native Chicagoan and staunch White Sox fan while he was on the air from 1994-2004, has been in the Tampa Bay Rays' radio booth for the past 11 years.

Maddon arrived as Tampa Bay's manager in 2006, and he finished last in the AL East in his first two years in the "Devil Rays" dugout while combining to go 127-197. In 2008, Tampa Bay became the "Rays" and Maddon began making his mark.

"I saw how he transitioned the Devil Rays to the Rays," Wills said. "I think the Devil Rays, back in 2005-06, were probably in a little deeper funk than the Cubs were coming into this year, but I saw what kind of magic he worked."

In 2006, Maddon inherited a team that had Triple-A talent and finished with a 61-101 record, but he soldiered on.

"Obviously, it took a couple of years to get to where we wanted go, but Joe just changed the entire environment from top to bottom," Wills said. "He made it a very, very comfortable place to work, no matter if you were a player or a clubhouse attendant or a broadcaster. He changed the entire atmosphere."

In 2008, Maddon guided Tampa Bay to its first winning season in franchise history. The Rays really caught fire in August, going 21-7, and finished the year with a 97-65 record.

That is the same regular season record the Cubs finished with this year.

"It was a better team in '08, a team that people figured could finish at .500," Wills said. "But Joe had instilled the attitude, 'Why do we have to stop at .500? Don't raise the bar to the point where you can reach it and then stop.' With the Cubs this year, it kind of reminds me of what we did in '08 where we jumped the line. There's nothing wrong with jumping the line and I think that's what Joe's been doing with the Cubs."

Wills and Maddon became very close the last nine years in Tampa Bay.

When general manager Andrew Friedman left the Rays and joined the Dodgers last October, it jolted the franchise.

When Maddon discovered he had an opt-out clause and followed Friedman out the door 10 days later, Wills was floored.

"On the surprise scale of 1 to 10, Andrew leaving was about an 8," Wills said. "Joe Maddon leaving was about a 25. To me, he was the face of the franchise. He was out front when things were going good and he was out front when things were going to bad. Last year with the Rays (2014), we didn't do what we were expected to do, but Joe had already made plans about what he was going to do in spring training.

"I didn't see it coming. But once I heard he had the opt out, who could blame him? It was a kick in the gut when (Friedman) left. It was probably a kick a little bit lower with Joe. For what he meant to the team, for what he meant to us, it was a big-time kick."

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