Joe Maddon thanks Tampa Bay with ads in two newspapers
Though Joe Maddon has moved on after inking a five-year contract to become the Chicago Cubs new manager, he couldn’t walk away from the Tampa Bay community without issuing a heartfelt thank you for its support over the past nine seasons.
On Friday, Maddon and his wife, Jaye, did just that, taking out a half-page ad in both the Tampa Times and the Tampa Tribune.
The message in both papers reads as follows:
From Joe and Jaye Maddon,
THANK YOU
to the Tampa Bay community for making your home, our home;
to everyone who has helped make “Thanksmas” a success and to those who will help us continue to grow it;
to the Rays players for your hard work, belief and commitment to creating and maintaining a positive culture that will endure;
to the Rays coaching, training, and front office staffs that are second to none;
to Stu Sternberg, Matt Silverman, Andrew Friedman and the Rays ownership group for permitting me to grow and evolve as a manager;
But most of all…
THANK YOU
to the Rays fans for their consistent loyalty and energy which allowed me to flourish on a daily basis.
Well, It’s not a free drink, as Maddon was offering immediately after his introductory press conference in Chicago, but it’s a classy gesture nonetheless.
Before inking his deal with Chicago, it’s reported that Maddon reached out to the Rays one last time with a firm, but under-market value deal to remain their manager. The Rays obviously didn’t bite, but it’s another indication that Maddon was willing to stay with the organzation and wanted to stay in the community he’d called home for nearly a decade.
In Maddon’s nine seasons with the Rays, the team went 754-705. He led them to the postseason four times, including a World Series appearance in 2008. Given the franchise’s circumstances, those results are pretty remarkable. He did the right thing by thanking Rays fans, but Rays fans might owe him an even bigger thank you for helping make the franchise relevant.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
