Maddon’s dream is to have Angels beat Cubs in World Series

Cubs introduce Ross as manager; Phillies and Padres hire bosses

The Los Angeles Angels have more work ahead of them than the Cubs in their quest to return to the World Series.

But that didn’t stop Joe Maddon from sharing a dream Thursday during a news conference at Angels Stadium introducing him as the new Angels manager.

Maddon was asked “what happened in Chicago” that led to his departure after five seasons that included four National League playoff appearances, three NL Championship Series appearances and a 2016 World Series title — the franchise’s first since 1908.

Maddon saved his best line for last after praising the franchise’s accomplishments during his tenure and “a lot of outreach from my guys in Chicago” and wished them well.

“And the ultimate goal — you want to talk about a pipe dream — was that we play them in the World Series and beat them,” Maddon said.

“That would be my pipe dream there.”

As for missing the playoffs with the Cubs in 2019, Maddon replied: “It just wasn’t clicking at the of the year like it had the last couple years. That’s not to say that I couldn’t have stayed there. I could have.

“But I have nothing but warm fuzzies about five years in Chicago.”

Maddon reminisced about his roots in the Angels system that started in 1976 as a player and ran through the 2005 season as a bench coach.

He said he also wanted to rejuvenate the Angels’ alumni base, which was heavily represented.

“How cool is this?” Maddon said in his opening remarks.

CUBS: Chicago hired former catcher David Ross to replace Joe Maddon as their manager Thursday, hoping he can help them get back to the playoffs after missing out for the first since 2014. The three-year deal includes a club option for the 2023 season. Ross, who’s never managed or even coached before, becomes the 55th manager in club history.

The 42-year-old Ross played the final two of his 15 major league seasons with the Cubs and was a revered leader on the 2016 team that won the World Series, ending the infamous championship drought dating to 1908. He spent the past three years in Chicago’s front office and was widely viewed as a potential replacement for Maddon, one of the most successful managers in franchise history with a 471-339-1 record in five seasons.

“I’m honored by this opportunity to be the next manager of the Chicago Cubs,” Ross said in a statement. “My time with this organization has been special since the day I joined, so to continue with the club in this role is a blessing for which I’m so very thankful.”

PHILLIES: Philadelphia hired former Yankees manager Joe Girardi to replace Gabe Kapler on Thursday. Girardi will be introduced at a news conference Monday.

“I’m excited for this next chapter of my career,” Girardi said in a statement. “The Phillies have a strong commitment to winning from the owners to the front office to the players to the fans. It’s something that I’ve seen up close for the last 30 years of my baseball career. I played against the great Phillies players of the early ’90s from Dutch Daulton to John Kruk to Dave Hollins, and I managed against their teams during the incredible run they had from 2008 to 2011. To have my name now associated with this great franchise is something that I couldn’t be happier about.”

Kapler was fired after an injury-depleted team went 81-81 despite significant offseason additions highlighted by Bryce Harper’s arrival. He was 161-163 in his two seasons.

PADRES: Diego Padresis turning to a rookie manager, Jayce Tingler from the Texas Rangers, to take over a team that has missed the playoffs for 13 straight seasons and hasn’t had a winning record in nine years, The Associated Press reported on Thursday.

Tingler, 38, has most recently been on the Rangers’ coaching staff as major league player development field coordinator, working with outfielders and baserunners.

BOCHY: Retired San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy If retirement goes as planned for former Giants manager Bruce Bochy, it’s a period of his life that won’t last long.

During an appearance with Chris “Mad Dog” Russo on SiriusXM Radio Thursday, Bochy explained that he does have a desire to manage again.

“I’m just hitting the pause button,” Bochy told Russo. “That’s all, you know, I’m taking a sabbatical here for a year and then, you know, I’ll see where I’m at. I don’t know how I’m going feel but I’d love to have one more shot.”

When Bochy does start to look for his next manager job, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if he avoided clubs in rebuilding mode. Bochy will turn 65 in April and knows better than anyone the toll that losing takes.