Maddon chats with old pals
CHICAGO — On Tuesday, Joe Maddon’s
present collided with his past. The Chicago Cubs opened a two-game series against Tampa Bay, and that meant Maddon was managing against the Rays for the first time since he left after the 2014 season. “I want to go say hi,” Maddon said. “That’s probably the most important thing.” Maddon walked out of the dugout and into a sea of smiles and warm embraces as the Rays took batting practice. He got to chat with third baseman Evan Longoria
and say hello to some of his old staff members, like pitching coach Jim Hickey and third base coach Tom Foley. Maddon deftly guided Tampa Bay to a 754-705 record, four playoff appearances, two AL East titles and the 2008 AL pennant during his nine-year run. With a relaxed and quirky manager leading the way, Longoria developed into a star and the young, small-market Rays hung with the AL East’s big spenders in New York and Boston. Maddon opted out of his contract with Tampa Bay when Andrew Friedman left the Rays’ front office for the Los Angeles Dodgers, creating a free agency buzz during the World Series that year. It ended with the Cubs landing the big prize of Maddon, and with sluggers such as Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo, Chicago broke out with 97 wins on the way to the NLCS in 2015. Last season the Cubs won the World Series for the first time since 1908. But things haven’t gone as smoothly this year, and Tampa Bay had no favors for their old skipper on Independence Day — the Rays won 6-5, dropping the Cubs to 41-42 with the AllStar break approaching.
SOCCER
› ATLANTA — Josef Martinez scored two goals to lift Atlanta United FC past the San Jose Earthquakes 4-2 on Tuesday night. Anton Walkes delivered the go-ahead score off a header in the 81st minute. Martinez scored his second goal of the match — and his ninth of the season — in the 89th minute. San Jose (7-75) scored in the second minute and led 1-0 at halftime, but the Earthquakes played with 10 men after defender Kofie Sarkodie drew a red card in the 34th minute. Martinez scored off a header from Greg Garza’s cross in the 65th minute to give Atlanta (9-7-3) a one-goal edge. Less than a minute later, San Jose’s Chris Wondolowski tied the game.
BASKETBALL
› BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Samford has signed men’s basketball coach Scott Padgett to a fiveyear contract extension through the 2021-22 season. Padgett led the Southern Conference program to 20 wins this past season, his third. It was the program’s first winning season since 2005-06. Samford set a number of school records last season, including points, free throws and assists. The Bulldogs also picked up the program’s first postseason victory, beating Canisius in the College Insider.com Postseason Tournament. All five starters return this season. Athletic director Martin Newton announced the extension Monday. Newton said Padgett “has brought a tremendous work ethic, passion and winning culture” to the program. Padgett is a former Kentucky player and NBA first-round pick.
FOOTBALL
› TUSKEGEE, Ala. — Tuskegee football coach Willie Slater will pull double duty as athletic director. The university announced Slater’s appointment to run the athletic department on Monday. Slater is set for his 12th season as the Tigers’ football coach and 39th in coaching. He has a 101-27 record and has led Tuskegee to the program’s first four Division II playoff appearances, including a quarterfinal run in 2014. Slater is a five-time Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference coach of the year. His new duties will include overseeing budgeting, compliance and operations. Slater will serve as a member of the school president’s executive cabinet. Tuskegee scheduled a news conference for Friday to formally introduce him as AD.