Maddon hopes Cubs ‘embrace the suck'
There was the target, which Cubs manager
urged the Cubs to embrace.
There was the “suck,” which Maddon encouraged the Cubs to try not to do.
Now, Maddon is hoping his team will “Embrace the suck.”
Maddon sported a camouflage green T-shirt Friday with those words on it, the latest in a line of shirts Maddon has pushed since arriving in Chicago before the 2015 season.
The phrase, commonly used in the military, first came to Maddon's attention during spring training, when minor-league mental skills coordinator
suggested the slogan to Maddon.
Maddon said a deal was worked out in which Maddon's “Respect 90” foundation and the military will split proceeds from the sale of the shirts.
Maddon also thought it appropriate to marry two popular phrases that graced his T-shirts in the past – “Embrace the target” and “Try not to suck” – especially given the team's slow start compared to last season.
“The message cannot be more appropriate than it is right now,” Maddon said before Friday's game against the Brewers. “I thought it was perfect the moment I heard it in camp.
“I want our guys to understand we haven't done our best work to this point, but that's a good thing. To really stay focused and understand the better days are coming.”
Maddon said to expect “utopia” like the Cubs' 25-6 start last season is unrealistic, so he wants his team to learn from its 21-19 start – and its mistakes. nominee
and includes Hall of Famer
"There are two bidders, at least, for the franchise. The bidders are in relatively the same place in terms of price, maybe minuscule differences, and they are in fact in the price range that Mr. Loria was looking for," Manfred said Thursday following a quarterly owners meeting.
Loria, 76, bought the Marlins for $158.5 million in 2002 from who was part of the group that bought the Boston Red Sox.
The groups are bidding to buy the Marlins for approximately $1.3 billion, which would include the assumption of about $100 million in baseball-related debt.
More than $200 million in other debt associated with the team would be paid by Loria as part of the closing.
"The process is moving forward. It's really between the Marlins and the bidders," Manfred said.
"At this point, two things need to happen. There needs to be a solidified financial structure presented to us so that we're sure that we actually have a transaction that can move ahead, and there are certain documents, the most important of which are a purchase and sale agreement that need to be negotiated between the buyer and the seller. And we'll be ready to process the transaction when those two things are completed."
Under baseball's debtservice rule, a deal in the range being discussed would require about $800 million in equity. Groups have to show additional money has been raised to operate the team.
A sale requires approval of 75 percent of the teams.
Under Armour will take over from Majestic Athletic as the supplier of Major League Baseball uniforms in 2019, a year earlier than previously scheduled.
Fanatics Inc. and MLB announced an agreement in December that gave the company licensing rights to manufacture and distribute merchandise starting in 2020.
Fanatics signed a deal last month to buy VF Corp.’s Licensed Sports Group and with it the 600-worker Majestic Athletic plant in Easton, Pennsylvania, where team jerseys and fan apparel are manufactured.
Manfred said that fan merchandise from Under Armour will be available next year and that Under Armour will be used for dugout clothing during the 2018 postseason. The full switch to Under Armour for on-field apparel will take place for the 2019 season.
Majestic has manufactured MLB batting practice jerseys since 1982 and has been the exclusive supplier of game uniforms since 2005. Before that, uniforms were manufactured by both Majestic and Russell.