Cubs manager Joe Maddon joined the fun Sunday afternoon, during a talk with reporters before the Cubs’ 6-5 win against the Brewers.
Maddon admitted that Sale might have been frustrated because his name had surfaced in trade talks. Those rumors, Maddon said, can be hard on a player.
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So far, so good.
Then it happened: “You don’t even know what those conversations sound like," Maddon said, “and how that cuts at the fabric of what you’re attempting to do. No pun intended.”
“I know it was entertaining from a distance,” Maddon continued. “I’m sure being in the organization not so much. And I get that. I’ve never heard that one before.”
Not that Maddon doesn’t recall causing some havoc of his own when he was younger.
“The dentist used to send us every six months (notices) for a checkup," he said. “And I threw that away so my mom would not take me to the dentist. That’s the closest I could relate to what happened.”
As fate would have it, the Cubs host the White Sox for four games beginning Monday. Sale’s five-day suspension ends Wednesday, and he’s scheduled to pitch Thursday night against the Cubs.