His Cubs may have been eliminated from the postseason Thursday night, but manager Joe Maddon is reportedly still running around the team’s clubhouse in his jockstrap, in what insiders call a “crazy” outburst from the recently unhinged skipper.
The unraveling began during Wednesday night’s NLCS Game 4 when a Curtis Granderson at bat got new life on a blown third-strike call. Maddon was ejected arguing the play, later telling the media that he would have stormed the field in his jockstrap had the Dodgers’ Granderson hit a home run after the botched call. Maddon’s athletic supporter-related insanity only got worse once the Cubs were eliminated from the playoffs by the Dodgers Thursday night.
Following the loss Thursday night, Maddon stripped down to his jockstrap and began parading around the clubhouse, muttering to himself about his struggling stars Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant and his inept bullpen. Known for his off-the-wall antics, his team originally thought Maddon was just trying to take the edge off following a disappointing end to the season. As the behavior continued, it became clear Maddon may have finally lost it.
Perhaps worst of all, Maddon still hadn’t left Wrigley Field by Friday morning, when equipment managers for the team discovered him still parading around the locker room nearly naked.
“We got there in Friday morning to help pack up all the team’s stuff for the winter, and there’s Joe running around, chugging that weird brown liquid out of an old water bottle,” said one of the equipment managers. “Weirdest of all, he’s wearing nothing but a jockstrap.”
Added the equipment manager: “Why’s a manager got to wear a jockstrap in the first place? That just doesn’t make any sense.”
