The Cubs and Reds were tied at two in the 14th inning Tuesday night in Cincinnati, and the north-siders were running short on players, when manager Joe Maddon’s neurotransmitters began heating up in the dugout.
After the game, Maddon explained his machinations, but without PowerPoint it was hard to follow. There’s always a method to his Maddoness, but sometimes one suspects that a basic ingredient is simply having fun. Maddon allowed that when he made his first left-field change, “The infielders were kinda giggling.”
As if the recent slump weren’t troublesome enough, the Tribune also revealed Monday that Jake Arrieta, who was scheduled to pitch that night in Cincinnati, had been dealing with “nasal congestion.” This may have reminded veteran Cubs worrywarts of the game that outfielder Jose Cardenal missed in 1974 because he couldn’t get his eyelid unstuck, or the sneeze in 2004 that sent slugger Sammy Sosa to the disabled list with a pulled back muscle.
