Joe Maddon

I learned something in 1985 for something like that with Gene Mock.

That goes back a bit.

I was running the instructional league in Arizona.

I was the field coordinator and a manager.

I wasn't managing, but I was leading that instructional league group.

Gene comes into town.

I'm out in a cage.

I'm just throwing my BP, but I'm running the whole thing.

And Gene walks up to me and he says, in between, he gave me one of these.

Come over and speak with him.

You've created a great environment around here.

And he had his polyesters on, his hair was perfect, smoking his cigarette.

He loved to play golf bridge, smoke a little bourbon.

Then he just takes off like a poof.

He just disappears.

And I thought to myself, what the hell is he talking about?

I had no idea what he was talking about.

And I think when you do things organically, you don't know what you're doing sometimes, which is a good thing.

It's like the zone of being a coach or a manager.

But I went home that night and I thought, what the hell is he talking about?