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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives would like to congratulate Chicago Cubs
4manager Joe Maddon on being named Major League Baseball's 2015
5National League Manager of the Year by the Baseball Writers'
6Association of America for leading his team to achieve
7tremendous accomplishments this year; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Joseph John "Joe" Maddon was born in Hazleton,
9Pennsylvania on February 8, 1954 to Joe and Albina Maddon; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Joe Maddon played baseball and football for
11Lafayette College located in Easton, Pennsylvania; he
12graduated in 1976 and pursued a career in baseball shortly
13thereafter; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Although Joe Maddon signed a minor league contract
15with the then-California Angels organization as a catcher, he
16would not make it to the higher echelons of the organization as
17a player; however, he proved to have a different calling and a
18more important role to play by coaching, scouting, and managing
19for the Angels for 31 years; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Joe Maddon has enjoyed much success throughout his
21storied managerial career in Major League Baseball (MLB); after

 

 

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1becoming the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (later named the Tampa Bay
2Rays) manager in November of 2005, he was determined to help
3turn around a struggling team; and
 
4    WHEREAS, In 2008, Joe Maddon successfully led the Tampa Bay
5Rays to their first winning season, their first American League
6East Championship, and their first American League
7Championship pennant - ultimately reaching the World Series,
8where they lost to the Philadelphia Phillies; for his
9revolutionary transformation of a down-on-its luck baseball
10team to a World Series contender, he was awarded the American
11League Manager of the Year Award, the first of his career (his
12second would come in the Tampa Bay Rays' 2013 season); and
 
13    WHEREAS, Joe Maddon would continue to lead a championship
14caliber team in the Tampa Bay Rays in the following years,
15reaching the post-season in 2010, 2011, and 2013; after 9
16seasons of managing Tampa Bay, he amassed an overall winning
17record of 754 wins and 705 losses; and
 
18    WHEREAS, After the 2014 season, Joe Maddon decided to end
19his tenure with the Rays and pursue other opportunities; on
20November 2, 2014, the Chicago Cubs announced him as their new
21manager; he brought with him not only a new-found sense of
22hope, but, perhaps more importantly, a stellar resume and
23proven track record of success; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, With Joe Maddon joining a new team came new
2opportunities for both the 'skipper' and the historic Cubs
3franchise; after years of rebuilding, readjusting, and
4renewing the ball club, general manager Theo Epstein and Cubs
5fans everywhere believed that a key piece of the Cubs' winning
6equation had been found; and
 
7    WHEREAS, The young Chicago Cubs team, under the direction
8of Joe Maddon, went on to post a record of 97 wins and just 65
9losses - a record good enough to put them at third best in MLB;
10they successfully defeated their division rival, the
11Pittsburgh Pirates, in a one-game wild card playoff bout to
12earn a place in the National League Division Series; and
 
13    WHEREAS, The Cubs then went on to play the National League
14Division Series against their archrivals, the St. Louis
15Cardinals; after a heated series, the Cubs proved victorious
16and went on to face the New York Mets in the National League
17Championship Series (NLCS) - a feat that had not been
18accomplished by the Cubs since the memorable 2003 season; while
19the season would end with the NLCS this year, the Cubs proudly
20displayed excellent character and will - a testament to manager
21Joe Maddon; and
 
22    WHEREAS, The 2015 season was the first time since 2008 that

 

 

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1the Cubs managed to reach the playoffs; the Cubs, made up of a
2medley of young, salubrious talent, has given Cubs fans
3everywhere a renewed reason to root on the team; manager Joe
4Maddon is very much a reason for this; and
 
5    WHEREAS, For his demonstrated efforts and proven
6leadership with the 2015 Chicago Cubs, Joe Maddon, received 18
7of 30 possible first-place votes from the Baseball Writers'
8Association of America, and was the only manager named on every
9one of the ballots cast for National League Manager of the
10Year; he now joins Jim Frey (1984), Don Zimmer (1989), and Lou
11Piniella (2008) on the short list of Cubs managers to win such
12a prestigious award; therefore, be it
 
13    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
14NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
15congratulate Chicago Cubs Manager Joe Maddon for being named
16Major League Baseball's National League Manager of the Year and
17wish him and his ball club continued success in their pursuits
18of a World Series championships in the years to come; and be it
19further
 
20    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
21delivered to Chicago Cubs Manager Joe Maddon as a symbol of our
22appreciation.