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Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon continues to hilariously quote Talladega Nights in postgame press conferences
It's been an eventful National League Championship Series for Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon, to say the least. Despite leading the Cubs to their first World Series title in more than a century last year, fans want to run him out of town for turning to John Lackey in the ninth inning of a Game 2 loss. And umpires have run him out of two of the four games so far, including last night's 3-2 win that kept the Cubs' season alive. But through it all, there's been one constant: The man loves to quote from the movie Talladega Nights in his postgame press conferences.
After getting ejected in Game 4 for arguing whether Dodgers outfielder Curtis Granderson got a piece of a pitch (Maddon was right that he didn't and the umps got it wrong), the loquacious manager pulled a line from Will Ferrell's famed character Ricky Bobby when addressing the missed call (Go to the 7:10 mark):
In case you don't want to watch it, here's the money quote:
"I mean, I was upset. I mean, listen, this is an elimination game, man. This isn't just another one. This isn't June 23rd, this is an elimination game. Again, with all due respect to the umpires, and as Ricky Bobby once said: Once you've said 'with all due respect,' you can say whatever you want. With all due respect, under those circumstances, that can't happen. It can't happen."
Great line. And very appropriate in this situation. But this is not the first time Maddon has used it. Here he is saying the same thing after a game in 2015:
And it gets better. In 2014, Maddon pulled another line from Talladega Nights when talking about outfielder Will Myers:
"He’s a different cat, in all the good ways. He’s very loose. He’s a lot of fun. We have a great time with him…Honestly, I often compare him to [Will Ferrell's character in "Talladega Nights"] Ricky Bobby, because that’s who he is. I see it in there every time. He wakes up in the morning and he pees excellence. That’s who he is."
And that's who Joe Maddon is. A great manager who doesn't mind getting tossed out of games and loves quoting Talladega Nights. What's not to like about that?