Alex Rodriguez explains why the Dodgers are a good fit for baseball
USA TODAY’s Ralphie Aversa talks with MLB legend Alex Rodriguez about the dominant nature of the Dodgers’ roster.
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World Series winning manager Joe Maddon weighed in on the San Francisco Giants’ hiring of Tony Vitello, who had no professional experience, calling such a move an “insult” to players who have spent their entire careers paying their dues.
“Frankly, I’m using the word insult only in terms of the fact that it seems like you don’t need any kind of experience at a professional level to do this job,” Maddon told KNBR in San Francisco.
“When I was in my career, I had to have all that. I had to go through the minor leagues. I had to ride the bus. I was a scout. I started scouting in 1981. In 2006, I finally got the manager’s job. So there was a rite of passage, a way to get there.”
“So to think that someone could jump in there and do that, it took 20-odd years to be considered qualified to do that, it’s kind of an insult.”
Maddon managed Tampa Bay from 2006 to 2014, the Chicago Cubs from 2015 to 2019, and the Los Angeles Angels from 2020 to 2022, winning the championship in 2016.
Maddon, 71, admitted he didn’t know much about Vitello, whom the Giants acquired from the University of Tennessee, but was impressed with what he saw.
“That being said, I wish (Vitello) nothing but the best,” Maddon said. “Because I’ve been watching his videos and I’ve been able to really understand why he’s perceived to be ready to do something like this.”
