Joe Maddon is willing to go to extraordinary lengths to spark his ball clubs.
Considered one of the quirkiest people in baseball, Maddon once brought a 20-foot python into the Rays clubhouse. Later with the Cubs, Maddon popularized “Try Not to Suck” t-shirts.
He was at it again last week amid the Angels’ 12-game losing streak. According to ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian, the 68-year-old manager decided to get a mohawk haircut to “awaken the team.”
But, in a turn of events that’s as equally sad as it is funny, Shohei Ohtani, Mike Trout and the rest of the Angels players never got to see Maddon’s new look because the longtime skipper was fired before the players arrived at the ballpark.
However, firing Maddon didn’t immediately turn around the Angels’ fortunes, who lost two more games to extend their skid to 14 games before snapping the streak with a 5-2 win over the Red Sox on Thursday.
But the team did continue Maddon’s strange ways after his departure. On Wednesday, every Angels hitter changed their walk-up songs by Nickelback — a band whose songs are regularly used in memes. The attempt was futile, though, as Los Angeles was shut out in a 1-0 loss.
• Jacob Calvin Meyer can be reached at jmeyer@washingtontimes.com.
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