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Joe Maddon Opts Out of Rays Contract

HAZLETON –Hazleton native Joe Maddon has decided to leave his job as manager of the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team. Maddon spent the past nine seasons as Ra...

HAZLETON --Hazleton native Joe Maddon has decided to leave his job as manager of the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team.

Maddon spent the past nine seasons as Rays manager, and people in Hazleton are already wondering what's in the future for their native son.

In nine seasons as manager of the Tampa Bay Rays, Hazleton's Joe Maddon has established himself as one of the best in baseball.

We caught up with Joe Yamona at Third Base Luncheonette, the long-time restaurant in Hazleton where Maddon's mom has worked for years.

Joe tells us he's known Maddon for 50 years, and he thinks he knows were his old friend is going next.

"I think he'll end up with the Dodgers," said Yamona.

Joe Maddon has ties to southern California. He was a bench coach with Anaheim when the Angels won the World Series in 2002.

Recently, the dodgers hired one of Tampa Bay's leading front office executives, fueling speculation that Maddon could soon follow him out west.

Carmine Parlatore knows Joe Maddon better than most. She's his younger sister, and like the rest of the Maddon family, she still has her roots in Hazleton.

"I'm extremely happy for him, excited. He would've never made this move. He's a very smart man, so he knows what he's doing, where he's going, I'm sure... He brought us to a world that we never thought would've happened. I just wish my dad was around to see all of this," said Parlatore.

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