HAZLETON, Pa. — Hazelton native Joe Maddon is a World Series champion manager, and now, he's an author, recently releasing his first book, The Book of Joe.
"Recorded 100 hours while I was riding my bicycle during the pandemic in an RV resort in Mesa, Arizona," Maddon explained. "The premise was to compare and contrast managing in the 1980s to present day and, along with that, to include all the Maddon-isms in regards to personal philosophy and how that relates to just baseball, but outside of the game itself, which was important to me. I didn't want it to be 'little Joey grew up on 11th Street and eventually played for UNICO' and all that kind of stuff. I wanted something more than that."
Maddon delves into how he became the unconventional thinker and manager he's known as today, and his upbringing in NEPA was a key factor, which is why he says losing his job with the Angels this summer was a blessing in disguise for his book release.
"To be let go by the Angels in this particular summer because I thought for sure I would be managing for the Angels when this book was released," Maddon continued. "I was preparing myself mentally for that, but of course, it didn't happen. However, it gave me a lot of time to be back here in Pennsylvania, in Hazleton, Sugarloaf, and really, retrospectively, think about a lot of different things, plus enjoy my first Pennsylvania summer in a long, long time, and it's spectacular."
It also allowed Maddon to schedule two Luzerne County book signings. The first is this Saturday, November 5, at noon at the Barnes & Noble in Wilkes-Barre Township. The following Friday, November 11, at 4:00 p.m., he'll be at the Hazleton One Community Center, which Maddon helped create.
"To be back here and to be able to introduce the book here, it's something I didn't imagine like this, but of course, it's even better than I imagined," Maddon concluded. "It's actually perfect. It's more than good. It's actually perfect."
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