Joe Maddon would play on the moon to bring baseball back

As Major League Baseball considers its options to return to the field, Los Angeles Angels manager Joe Maddon is willing to try anything.

It seems like each day brings a new rumor about the possibility of Major League Baseball returning this season, and how. On Tuesday, rumors circulated about a potential plan to start the season in Arizona with players under tight travel and exposure restrictions. While there are hurdles to executing such a plan, Angels manager Joe Maddon is open to any idea that gets him back in the dugout.

“I’ll do anything,” Maddon said in an article published by The Athletic. “I’ll play on the moon, I don’t care. Whatever the schedule looks like, I’m good.”

The Arizona plan, which was downplayed by MLB yesterday, would see all thirty teams playing across the ten stadiums that support Cactus League play, as well as Chase Field where the Diamondbacks play, and other nearby venues. Players would be required to separate from their families and live sequestered between team hotels and local stadiums.

Obviously, there are several hurdles to starting a season in Arizona from a logistical and public health standpoint. While Maddon is anxious to get back to playing, he noted the weather as another stumbling block.

“The only thing about Arizona is that it’s going to be really hot,” Maddon told Andy McCullough. “Even at night, it’s going to be really hot. Those games will be tough. You’re talking 100-degree tough. That’s the part that concerns me.”

While waiting for the season to return, the new Halos manager has been making the most of his time catching up on reading, cooking, and trying to keep in touch with his players while giving them proper space.

He also appears on a weekly podcast, Maddon Mondays, which gives some great insight into his thinking about managing the team this season, and provides some great stories from the past.