Paul White-USA TODAY Sports
All throughout sports you find coaches or managers doing weird things to try to motivate their players. Tampa Bay Rays’ manager Joe Maddon surprised his team with a 20-foot, 115-pound python named Asia, prior to their Thursday night game against the Seattle Mariners.
Those who witnessed the interesting event said that some players ran away, some ran to the snake, and others, well, they just went on and kept playing cards. I mean, it was only a 20-foot long snake, right?
Maddon’s reasoning for bringing the snake into the clubhouse wasn’t all that weird. “Doing my research, 2013 happens to be the year of the snake on the Chinese calendar. I kind of like that thought. We needed a little bit of motivation within the clubhouse,” Maddon told reporters.
After losing seven of their first 10 games in the month of August, including an 0-for-5 road trip, Maddon said that his team needed to loosen up a bit. Nothing says relax and loosen up like a random 20-foot-long man eater in your locker room, right?!
Supposedly, this isn’t the first time Maddon has used weird tactics to motivate his team. There have been reports that he’s brought in penguins, a magician, DJ and other things. Hey, I’m not going to question the man. The Rays are just two games out of first in the AL East.
There must have been something to the snake. After receiving the visit from Asia, the Rays then went out and beat the Mariners 7-1.
Interestingly enough, Maddon said that Rays’ closer Fernando Rodney, outfielder Matt Joyce and head athletics trainer Ron Porterfield were born during the year of the snake. Maddon then said jokingly, I think, “I think I’m a horse (as in the Chinese calendar), and that’s next year. Heads up.”
Brian Skinnell is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter and add him to your network on Google.
