Joe Maddon predicted former Wildcat Matt Szczur's big night after Villanova's buzzer-beater
Baseball people have a reputation as a superstitious bunch, and Joe Maddon is no exception to that rule. The Cubs manager is known for tinkering with his lineup just so, and managing his roster with the kind of go-with-the-flow attitude that puts heavy emphasis on good vibes.
So, after the Villanova men's basketball team captured its first national championship in 31 years with an incredible, buzzer-beating three on Monday night, Maddon penciled outfielder -- and MLB's only current Villanova alum -- Matt Szczur into Tuesday night's starting lineup against the Angels.
'Cats WIN it all
— Villanova MBB (@NovaMBB) April 5, 2016
'Cats WIN it all
'Cats WIN it all#Champions#NationalChampionship #LetsMarchNova pic.twitter.com/CT7LMPqWA8
He told MLB.com's Carrie Muskat that he thought the Wildcats' mojo might rub off on Szczur:
"Villanova wins the national championship, so I thought it was a good bet for tonight," Maddon said of starting Szczur.
Szczur, who played football and baseball at Nova, did in fact channel his alma mater's good vibes when he cranked a solo home run off Andrew Heaney in the top of the third:
We don't claim to know how Maddon works his magic, but we're certainly now aware of his supernatural powers of premonition. And Szczur's teammates seem to know full well that they should try to channel some of that positive mojo he's got workin' right now:
