Cubs hire Maddux

Future Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux agreed to return to the Cubs on Monday as the team's assistant to general manager Jim Hendry.

As part of his new job, Maddux will assist the Cubs' coaching staff during spring training, mentor minor-league and major-league players during the season, and help Hendry evaluate talent across all levels of the organization.

Maddux, who is eighth all-time with 355 wins, retired in December 2008 and spent the past year with his family before deciding to return to baseball. His last public appearance at Wrigley Field came in May, when the Cubs retired No. 31, which he and Ferguson Jenkins both wore.

"I'm just happy to be back in Chicago," Maddux said Monday on a conference call. "I've always loved the organization, I love the city, [and] I love Wrigley Field."

Hendry said he was thrilled to have Maddux back with the Cubs.

"When Greg Maddux walks in your front door, your organization became a lot better that day," Hendry said. "... Obviously his reputation among the players and our front office and our entire fan base throughout the country speaks for itself. He's certainly a tremendous asset for us."

Read more about Maddux rejoining the Cubs in Tuesday's Northwest Herald.

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During the conference call, Maddux was asked about the news that former St. Louis Cardinals slugger Mark McGwire had admitted to using steroids throughout the 1990s.

"I just heard about it a few minutes ago," Maddux said. "He’s going to be the hitting coach for the Cardinals now, right? So maybe he's just trying to clean up the past a little bit and move forward.

"I’ve always had a lot of respect for him as a player," Maddux said. "He was one of the most intimidating hitters I ever had to face. He was one of the toughest outs in the game back then.

"Like I’ve said in the past, there was always speculation that guys were on that stuff," Maddux said. "You just had to do what you could to pitch around it."

-Tom Musick