CSN to air brand new documentary special chronicling Cubs manager Joe Maddon's return to his hometown of Hazelton, PA

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“Going Home: Joe Maddon presented by Binny’s Beverage Depot” premieres Thursday, January 14 at 9:30 PM CT -- Exclusively on Comcast SportsNet

Chicago, IL (January 11, 2016) – Coming off one of the most remarkable first-year managerial efforts in Chicago Cubs history, Comcast SportsNet will provide viewers with a brand new documentary entitled Going Home: Joe Maddon presented by Binny’s Beverage Depot, a half-hour Comcast SportsNet Original Production chronicling the reigning “National League Manager of the Year’s” recent return to his beloved hometown of Hazleton, PA.  Going Home: Joe Maddon premieres Thursday, January 14 at 9:30 PM CT exclusively on Comcast SportsNet, immediately following “Blackhawks Postgame Live.”  CSN will also re-air this documentary special on Friday, January 15 at 9:30 PM, which coincides with the opening night of the 2016 Cubs Convention, and again on Monday, January 18 at 9:00 PM.  NOTE: This will be the first of two Going Home documentary specials CSN will be providing viewers in January with the second focusing on Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu’s first trip back to his home country of Cuba since he defected back in August of 2013.  Details on this special will be coming soon.

Produced and edited by Comcast SportsNet’s multiple Emmy award-winning Executive Producer of Original Content Sarah Lauch, Going Home: Joe Maddon takes an in-depth look at Maddon’s return to his hometown of Hazleton, PA, as he takes viewers on a car tour around town, showcasing his home and neighborhood where he grew up, his favorite hangouts, the ball field which now bears his name, to even the luncheonette where his mother “Beanie” still works to this day.  The centerpiece of Going Home: Joe Maddon is his visit to the Hazleton One Community Center (hazletonintegrationproject.com/), where he is the honorary chairman of the center’s foundation, The Hazleton Integration Project (HIP).  The mission of HIP is to provide a physical environment within the city of Hazleton, conducive to creating opportunities for economically-challenged children to participate in a variety of no-cost or low-cost education, cultural, and athletic activities for the purpose of engaging children in wholesome activities, while fostering trust and respect among all ethnic cultures.  CSN’s exclusive coverage of Maddon at the Hazleton One Community Center truly showcases the commitment of a man who will continue to do anything for the growth and prosperity of the hometown that he holds so dearly to his heart.

“Joe Maddon has quickly solidified himself as an icon in the city of Chicago,” said Kevin Cross, Senior Director of News & Original Content for Comcast SportsNet Chicago.  “Sarah and our crew have put together something very special for our viewers as we get to learn about Joe’s past and why his love of his hometown of Hazleton is most assuredly equal to his love of baseball.”

In addition to the exclusive, up close and personal interviews with Maddon, Going Home also includes interviews with numerous individuals close to Maddon’s life including his wife Jaye Maddon,his mother Albina Beanie” Maddon, his sister Carmine Parlatore, his cousins Tina and David Mishinski, President of the Hazleton Integration Project Bob Curry,who also happens to be married to Joe’s cousin, and longtime friend/MLB pitching great Rick Sutcliffe among others.      

CSNChicago.com Cubs “Insider” Patrick Mooney also accompanied the Comcast SportsNet crew for Maddon’s visit back to Hazleton and viewers can look forward to his upcoming feature stories and additional insight about Maddon’s personal life, along with his thoughts on the upcoming 2016 MLB season, beginning Tuesday, January 14 exclusively on CSNChicago.com/Cubs. Plus, CSNChicago.com will also provide additional “web-exclusive” content from Going Home immediately following its on-air debut airing.

Please note the following quotes from the Comcast SportsNet Original Production of Going Home: Joe Maddon presented by Binny’s Beverage Depot,debuting Thursday, January 14 at 9:30 PM CT:

JOE MADDON on Hazleton, PA: “This is my hometown and when I was a kid growing up here, without question, was the best place for any kid to grow up…whether you are talking about family, friends, activities, just pure joy.  I came back in 2010 for Christmas and there was all this proliferation, there were more Hispanics in town, lots of tension, and the people that had been here before, no one got each other.  It was a really bad moment.  The town was dark and the kids had nothing to do and they were getting in trouble. The goal now is to get the pendulum to swing back to where it had been.  Jaye (Maddon) said how about HIP “Hazleton Integration Project” and I said ‘Boom…that is perfect!’  We wanted to get a center.  We created a board and now we have this facility, we have after school programs, we have athletic programs, and we have cultural programs. Whatever the community needs, we want to be here.”

JOE MADDON on comparing Hazleton to Chicago: “A microcosm of Hazleton vs. Chicago, the ethnic backgrounds of the people, hardworking, family-oriented.  There are all these similarities and, when I talk to the people of Chicago, I feel like I have known them a long time, so there is no break in period.”

JOE MADDON on how his early years in life shaped how he is a manager today: “I had every job there was in the minor leagues, except pitching coach.  That is how you become who you are.  You think I do crazy things, you think I think outside the box?  Because I could try different things in Midland or in Salem or in Idaho Falls or in the back fields at Gene Autry Park in Mesa, AZ.  I mean five-man infields whatever you want to do…done it, back then. So, all these things I do now are rooted because I had free reign to make mistakes back then when no one can see them and that is how you get to this point.”

JAYE MADDON on her first meeting with Cubs President, Baseball Operations Theo Epstein & Executive VP/GM Jed Hoyer:  “They brought a Pinot Noir and, at the time, if I drank red wine at all, I would drink Pinot Noir.  So they bring this bottle of wine in a brown paper bag and it was all very casual.  We just sat at the beach and talked and it wasn’t necessarily all about baseball.  I think they knew before that their visions aligned and that their philosophies aligned a lot, but I think this was just ‘let’s just verify this.”

CARMINE PARLATORE (Joe’s sister) on Joe Maddon: “He (my dad) always felt like Joe was going to make it big, somehow, some way, in MLB.  I know getting to where he is now was not easy, it was tough, a lot of work, a lot of sacrifice on his kids and his grandkids.  They don’t get to see him a lot.  We don’t get to see him a lot anymore.  When he comes home he is Joey, not Joe, he is Joey and we have a blast.”

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