Chicago Cubs get World Series rings tonight
The Chicago Cubs hit no home runs Monday night in their 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Wrigley Field opener.
As far as the rest of the night went, they knocked pretty much everything else out of the park.
The outdoor plaza on the west side of Wrigley Field has given the entire area a new look, and it seemed to be a big hit with fans.
And the rain-delayed banner-raising ceremony left more than a few people reaching for a tissue, and not because of the rain.
“It was pretty cool,” said pitcher Jon Lester, who started the game. “It's nice. It was, I think, better than what we expected. Obviously, when the crowd sticks around for a two-hour rain delay that's always nice. The team going out there and raising the flag and some, I don't want to say old guys, but some old guys coming back and doing the same thing.
“It was special night, something that will go down in my book as something that I'll remember for a long, long time. I now look forward to Wednesday and getting the fun stuff, getting the ring. So that will be good.”
Lester meant no disrespect to those “old guys,” who happened to be Cubs Hall of Famers Ryne Sandberg, Billy Williams and Fergie Jenkins. The trio raised three of the four banners the Cubs put up as they commemorated the 1907 and 1908 world championships, the 2016 National League pennant and, of course, the World Series title from last year.
As Lester mentioned, there's more. The Cubs will receive their World Series rings before Wednesday night's game as a group of fans will do the presentation.
The Cubs could have done it all Monday — present the rings and unfurl the banners. But when it's 108 years between titles, it's hard not to want the celebration to last.
“I think so that fans can enjoy them each on their own,” team president Theo Epstein said. “That's a lot to put into one night, not that you couldn't do it, but something might get lost. I can understand doing it on two separate nights. I think it will prove to be a nice benefit to the fans.
“First of all, more people can say they were there for one of the ceremonies. Hopefully they're special moments. By the first pitch on Wednesday we can turn the page.”
Manager Joe Maddon has stated his preference for the banner-raising over the ring ceremony. Monday night did not disappoint Maddon.
“It was awesome,” he said. “It was really well done. It's just a really special night for all of us, for the fan base, for the organization. It was a really special evening. I really liked the idea of Billy, Ryno and Fergie raising them and then our guys. Really well thought out. Just a special evening.”
It was even more special for Anthony Rizzo, the team leader who led the Cubs in raising the 2016 world-championship banner and then capped the night (into the early hours of Tuesday morning) with a game-winning RBI single.
“I'll remember this day for as long as I play baseball,” he said. “The walk-off caps it off. That pregame ceremony, I really honestly didn't think it would be that amazing a job the Cubs did. The videos, the tribute, it's amazing.
“The fans, just how amazing they were, we had this whole off-season to dissect it and realize how much it meant to so many people from all over the world, all over the country. For them to enjoy that, for us to enjoy it, it was really cool, it was really cool.
“It's our first time back at Wrigley. Being here is special. Being able to do that, we're the only people alive that have ever done that.”