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Rizzo, Cubs lend more support to Stoneman Douglas High School

MIAMI - The Cubs and first baseman Anthony Rizzo came out with a strong show of support Thursday for Rizzo's high school.

Rizzo and his mates took batting practice in T-shirts with #MSDStrong emblazoned across the front.

The hashtagged message was in support of Rizzo's alma mater, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, where 17 people died in a shooting on Feb. 14.

"It's always emotional, Opening Day, and being here on Opening Day, it's great," Rizzo said. "It's good to be playing baseball again. This will be an emotional weekend for me personally but the games still go on."

Rizzo left spring training in February to go back to Stoneman Douglas to speak to the community and lend moral support in the days after the shooting.

He also voiced support for students who took part in the march against gun violence and who spoke out.

"I think it's amazing," he said. "These kids are standing up for what they believe in. They're motivating every one to go out there and register to vote. That's as powerful as they can make their voice heard. They're holding the throttle down on these politicians and holding them accountable for what they believe in. It's unbelievable that an entire nation (is) rallying around Stoneman Douglas High School."

For critics who labeled students as "actors" for marching and speaking out, Rizzo had strong words.

"To get bullied on Twitter by somebody with strong fingers, I think it's pretty funny," he said. "I know they're not going to let anyone affect their mission. What they're doing is bigger than themselves. I think they (those who would criticize students) are losers. You hear all these things and think, 'How can you say this? Where's your heart? Where's your sense of sympathy?' It's as real as it gets. If you don't think it's real, go there."

Rizzo waded deeper into the controversial topic of gun control when asked possible changes or solutions.

"In a perfect word, make it stricter," he said of obtaining guns. "Make background checks a little harder to get these guns. I think it's a little too easy to go in there and get a gun. I think the entire nation can agree on that."

Rizzo and the Cubs will host families of the victims of the Stoneman Douglas tragedy Friday. For his work, Rizzo drew praise from team president Theo Epstein.

"He's much more than a baseball player," Epstein said. "There's a lot of elements to him as a human being. He's a very caring, emotional personal and develops important relationships easily. He feels really connected to his hometown and to his school. He's got a big heart. He's standing up for what he believes in. He's not someone who's just going to look the other way and think that someone else will take care of things. He really wants to dive in and make a difference. You see that with how he conducts himself in Chicago. He's a great role model for all of us, really, I think."

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