Heyward doesn't mind boos on his return to St. Louis
ST. LOUIS - Jason Heyward said he was ready for anything upon his return to St. Louis in a Chicago Cubs uniform.
And what's wrong with getting a strong reaction? Isn't that what sports are all about?
The old song goes, "We're gonna cheer and boo and raise a hullabaloo." As long as fans don't get personal or profane, it's OK to cheer and boo away.
"Absolutely," said Cubs manager Joe Maddon, whose team opened a three-game series Monday night at Busch Stadium against the Cardinals. "It's about barroom banter. They're going to read whatever you guys write. It's going to be about what people see when they watch TV tonight. It's good stuff.
"This is a wonderful young man. It's not just an OK young man. This guy is outstanding. I'm certain that when he was here last year, people loved Jason Heyward in St. Louis. He's a great part of any organization. He's a wonderful young man. He's 26 years old. He's going to keep getting better and better as a baseball player, but he's an even better person.
"If there's that certain group that may be vitriolic or not liking or whatever, that's fine. That's part of why this is so entertaining."
Heyward met with members of the St. Louis and Chicago media in the Cubs' dugout late Monday afternoon.
He played last year for the Cardinals after being traded from the Atlanta Braves, with whom he spent the first five years of his career. The Cubs knocked the Cardinals out of the playoffs last fall in the National League division series.
This past off-season, Heyward signed an eight-year, $184 million contract to play for the Cubs. Of course, that didn't sit well with many Cardinals fans.
Perhaps it might have been different had Heyward signed with Washington or some other team, but having Heyward go to Chicago was hard for many in these parts to take, even though Heyward has had only good things to say about St. Louis, the Cardinals and his former teammates.
Heyward and Cubs starting pitcher John Lackey, who also came to Chicago from St. Louis, were booed during the pregame lineup announcement. Cardinals fans booed Heyward when he came to bat in the first inning, but there is always a good number of Cubs fans at Busch Stadium, and they cheered their new guy.
"People are going to do what they're going to do," he said. "Let's be honest, if somebody boos me here, that means they were not happy to see me leave. So I'm kind of glad people were not happy to see me leave. Fans should enjoy it. We're going to enjoy it. It's great baseball. It's good for everybody, I think."
Heyward was drafted by the Braves and traded to the Cardinals, meaning he had no choice of where he could play until he reached six years in the major leagues. He said he simply wanted to exercise the right of choosing his team when he opted for the Cubs.
He called his decision to come to Chicago a "life decision."
"Timing is everything," he said. "It's just weird how it happens. When it came down to making a choice, it just felt like, why not go try this city, Chicago? You don't know what's going to happen as far as World Series or playoffs. I do know that I always loved playing there, loved playing at Wrigley Field.
"Why not go try that for 81 games in the regular season instead of coming in as a visitor? Go see what happens. I love day games. It's something new.
"The most significant of my career I would say is that I have played for three different teams. Hopefully I don't have to go play for another team. But it's just been a lot of fun seeing the different cities, seeing the different vibes.
"St. Louis was a special experience. It allowed me to step out and be myself again. Free agency is free agency. I had to make a decision."