Getting his flowers: Retired Cub Rizzo lives it up watching former team from the bleachers
In his first official act as Cubs Ambassador, Anthony Rizzo sent a subtle message to the guys playing for his former team.
Rizzo posed in the outfield ivy with family members before Saturday’s game. He took a seat in the left-field bleachers and was in perfect position for Moises Ballesteros' first major-league home run to bounce off his hand. He promised to start a cup snake and followed through.
In other words, Rizzo went out and had fun, just like he did as a player.
The current Cubs would be wise to follow his example. The hot-and-cold Cubs — who lost Saturday 5-4 to the Rays — have a tendency to get quiet and frustrated when things aren't going well at the plate. But when the playoff probability is 99.9%, it's time to stop worrying and consider the possibilities.
“He just had fun playing baseball,” Ian Happ said before Saturday's game. “Some of us can't do that. I don't have as much fun as he had. He could keep it light and have a blast while he was playing.”
Maybe some day, Happ will be retired and sing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” from the bleachers with Eddie Vedder and Cindy Crawford, like Rizzo did.
“I think it's just something that came natural,” Rizzo said of his ability to play well and have fun. “I think it's the perspective from my mom and dad, honestly. My mom's New Year's Resolution every year is: What is it, Mom?”
His mother, Laurie, was sitting in the front row of the interview room and provided the answer: “Live it up.”
“I always just lived and breathed like, 'Look, if I'm the leader of this team, I can't come in moping that I'm 0-for-20.'” Rizzo said. “I can't come in on a huge high that I got 3 hits the (previous) day off Clayton Kershaw. I have to be the steady force, and that's what makes great teams.”
Rizzo has the additional perspective of enduring a battle with leukemia shortly after he was drafted by the Red Sox in 2007, as well as his countless trips to children's hospitals, trying to cheer up patients going through something similar. Rizzo spent the day wearing a Cubs jersey signed by kids he'd met in the hospital over the years.
“Those dark days were some of my favorite days, honestly,” Rizzo said. “You can't appreciate the sunny days without a lot of rainy days. I really live by that, because those dark days teach you and they make you grow. When you have those sunny days, it should be a great afternoon when you really just get to enjoy it all.”
Like this one. Even when it comes to his playing career ending, Rizzo saw it as a positive, mostly because he got to experience every moment of becoming a father. His wife, Emily, held their 3-month-old son, Anthony Jr., while Rizzo spoke at the podium.
Rizzo got to experience a second trip to the World Series last year with the Yankees but had a feeling his career might be winding down. He said he warned family members to enjoy last season's run.
He spent the winter recovering from a hand injury and prepared to play this season knowing the Yankees wouldn't pick up his contract option. Still, Rizzo is just 36. The Cubs have two position players who are older (Justin Turner, Carlos Santana).
“It was kind of decided early on that if I didn't get the right opportunity, it was probably going to be it,” Rizzo said. “And I couldn't be happier.”
For now, the Rizzo family lives in New York but haven't ruled out moving back to Chicago in the future. Based on everything we know about him, the Cubs should invite Rizzo to stay in town and just hang out with the players until the season or playoffs end. Fun can be contagious.
Rizzo offered a nice perspective on his connection with 2016 Cubs teammates.
“When I come back, I just hope the guys are excited to see me,” he said. “And not because I did some cool things on the baseball field, but because of the late nights we had in hotel rooms or the experiences we shared in the clubhouse. All the off-the-field stuff makes the journey so much more fun.”