Chicago Cubs' Heyward unaware of any racist language

ST. LOUIS - Chicago Cubs right fielder Jason Heyward said he heard no racist language Monday night from fans in the stands at Busch Stadium.

The New York Daily News reported Tuesday that crowd microphones picked up fans yelling racial slurs at Heyward, who played for the Cardinals last season before he signed with the Cubs this past off-season.

Reports said ESPN, which telecast Monday's game, could find no evidence on tapes to corroborate claims of racist language.

Heyward met with the St. Louis and Chicago media before and after Monday's game. He expressed no concerns during postgame interviews and said Tuesday he heard no slurs.

"No, but I obviously wasn't really listening," he said.

He went on to say that he has heard racial taunts in major-league parks, but that's "not something you really pay attention to. It's not really part of the game on the field."

Cardinals fans booed Heyward every time he stepped to the plate Monday. Heyward played from 2010-14 with Atlanta before the Braves traded him to the Cardinals before the 2015 season. He signed with the Cubs as a free agent.

Cubs manager Joe Maddon said he was not aware of such language Monday but that he's experienced similar things during his career.

"Little Rock, Arkansas, 1985," Maddon said. "Also Beaumont, Texas. I got involved. I was not happy. I went into our GM's office. I had a really good argument. I was looking for more protection for my guys, and I wasn't getting the answer I was looking for."

St. Louis is a town that has idolized black players such as Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, Ozzie Smith and Willie McGee. On April 15, baseball celebrated the 69th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the modern-day color line.

"Watch the elections right now," Maddon said. "Watch what's going on everywhere. It's nothing unusual to a baseball stadium. It's nothing unique to a particular city. Every city.

"We've come a long way, but then again, we haven't. None of it surprises if in fact it was true. We have to continually attempt to fight against that, for lack of a better term.

"There are small-minded people everywhere. There are stupid people everywhere. It's not one ballpark."

The ring is the thing:

Second baseman Ben Zobrist received his 2015 World Series ring from Kansas City Royals general manager Dayton Moore.

"He drove over from across the state and made a point to deliver it to me personally," said Zobrist, who was traded from the Oakland Athletics to the Royals last July 28. He signed with the Cubs as a free agent in December.

"He also gave me one of the jerseys that have the gold lettering on them that they wore. I thought that was very cool."

Players often talk of "getting a ring." Zobrist was asked what it feels like to have one now.

"It's awesome," he said. "It's a dream. It's just a reminder of when you're in the middle of playing, you're not thinking so much about being a World Series champion because we're in the middle of trying to win one here in Chicago.

"It's a cool memory just to remember how special that was. It's a memento for all of us to carry with us throughout our lives and remember that special time."