Happ appreciated carrying Lester's luggage as a rookie
The Cubs are obviously looking forward to facing former teammate Jon Lester as much as he is anxious to pitch at Wrigley Field on Monday.
Ian Happ shared some details about his rookie year with the Cubs in 2017. Lester sort of took Happ under his wing, and besides the dinners, golf outings and general baseball advice, Lester gave Happ a sense of responsibility.
"I was the guy who carried Jon's speaker my first year," Happ said. "So that was my job and it got me invited to the back of the plane to sit with him and Lack (John Lackey). That was pretty cool. About a month into my rookie year being able to actually be in the back of the plane because I was the guy carrying the speaker was pretty special."
Since more information is clearly needed, Happ described the speaker as roughly a foot tall.
"I think it was a JBL, but it was a big one though, so it had its own bag," Happ said. "A lot of loud music on the plane. It was used exclusively for country music, a little bit of Bruno Mars toward the end of the flight, maybe."
Manager David Ross obviously knows Lester as well as anyone, since he became his favored catcher in Boston, then followed him to the Cubs.
"Are they passing out Miller Lites in the stands? We should get everybody free Miller Lites," Ross said, referring to Lester's offer to buy one for any Cubs fan who visited a few specific establishments last fall. "The guy's super special to me. I hope the fans give him the welcome back he deserves. He's a special human being, means a lot to me, means a lot to this organization, has done a lot for this organization.
"I think fans recognize that. I think the Cubs Nation that I know will be super appreciative and give him the love he needs. I don't care if it's 20% (capacity), but I sure wish that place was packed for him, for his sake, and being able to feel the love that I think a lot of people have for him."
• Twitter: @McGrawDHBulls