Could the Little League Classic Change the Cubs
Anthony Rizzo had some extremely strong words when pressed about the team’s hunger. “When I hear that, I throw that out the window,” first baseman Anthony Rizzo said. “We’re all hungry in here. His appreciation of coming from a last-place team to a first-place team is how I look at it. He’s very appreciative of this, but as far as hunger? We’re all hungry in here. When I read that, it’s not necessarily that I love seeing, ‘Oh, he’s hungry,’ because we all are.”
I don’t know if there is a hunger missing from the 2019 Chicago Cubs, but there has been something missing since the 2016 World Series championship team. A certain X-Factor that you can’t quantify, it’s not something that shows in the stat sheet, it’s not something that is bought in free agency, and certainly not something that can be traded for.
There’s a “fun-ness” that eludes this team. If you look back at the 2015 and 2016 teams, they were the darlings of baseball. Fans of the Cubs biggest rivals pointed to how it’s hard to not like Rizzo, Kris Bryant, or Javier Baez. The ringleader of it all seemed to be veteran catcher, David Ross.
Ross was the first to call a player out, but he was the center of the fun that was the championship caliber Cubs. He was a constant reminder that there was a serious goal at the end of 162, but it was also ok to have fun along the way.
I don’t question that the Cubs players take the entirety of 162 seriously. I absolutely believe that they go out there trying to do everything they can to win 162. I don’t know if they take the fun part of what they do seriously (or take the time to not be serious). This is what I hope they picked up by being around the little league teams and playing in Willisamsport, Pa.
We saw a little of that fun, and it of course came from Rizzo – who apparently inherited the ringleader title from Ross. From stare downs with Pedro Strop to dancing in the clubhouse, Rizzo has tried.
We can dance if we want to pic.twitter.com/gsGJjEjh1b
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) August 19, 2019
Could the ‘Jersey Shake’ be part of what catapults this team back into that championship conversation?
It isn’t going to be that alone, but I have always thought that teams need both spectrums, seriousness and fun, in order to be great. Sure, some of the fun comes because of winning, but you need to break the monotony when the season is six months long. I served in the United States Marine Corps, and this was something our drill instructors were sure to instill. In some of the most intense times, breaking it up a bit helps everyone come together and can take your mind off some of the stress you’re carrying.
Enjoy this video of @ARizzo44 living his best life and sliding down a hill at the Little League World Series. pic.twitter.com/HwhMvXItlN
— Cut4 (@Cut4) August 18, 2019
Up and down this Cubs roster, they are pound for pound as good or better than anyone in baseball. Hell, it seems that half the Cubs roster has spent a fair amount of time in Iowa this summer.
As August comes to a close, playing a game in the town that hosts 2,000 little leaguers just might be the spark this club needed. Just listen to the biggest kid on the team.
“We always want to play hard,” Cubs shortstop Javier Baez said. “No matter how many games we lose or how many games we are down, we’re always going to compete and play hard. But yeah, I think it kind of brought us together in the dugout, out of the dugout. Being around the kids and with the whole team, it was pretty cool.”
Javy's new friends. #LittleLeagueClassic pic.twitter.com/3ZsHl4L2Aj
— MLB GIFS (@MLBGIFs) August 19, 2019
It seemed that every player, to the tee (pun somewhat intended) spoke to how cool it was for them to take part in the Classic, but also how important it was for them to be around the kids playing the game.
Remembering that this is a kid’s game is important. Seeing the pure joy, and remembering all those same feelings rejuvenates you. Seeing how happy a kid can get when they strike someone out or hit a home run is refreshing. I feel it’s similar to us 30 to 40 year old fans watching Baez play.
Remembering that this is a fun game could be the single biggest event in the last month and a half of this Chicago Cubs season.
