Almost everything that comes out of the Player’s Tribune is a must-read these days.
After all, rediscovering some of baseball’s most well-known (and even lesser-known) stories directly from the players who experienced them first-hand is an unbeatable idea.
Of course, when the story revolves around Game 7 of the 2016 World Series, and the account is from the Cubs’ own Anthony Rizzo, everything is bit heightened – well, for us, at least.
Rizzo has become the longest-tenured Chicago Cub and is inarguably the leader of the team. With the the respect of the players around him, his league, his manager, and his city, Rizzo has taken on an enormous role in the city of Chicago. Experiencing the World Series victory (and associated anxiety) through his eyes, then, is very meaningful.
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And the Players’ Tribune has it all.
As usual, I don’t want to spoil too much of the article, because the joy of reading it is in the journey. But suffice it to say, Rizzo takes your through his feelings from the night before, the early innings of the game, the rain delay and some of what came after.
One of my favorite moments from Rizzo:
“I remember that one thing Rossy had talked about all season long was the bond he had with the guys from the 2013 championship team in Boston. He talked about it a lot, and he said that it was the reason he really wanted to win one with us — because if we won a World Series together, then we’d be connected forever. We all bought into that. So as the season went on, and we got closer and closer to winning it all, it started to feel almost like we were a Little League team. You know, where you’re out there just trying to win for your buddies.”
Rizzo also made sure to mention that you can never replace a guy like David Ross and what he meant to the team. There’s a ton more in there, but that stood out to me.
But that’s not the only dose of Rizzo you’ll get today.
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At ESPN, Rizzo’s journey from high school to the World Series, including life’s difficult twists and turns along the way, has been condensed into a nice video package.
It’s so hard not to love this guy:
So be sure to check out both, because Rizzo – the unofficial captain of the Chicago Cubs – is quite a leader, role model, and amazing dude.