Tonight, at Yankee Stadium, the Chicago Cubs will face old friend Anthony Rizzo for the first time since he was traded last July. And Rizzo has just one thing on his mind: speed.
Specifically, he wants to steal a base off of Willson Contreras so that he can have some bragging rights:
Anthony Rizzo on former teammate Willson Contreras: “I’m definitely going to try and steal on him at some point in this series so I can let him have it.” When reminded Contreras likes to back pick — Rizzo used to call for them — “I’ll have a little league lead.”
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) June 10, 2022
That is hilarious and perfect. Willson might throw the ball 115 mph to second base.
In all seriousness, that is not the only thing on Rizzo’s mind going into this series, I’m sure, but it’s definitely the funniest thing. And it’s also the vibe I hope permeates this series. I just want some fun.