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Paul Sullivan: Ten years later, the 2016 World Series champion Cubs reunite for a party that never ends
- Story by
- Paul Sullivan: Ten years later, the 2016 World Series champion Cubs reunite for a party that never ends
CHICAGO — It was just like old times again for the 2016 Chicago Cubs when the gang returned Thursday for a 10-year reunion bash at Wrigley Field.
"It honestly was like riding a bike with everyone," Anthony RIzzo told a group of reporters Saturday on Day 2 of the Cubs Convention at the Sheraton Grand Chicago. "Cool to get to hang in the clubhouse, all the lockers set up the way they were (in '16). The only thing missing was (John) Lackey and (Jon) Lester 's beer fridge."
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The fridge might have been missing, but beverages were flowing along with the memories of a season that changed many lives and ended the longest drought in North American sports history.
"Awesome," Lester said Friday after being announced as a new member of the Cubs Hall of Fame. "Probably a little bit too good of a time. I went to lunch with Lack and ( Travis Wood ) and we were talking about it. Ten years seems like a long time. In my mind, it was yesterday."
Some of the participants, such as Javier Báez , Kyle Schwarber and Aroldis Chapman , are still playing and came back only for the reunion, skipping the Cubs Convention. Rizzo said he tried to convince his former partner in Bryzzo Inc., Kris Bryant , to return, but said Bryant had a prior commitment with the Colorado Rockies .
"He was missed, and a few other guys, too, but the majority of the guys were here," Rizzo said.
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And after all these years, the same old guys sounded exactly the same.
"The same energy showed up, the same voices are yapping and going back and forth with each other," Ben Zobrist said. "The joy of the moment returns … and 10 years later, it's the same chemistry."
Former manager Joe Maddon was at the party Thursday and the opening ceremony Friday, along with catcher and former manager David Ross . Their managerial stints both ended with the Cubs waving goodbye, with Ross replacing Maddon and Craig Counsell replacing Ross. But their presence was required to make it a true 2016 Cubs reunion.
"Honestly, it's not easy coming back when you feel like it doesn't end up on the best of terms," Rizzo said of Maddon and Ross. "For them to come and be with that group, that's what that group means. When we were there (in '16), they put the group first.
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"Joe is the greatest human being on the earth, so for him to be back and get the love he deserves was amazing to see. For David to be able to handle everything he has is amazing, because he did get stabbed out of nowhere. The decision was made and Counsell is amazing. The team is in a great spot. But that's your friend. When something bad happens, something good is happening for someone else.
"For him to handle it the way he has has been amazing. That's just who he is. He's a great person and lights up every room he walks in."
Saturday's panel discussion with the 2016 champs was emceed by Ron Coomer and featured Rizzo, Zobrist, Mike Montgomery , Miguel Montero , Justin Grimm and Pedro Strop , who recreated his high-stepping trot from a famous Bryant walk-off home run.
There were plenty of laughs, as Montero imitated Lester's pickoff throw and the players told some clubhouse stories, including some fights.
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"Ten years is the perfect amount of time to love each other again," Rizzo told the fans.
Zobrist admitted he had doubts after the Cubs blew a late lead in Game 7 of the World Series, and Grimm thanked fans for "the energy" they brought every day. Asked how winning the World Series felt, Rizzo told a fan "a million times better" than when you pretended to win while playing in your backyard.
Former President Theo Epstein attended the party Thursday but left before the convention began Friday. Epstein is now a part-owner of the Boston Red Sox , so it might have been awkward to take a bow at the Cubs' big party.
"It would've been cool," Lester said. "But obviously we all know Theo is Theo. He's got his hands in a lot of things right now."
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Lester reintroduced Epstein to his son, Walker, and told him: "You've got to thank Theo."
"He said, 'For what?'" Lester continued. "I said 'For your lifestyle.' Theo looks back at him and says: 'You're (bleeping) welcome for your lifestyle.'"
Lester credited Epstein for bringing the team together and said "everything Theo touches turns to gold," adding it wouldn't surprise him if Epstein became the commissioner of baseball down the road. Lester cautioned he would get in trouble with Epstein for saying that, but said it anyway.
Reunions of championship teams often follow the same script. But when you've ended a famous drought to change a city's history, it's a very different feeling.
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"We knew how much it was going to mean, and then we did it and it exceeded all expectations," Rizzo said. "It's like if you go to the most-hyped-up restaurant and you're always let down, but this blew away everything. Looking back, we know how much it means. We lived it."
Zobrist will always be remembered as being the World Series MVP and for being out and about in his North Side neighborhood after the Series win, meeting with any and all fans to give back to the community that had embraced him and the Cubs on the journey.
"It's like you almost forget about the winter and cold and all that kind of stuff when you get to be around fans like this, and there is this hope and anticipation I think everyone feels," Zobrist said. "To see some of that come to fruition during our year, to be up close and personal and be in the center of it, was amazing. ...
"When you're young, you have to be focused and stick with your job and do your job well, and it's hard to maintain that (focus) during the middle of it. That's why in the neighborhood, I'd been maintaining that all season long, and now that it's over and we did it, it was like, now it's time to do this type of stuff. You get to be around the fans and (tell them) all the fun things you got to experience and how it felt to be the object of affection for the city in that moment."
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Thanking the fans for helping them win was a recurring theme of the 2016 panel discussion Saturday. But when it ended, Rizzo said he was done with all the old cliches and had a mic-drop moment for Cubs fans to remember.
"You're welcome," he said.
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