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This November will mark the 10th anniversary of the Chicago Cubs becoming champions for the first time in several generations.
On November 2, 2016, the Cubs broke a 108-year curse, winning their first World Series title four years before the Titanic even sank, and many members of the team will return to Wrigley Field next month to celebrate.
“It’s crazy. Time flies. I mean, it was a special team, a special run, and it’s going to be fun to celebrate,” Anthony Rizzo recently told PK Press Club Digital.
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Anthony Rizzo of the Chicago Cubs celebrates his victory in Game 7 of the World Series against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio on November 2, 2016. (David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
Now retired, Rizzo, who signed a one-day contract to retire a Cub after spending nearly four years with the New York Yankees, is back in Chicago attending Cubs games and recording a podcast with his former World Series teammate David Ross. But recently, with the World Cup approaching, he teamed up with Abbott and Real Madrid to give Chicago’s rising soccer stars a chance to play for the Abbott Dream Team.
The 16 selected male and female members of the ‘Abbott Dream Team’, aged 18-19, will travel to Spain on an all-expenses paid trip to train at Real Madrid’s official facilities.
“Giving to the community here in Chicago means a lot to me, and these kids having the opportunity to go to Real Madrid and train there and train there, it’s pretty special,” Rizzo said. “It’s a really cool program, they’re both respective leaders in their industries, bringing together kids who play soccer and then emphasizing the nutrition aspect, that also means a lot because it takes a lot to get to the next level, and the fact that Abbott is teaching these kids about nutrition and the importance of it, I think that’s really important as well.”
Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo celebrates during the team’s World Series victory rally at Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois, November 4, 2016. (Patrick Gorski/Icon Sportswire)
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“Everyone has talent when you get to the higher levels, right? Everyone has talent, but it’s the mental capacity, it’s the little things, and nutrition is, I think, for me, one of the most important things,” Rizzo added. “You don’t really see the results on the field, but you feel like you’re going to recover better, you’re going to sleep better, you have more energy, so taking care of your body is very important, and I let them know that when you get to a certain level, the talent level balances out, and that’s what keeps you from being successful, or getting that opportunity, or being ready for that opportunity when it comes.”
Rizzo, of course, knows what it takes to reach and succeed at the next level. He found ultimate success with that 2016 title, which obviously came with added pressure. But the former first baseman said that despite fans’ desperate desire to end the drought, he was able to maintain business as usual in the World Series in which he hit .360 with a 1.084 OPS.
“You don’t really feel that weight, because you’re in the World Series, you’re at the highest level, you’re one of two teams competing, right? So the whole drought comes in from the outside, and I’ve only been there five or six years up until that point, so, the previous 102 years… You just have to, you have to be able to have perspective on that,” Rizzo said.
Anthony Rizzo of the Chicago Cubs celebrates on the field after recording the final out in the 10th inning to win Game 7 and the World Series championship against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio on November 2, 2016. (Al Tielemans/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
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“You have to be able to laugh about it, and for us, we just kept all the outside noise out and focused on what we needed to do to win.”
The 2016 Cubs will meet on July 18, 10 years to the day Rizzo hit a three-run homer off New York Mets pitcher Steven Matz in a 5-1 victory to make the score 56-36.
