Anthony Rizzo guaranteed that the Chicago Cubs would win the NL central this season, and that prediction was one of the hottest topics at 2015 Cubs Convention. When new Manager Joe Maddon came to the stage during the first night of Cubs Con, “host” Ryan Dempster brought up the bold statement of Anthony Rizzo.
Maddon backed up Rizzo for being supremely confident and bold. He said he was a fan of Rizzo’s faith in his team and self-assurance.
In reality, we’ll see what the St. Louis Cardinals have to say about it. Or even the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds for that matter. Many Cubs fans are currently feeling the same kind of delusional arrogance that emboldened Penn State fans are now feeling today.
The Cubs finished in last place, 73-89 in 2014.
Yes, they had as great an offseason as anybody in baseball, but think of how far they have to go from last year’s base.
A .500 to slightly above .500 season is realistic optimism.
Of course, the 1985 Robert Zemeckis film “Back to the Future Part II” took the Rizzo prediction to the nth degree, as the Cubs win the 2015 World Series in that movie.
However, it is good to see two inspirational figures and wonderful philanthropists, Anthony Rizzo and Jon Lester, as the cornerstones of the franchise. Unlike last year, you couldn’t really say the that Cubs had any legitimate “stars;” now they have two in Anthony Rizzo and Jon Lester.
Both of these lymphoma survivors are stellar individuals off the field as well.
There are three stars on this team if you count Manager Joe Maddon.
The local Chicago media treats Maddon the way ESPN treats Urban Meyer or the way Big Ten Network treats Jim Harbaugh.
-Interesting factoid about Maddon’s product rollout in Chicago. It was pretty awesome of Maddon that he chugged a beer at his introductory presser; it was even better that he offered to buy all of the media a round. It’s also very disappointing that not even one media member took him up on that.
Not one!
Bummer.
Everyone talks about Maddon’s willingness to buy shots for reporters, but no one made the public the fact that zero journalists accepted.
-“People watching” is always one of the best parts of CubsCon. If you want to feel attractive and/or thin, it’s the right place to be. Many of these people are colorful on the inside too. When one convention-goer ordered a Manhattan at the bar, another convention attendee said”
“That’s my blackout drink right there. The last time I had one of those I ended up with an arrest, and a broken ankle. I can’t do SoCo.”
#StayClassy
-CubsCon is also a place where people who work in media get treated like bonafide rock stars. Last year, there was a ridiculously long line to meet Kelly Crull and get her autograph. This year, Wayne Messmer had more than his share of autograph and photo-op seekers.
-In the vendor hall I actually saw an 8 x 10 glossy photo of Tom Ricketts for sale.
Who would ever buy that? Who would ever think such a market even exists?
Here is your full list of Cubs Convention attendees. And at this link you’ll find your schedule listing out all Cubs Convention events. Enjoy!
Oh and here’s Dempster’s penis joke about Randy Johnson; arguably the highlight of Cubs Convention day one.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with Fox Sports, Yardbarker Network, eBay, Google News, and CBS Interactive Inc. You can read Banks’ feature stories in the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition and listen to him on KOZN 1620 The Zone. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks)