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This November will mark 10 years since the Chicago Cubs were 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 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 race, and it's going to be fun to celebrate,” Anthony Rizzo recently told Fox News Digital.
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Anthony Rizzo of the Chicago Cubs celebrates victory during 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, has returned to Chicago to attend Cubs games and record a podcast with former World Series teammate David Ross. But recently, as the World Cup approaches, he partnered with Abbott and Real Madrid to help give rising soccer stars in Chicago the opportunity to play for the Abbott Dream Team.
The 16 male and female “Abbott Dream Team” teams, aged between 18 and 19, will travel to Spain on an all-expenses paid trip to train at the official Real Madrid facilities.
“Giving back to the community here in Chicago means a lot to me, and for these kids to have the opportunity to go to Real Madrid and practice and train there is very special,” Rizzo said. “It's a really great program, they're both respective leaders in their industry, bringing kids together playing soccer and then harping on the nutrition aspect also means a lot, because it takes a lot to get to the next level, and the fact that Abbott is educating these kids on nutrition and the importance of it, I think is 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, on November 4, 2016. (Patrick Gorski/Icon Sportswire)
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“Everyone has talent when you get to the highest levels, right? Everyone has talent, but it's mental ability, it's the little things, and I think nutrition is, 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're going to 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 evens out, and that's what separates you from making it, from having that opportunity, or from being ready for that opportunity when it comes.”
Rizzo, of course, knows what it takes to get to the next level and be successful at it. 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 for the drought to end, he was able to maintain his usual activity in the World Series in which he hit .360 with a 1.084 OPS.
“You don't really feel as much weight, because you're in the World Series, you're at the highest level, you're one of the two teams standing, right? So, all the drought stuff comes from the outside, and I was only there for five or six years up until that point, so, the previous 102 years… You just have to be able to have a perspective on it,” 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 had to do to win.”
The 2016 Cubs will reunite 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 it 56-36.
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