March 30, 2018

 The Athletic, Bullpen picks up shaky Jon Lester as Cubs kick off 2018 with a win https://theathletic.com/293476/2018/03/29/bullpen-picks-up-shaky-jon-lester-as-cubs-kick-off- 2018-with-a-win/

 The Athletic, In the shadows of Parkland, ’s call to action and out-of-body experience https://theathletic.com/293487/2018/03/29/in-the-shadows-of-parkland-anthony-rizzos-call-to- action-and-out-of-body-experience/

 The Athletic, Clubhouse Access: The 2016 World Series bond, Anthony Rizzo’s platform, 's reboot https://theathletic.com/292308/2018/03/29/clubhouse-access-the-2016-world-series-bond- anthony-rizzos-platform-yu-darvishs-reboot/

 The Athletic, On both sides of town, there's a lot of action at the shortstop position https://theathletic.com/291784/2018/03/29/on-both-sides-of-town-theres-a-lot-of-action-at-the- shortstop-position/

 Cubs.com, Cubs come out slugging vs. Fish https://www.mlb.com/cubs/news/cubs-slug-three-home-runs-to-beat-marlins/c-269964908

 Cubs.com, Happ leads off 2018 with a homer in Miami https://www.mlb.com/cubs/news/ian-happ-leads-off-2018-with-a-homer-in-miami/c-269973352

 Cubs.com, Schwarber's day: Adventures in LF, long HR https://www.mlb.com/cubs/news/kyle-schwarber-struggles-in-field-also-homers/c-269965180

 Cubs.com, takes on special meaning for Rizzo https://www.mlb.com/cubs/news/anthony-rizzo-honors-marjory-stoneman-douglas/c-269965248

 Cubs.com, With 'pen sorted out, Cubs set roster https://www.mlb.com/cubs/news/cubs-sort-out-bullpen-set-opening-day-roster/c-269925558

 ESPNChicago.com, Marlins, Cubs wear 'MSD' patches, to visit with victims' families, survivors http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/22956812/miami-marlins-chicago-cubs-host-stoneman- douglas-high-school-families-survivors

 NBC Sports Chicago, How Ian Happ emerged as key to Cubs lineup http://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/cubs/how-ian-happ-emerged-key-cubs-lineup-schwarber- almora-leadoff

 NBC Sports Chicago, In wake of Parkland tragedy, Anthony Rizzo has transformed into an icon that transcends http://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/cubs/wake-parkland-tragedy-anthony-rizzo-has-transformed- icon-transcends-baseball-stoneman-douglas-gun-control

 NBC Sports Chicago, Cubs Opening Day roster puts an end to spring position battles http://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/cubs/cubs-opening-day-roster-puts-end-spring-position-battles

 Chicago Tribune, Yu Darvish and the Cubs look like the perfect match at the perfect time http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-yu-darvish-theo-epstein- 20180331-story.html

 Chicago Tribune, ’s defensive woes could mean more playing time for Jr. http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-kyle-schwarber-outfield- 20180330-story.html

 Chicago Tribune, Ian Happ gives Cubs spark, bullpen finishes off Cubs' 8-4 win in opener http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-marlins-season-opener- 20180329-story.html

 Chicago Tribune, Cubs take care of business and make more opening day memories http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-sullivan-opening-day-memories- 20180329-story.html

 Chicago Tribune, Cubs finalize 25-man roster with Eddie Butler part of the 13-man pitching staff http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-25-man-roster-eddie-butler- 20180329-story.html

 Chicago Tribune, Anthony Rizzo goes deep calling for stricter gun laws http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-anthony-rizzo-haugh-20180329- story.html

 Chicago Tribune, Cubs' Jon Lester didn't have answers for his short outing Thursday http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-jon-lester-notes-20180329- story.html

 Chicago Tribune, Ryan Court 'very impressive' to despite not being named to Cubs' 25-man roster http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-ryan-court-25-man-roster- 20180329-story.html

 Chicago Sun-Times, Cubs’ Jon Lester after rough outing in season opener: ‘No excuse for it’ https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/cubs-jon-lester-after-rough-outing-in-season-opener-no- excuse-for-it/

 Chicago Sun-Times, Jon Lester struggles, but Cubs power way to opening 8-4 victory vs. Marlins https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/jon-lester-struggles-but-cubs-power-their-way-to-8-4- opening-win-over-marlins/

 Chicago Sun-Times, When he’s needed most on and off the field, Cubs’ Anthony Rizzo stands tall https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/cubs-opening-day-anthony-rizzo-stoneman-douglas-theo- epstein/

 Chicago Sun-Times, Stoneman Douglas grad Anthony Rizzo calls for gun-control legislation https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/stoneman-douglas-grad-anthony-rizzo-of-cubs-calls-for-gun- control-legislation/

 Chicago Sun-Times, Anthony Rizzo has harsh words for gun-advocate bullies: You’re losers https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/cubs-opening-day-anthony-rizzo-stoneman-douglas-high- school/

 Daily Herald, Elgin native Court's spring training impresses Cubs' Maddon http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20180329/elgin-native-courts-spring-training-impresses-cubs- maddon

 Daily Herald, Rizzo, Cubs lend more support to Stoneman Douglas High School http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20180329/rizzo-cubs-lend-more-support-to-stoneman-douglas- high-school

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The Athletic Bullpen picks up shaky Jon Lester as Cubs kick off 2018 with a win By Sahadev Sharma

MIAMI – There was a lot of talk this spring about whether the Cubs’ loaded offense could score 900 runs. On paper the rotation looks as strong as the historically great 2016 one. All spring, people were talking about how the crisp Cubs defense was back.

But in Thursday’s 8-4 win over the on Opening Day, it was the bullpen that deserves headlines.

It was a short opener for Jon Lester, who exited after just 3 1/3 innings with his team clinging to a 4-3 lead. With runners on the corners and just one out, Steve Cishek, expected to be one of the primary setup men, entered the game to try and preserve the Cubs’ precarious lead.

“I was watching the flow of the game and I see a bunch of righties stacked up after [Justin] Bour and I realized this could be my spot if [Lester] gets in a jam,” Cishek said. “I started moving around a little bit just in case and it worked out that way.”

That was a wise move by Cishek, because manager Joe Maddon pulled the trigger on Lester and called upon his side-arming right-hander. Cishek struck out Starlin Castro and got Bour to fly out to end the threat.

It was odd to see Cishek in the game in the fourth inning, but Maddon said he felt there was no other way to play it. After Cishek worked out of the jam, his fellow relievers followed suit as the bullpen threw 5 2/3 shutout innings, allowing just one hit while striking out five and walking three.

“I think [Cishek] was a huge key for that game,” said reliever , who worked a scoreless seventh. “He came in and stopped the bleeding when we needed it. He was the difference in the game.”

Despite the odd situation, Cishek was prepared for the moment and set the tone for the next four relievers to continue shutting down the Marlins hitters, while the offense did the rest of the work.

“That’s our job, make sure we maintain a lead,” Cishek said. “We had a one- lead and all I was thinking about was putting zeroes on the board and keep the train rolling. It worked out and the rest of the guys came in and did a phenomenal job. Really shows you how deep our bullpen is.”

Justin Wilson is trying to forget about a disastrous stint with the Cubs last season, if only we would let him. After posting a 5.09 ERA while walking 20.9 percent of the batters he faced in two months on the North Side, Wilson was happy to kick off his 2018 with a clean eighth inning. The lefty, who was a part of some dominant bullpens in Pittsburgh, believes this group could be as good as any he’s been with.

“I was talking to someone the other day, I’ve been fortunate to be in some good [bullpens],” Wilson said. “If this isn’t the best, it’d be hard for me to pick another one.”

(Somewhere in either Orlando, Florida or Granger, Indiana, Hawk Harrelson nodded his head at that phrasing.)

Brian Duensing quietly had a strong 2017, posting a career-best 23.7 percent strikeout rate while delivering a 2.74 ERA. If the Cubs play as expected this year, he understands the offense and starting staff will get most of the headlines. But he doesn’t seem to want it any other way.

“If we’re doing our job, then no one should be talking about us,” Duensing said. “It’s not that big of a deal. Us bullpen guys, we’ve had the bullpen set for a while for the most part. We’ve meshed a little bit and gotten to know each other. It’s just like a clubhouse, when you have good camaraderie and can pull for the guys you’re with, it makes it a lot easier to pitch.”

If there was one thing to nitpick for the group, it would be the three walks. Last season, Cubs relievers walked a major-league worst 11.2 percent of the batters they faced. Over the offseason, the Cubs front office focused on finding strike-throwers in Cishek and new closer Brandon Morrow — one of three relievers to not see action on Thursday. Wilson went to a three-ball count on two of three batters he faced and said that's something he wanted to correct going forward, but right now, this group should be satisfied with the quality results. Especially Wilson.

Lester was quick to give credit to the relievers and the hitters, but he obviously wasn't pleased with his outing. This was Lester's seventh Opening Day start, his third with the Cubs, and it was one he’ll want to forget as quickly as possible.

“I wasn’t throwing strikes, wasn’t finishing guys, had no breaking ball,” Lester said. “There are a few things in there that we need to adjust on and make better for [my next start]. It’s one. I don’t wanna dive into it too much. Physically felt fine. Just didn’t execute. That sounds like a cop-out, but it really is when you don’t execute pitches, continue to make mistakes and center balls. You’re gonna pay for it regardless of who you’re playing.”

Prior to Thursday’s victory, Cubs president Theo Epstein talked about how Lester appears determined to put a subpar 2017 behind him.

“A couple of those games that got out of hand last year, he knows that’s not who he is,” Epstein said. “He’s justifiably proud of everything he’s accomplished and wants to live up to that. And he knows his role on the team and how important he is. He’s invested in winning. And he knows he has to be his best self for us to win.”

Epstein’s probably right that for the Cubs to be the team everyone expects, Lester is going to have to shine. However, with a punishing offense and shutdown bullpen, the Cubs were able to overcome a sloppy initial outing to kick off the season with a nice win.

“He just didn’t have his stuff,” Maddon said. “The finish wasn’t on the pitch. Sitting on the side, the ball didn’t have that little carry at the end. And it was reflective in the gun readings. It’s just a period he’s going through, I have no concerns whatsoever.”

Lester gave up four runs (three earned) on seven hits and three walks while striking out just two. He was sitting 90.2 mph with his four-seamer, 89.5 with his two-seamer and 86.2 with his cutter. Each of those readings were around 1-1.5 mph below both what he averaged last season as well as what he averaged on Opening Day last year. And that was a season in which his overall velocity was down across the board compared to where he sat in recent seasons past.

Lester didn’t have a specific reason why his stuff wasn’t where it needed to be – he denied that mechanics were an issue and said he felt perfectly healthy.

“I’m not going to sit here and make excuses for anything,” Lester said. “I didn’t throw the ball very good today and there’s really no excuse for it. Just wasn’t able to execute when I needed to. We kept a lot of balls on the ground, just finding holes and not being able to finish guys. That’s on me. Bullpen picked me up. Boys swung the bats. We’ll look at that today.”

Lester will take the win, but he’ll spend the next four days working on fixing whatever led to his issues.

“An adjustment's gotta be made and we’ll make it,” he said.

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The Athletic In the shadows of Parkland, Anthony Rizzo’s call to action and out-of-body experience By Patrick Mooney

MIAMI – Anthony Rizzo jogged across home plate and tapped the MSD ribbon stitched onto his gray Chicago jersey, right around his heart. He looked up into the sun and pointed to the sky, remembering the 17 people killed in a Valentine’s Day massacre at his South Florida high school.

Rizzo couldn’t outrun the emotions on Thursday afternoon at Marlins Park, trying to slow it down and appreciate the moment after launching Jose Urena’s 96-mph fastball into the upper deck in right field. The Cubs knew what this second-inning snapshot meant to Rizzo, no reason to play it off as 1-of-162 or pretend this game is played by robots.

“That was the most out-of-body experience I’ve had hitting a , probably in my life,” Rizzo said. “I looked up to those kids up there and the adults that lost their lives. It’s a special moment for me personally.”

Rizzo stood in the visiting clubhouse after an 8-4 season-opening win that highlighted the immense possibilities and entertainment value within the 2018 Cubs. It also resurfaced one of manager Joe Maddon’s old sayings: Don’t forget the heartbeat.

Before reporters crashed his locker, Rizzo changed into jeans, white Air Jordans and a maroon T-shirt with “#MSDStrong” across the chest and the Stoneman Douglas Eagles logo on the back. Rizzo is a 2007 graduate of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and an anchor in the Parkland community still reeling from that mass shooting.

That morning, Rizzo climbed onto the bench in the visiting dugout at 9:31, knowing it wouldn’t be the same old homecoming angle or softball questions about opening day optimism. He didn’t stick to sports or lean on platitudes during a media session that lasted eight minutes. This is too personal, too close to home to play it safe.

In a perfect world, what would a national gun law be?

“I play first base for the Cubs,” Rizzo said after hesitating for a moment. “But in a perfect world, make it stricter. Make background checks a little harder to get these guns. I think it’s a little too easy to go in there and get a gun. I think pretty much the entire nation can agree on that and a number of other things.”

All around, this opener felt different, from an unrecognizable Marlins team to the futuristic stadium with rows of empty seats to the fans chanting “Let’s go, Cubbies!” to Rizzo pressing a hot-button issue.

Rizzo chooses his words carefully, understands the power of his platform and worried when his initial Twitter message and heartfelt speech at a Parkland vigil were interpreted as calls for tighter gun control.

But Rizzo left no doubts about how he feels about the Internet conspiracy trolls calling the Parkland students “crisis actors” after a troubled teenager used an AR-15 rifle to murder 17 people.

“I think they’re losers,” Rizzo said. “That’s what I think, to be honest. You hear all these things and you’re just like, ‘How can you even say this? Where is your heart? Where is your sense of sympathy?’ This is as real as it gets. If you don’t think it’s real, go there.”

Rizzo, whose family is still based in the Parkland area, went to watch the Stoneman Douglas baseball team on Tuesday and came away impressed with a 15-0 win, the strength of the school’s teachers and the energy that has created rallies, marches and walkouts across the country.

“The kids are doing great, really,” Rizzo said. “From the outside looking in, I kind of relate it to when I had cancer. People are like, ‘Oh, can we talk to him? Is he contagious? Can we touch him? Can he go outside?’ Outside looking in, that’s what you think, but those kids are doing great.

“You just have to be normal. You have to try to make it as normal as you can. I told them, ‘I want to see what all this hype’s about.’ And they performed.”

Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein — who once visited the Stoneman Douglas campus for Rizzo’s pre-draft workout for the — has watched every step of Rizzo’s evolution from a young prospect into a face of the franchise.

“He’s much more than a baseball player,” Epstein said. “There’s a lot of elements to him as a human being. He’s a very caring, emotional person. He develops important relationships easily. He feels really connected to his hometown and to his school. He’s got a big heart.

“What he saw really affected him. He’s standing up for what he believes in. He’s not someone who’s just going to look the other way and think that someone else will take care of things. He really wants to dive in and make a difference.

“You see how he conducts himself in Chicago. He’s a great role model for all of us.”

With that in mind, Maddon bought the “#MSDStrong” T-shirts through his charitable foundation. Maddon wore one during his pregame media briefing. Players wore the shirts during batting practice.

“We wanted to show our support for the kids, the entire activist movement by the youth of America,” Maddon said. “We love it. I love it. I think a lot of the players do also, so this is our show of support for what they’re doing.”

With one powerful swing, Rizzo showed what Epstein meant about the All-Star first baseman’s ability to shift focus without feeling drained: “We’re talking about somebody who stops by pediatric oncology units on the way to games in Chicago. He’s good at compartmentalizing.”

That attitude helped the young Cubs grow up into World Series champions, and make Rizzo a winner of the Roberto Clemente and Marvin Miller Man of the Year awards last season. For everything he’s already accomplished, Rizzo still isn’t satisfied, or willing to stay silent anymore. Those images of Stoneman Douglas will always be there.

“I think the message is somewhere in the middle that everyone can agree on,” Rizzo said. “To be getting bullied on Twitter by some guy with strong fingers, I think it’s pretty funny. I know for a fact that they’re not going to let anything affect their mission, because what they’re doing is bigger than themselves.

“The nation’s listening. I think that there are some politicians that are maybe shaking a little bit — a little nervous — but you got to keep going. You got to keep going and keep fighting for what they believe in.”

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The Athletic Clubhouse Access: The 2016 World Series bond, Anthony Rizzo’s platform, Yu Darvish's reboot By Patrick Mooney

MIAMI – On the mound, always maintains that blank expression on his face and never lets his teammates or the opponent know what he’s thinking. It doesn’t matter how big the crowd is or how loud it gets. It could be a getaway day in April or Game 7 of the World Series. The yoga enthusiast with an Ivy League degree breathes deeply and focuses on the next pitch.

But deep down, when Hendricks made his big-league debut, even part of him felt like: What did I get myself into?

Rewind to July 10, 2014 at Great American Ball Park, Hendricks stepping into a rotation decimated by the Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel-for-Addison Russell trade with the Oakland A’s. flamethrower Aroldis Chapman buzzes two 100 mph fastballs around Nate Schierholtz’s head. First baseman Anthony Rizzo stares into the home dugout, keeps barking and drops his hat and glove to the ground, essentially challenging all the Reds to a fight.

“I was like, ‘Whoa, this is the big leagues?’” Hendricks recalled, laughing. “Coming through the minor leagues, I mean, you don’t have bench-clearing brawls. First game I’m up and that happens? Yeah, it was a little bit of an eye-opener, a little welcome.”

That day in Cincinnati, Rick Renteria’s lineup looked like this:

Chris Coghlan, LF Arismendy Alcantara, 2B Rizzo, 1B Starlin Castro, SS Luis Valbuena, 3B Ryan Sweeney, CF Schierholtz, RF John Baker, C Hendricks, P

Fast forward to the 2018 season that opens Thursday at Marlins Park in Miami and the Cubs are so talented that — the Gold Glove outfielder with the biggest contract in franchise history — might become more of a part-time player/defensive replacement. Hendricks has earned so much respect that he slots ahead of $126 million addition Yu Darvish in the rotation. Jose Quintana, an All-Star lefty in 2016, is the No. 4 starter on a staff that’s been overhauled even since last year’s opening day, with 60 percent of the rotation flipped and a new closer in Brandon Morrow.

“When you bring good guys into a good culture already, I think they don’t feel the need to do too much,” manager Joe Maddon said. “They could just come out there and be themselves. They’re not asked to become saviors or immediate game-changers. I think the absorption for them is a lot easier.

“Quintana had it a little bit more difficult, coming in midseason (after last year’s trade from the White Sox). When you’re a mercenary, it’s got to be different. When you’re brought in and you’re expected to help the team — [with] the playoffs and World Series [in min] — I think that’s a little bit more pressure.

“These guys coming in now, there’s a lengthier method and a more relaxed method to become absorbed and understand. When you bring good folks into a good moment, it’s obviously a lot easier for them and for us.”

Even Chapman had patched things up with Rizzo long before he got traded to the Cubs in the middle of the 2016 season, and managed to survive a rocky rollout in Chicago and what could have been a disastrous World Series Game 7 blown save. Props to Heyward for The Rain Delay Speech and the total team effort that beat the Cleveland Indians in the 10th inning.

“For that, we’ll always be brothers,” Hendricks said.

Cubs fans certainly noticed it last November, when Hendricks got married in Laguna Beach, near where he grew up in Southern California. John Lackey’s wife, Kristina, posted a group photo that weekend on her Twitter account that featured , Miguel Montero, Kyle Schwarber, Travis Wood, Justin Grimm, Ian Happ, catching/strategy coach and this caption: “Cubs for Life!!!”

The last enduring public link between Arrieta and Montero had been the outspoken catcher ripping his pitcher for letting the Washington Nationals run wild. Yet there they were together on the dance floor.

“It definitely is special,” Hendricks said. “It must come back to the environment that is created in this clubhouse. It starts with Joe all the time, but it’s just such a friendly environment. Guys just really, really create bonds when they’re on this team.

“To have Miggy and Jake come and be part of that was unbelievable. It’s definitely just a unique situation, a unique place where you do make these bonds where you talk to these guys down the road for years.”

Maybe Wood — who got released by the this spring after he tore the ACL and meniscus in his left knee — will have a shirtless second act in a “Wedding Crashers” sequel.

“The same look as the World Series parade,” Hendricks said. “You remember he had the camo vest on? [This was] black, the three-piece formal vest. He dressed it up a little bit for us. Woody’s Woody. That’s why we love him. That’s why we wanted him there, man. He’s one of our favorites.”

But the Cubs aren’t living in the past anymore. By December, Hendricks and his wife, Emma, took a scheduled red-eye flight home from their honeymoon in Bora Bora. Hendricks landed at Los Angeles International Airport on the morning of Dec. 5 and went to a Creative Artists Agency headquarters so he could join Cubs officials for the recruiting pitch to .

Rizzo has always been more of a great representative for the franchise — on and off the field — than a natural clubhouse leader. But challenging Chapman and sticking up for his teammates in Cincinnati can be seen in retrospect as one of those symbolic turning-point moments in the rebuild.

In real time, you could tell how much the Valentine’s Day massacre deeply impacted Rizzo, who used his Twitter platform and delivered an emotional speech at a Parkland vigil, calling for change without explicitly using the word “gun.”

The optimism of a new season won’t feel quite the same when the Cubs are playing 45 miles south of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where a former student with an AR-15 rifle killed 17 people, unleashing new waves of anger and activism.

Rizzo, a 2007 Stoneman Douglas graduate, has carefully tried to express his feelings and support the South Florida community without becoming a political figure.

“It’s really hard,” general manager Jed Hoyer said. “I would support whatever he wants to do. If he wanted to speak out and he’s passionate about something, he should do that, if that’s what he feels. But he also needs to be aware of the pitfalls of doing it — especially in this culture — 50 percent of the people are going to love you for it and 50 percent hate you. There’s not many issues you’re going to improve your odds that much on at this point.

“If he wanted to do it … I’d support him if he felt strongly … but he should know the risks in this environment, for sure.”

For the record, Maddon isn’t revealing much about The Darvish Plan and whether or not Yu tipped pitches during two bad World Series starts last year against the . Cubs hitters certainly know how good the Los Angeles Dodgers are at breaking down video, incorporating data and putting together scouting reports, so it’s not like Darvish was on an island after getting traded from the Texas

Rangers. The bigger idea seems to be getting Darvish to simplify his approach when necessary and buy into what has been a highly successful game-planning system.

“He’s been going about his work normally,” Maddon said before Darvish’s Cactus League debut. “Honestly, I don’t know how much of our work has been concerned with that. Sometimes, I think that’s overblown a bit. I don’t know to what extent [the Astros] had him and how that played into him not having a great performance.

“It’s an easy thing to talk about, and it’s an easy finger to point the blame at. I didn’t really watch the games closely enough to know whether his command was good, whether the velocity was where it normally is, the break on his breaking pitches. I’m not aware of that, because I didn’t watch it. Honestly, at this point, I’m not overly concerned.

“We’ve done our due diligence. We’re working on it. But I think — without tipping my hand — from what I’m hearing there was other reasons why that may have occurred. I just think in an organic way he’s going to be able to conceal his pitches better right now.”

Brian Butterfield is a baseball lifer whose late father, Jack, once served as a vice president of scouting and player development for the New York Yankees. Butterfield is such a good teacher that he lasted 11 seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays, working for five different managers between 2002 and 2012 before jumping to the Boston Red Sox and earning a 2013 World Series ring as the third base coach in charge of infield and base-running instruction. The Cubs saw slippage in those areas and made sweeping changes to a coaching staff that rode in the championship parade and made three straight trips to the NLCS.

“Highly, highly impressed with the kids,” Butterfield said. “Highly impressed with the work ethic, the respect. Unsolicited, I had young players and even veteran players — when I first got here, not knowing a lot of guys — coming up to me and introducing themselves. Tremendous. Tremendous. I call home every night and I talk to my wife and I’m telling her, ‘This is truly a blessing to come to an organization full of these types of people.’”

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The Athletic On both sides of town, there's a lot of action at the shortstop position By Jon Greenberg

GLENDALE, Ariz. — When Tim Anderson was a high school point guard in Alabama, he prided himself on seeing the whole court.

“I was like a floor general,” Anderson told me in early March. “I could see the floor. I could handle the ball real well. I was dishing it out to my big men and my wing guys. I was running it. I was running it.”

So he wasn’t a Derrick Rose type who drove to the rim every chance he could?

“I could drive,” he said. “I could do a little bit everything. I could shoot a little bit I could drive a little bit and I could dish it out a little bit.”

It's kind of like being a shortstop.

“Yeah, it’s definitely kind of like being a point guard or a quarterback controlling the field and know where you’ve got to be at,” he said. “You’re the middle man who’s got to do everything when the ball is hit. If the ball is hit to the outfield, you still have somewhere to be.”

Anderson, the White Sox’s third-year captain of the infield, is definitely in the middle of the action. He took to baseball late, but possessed enough talent to make it through the minor leagues and to the majors by his fourth year in pro ball.

When Anderson debuted with the White Sox in 2016, he was the hot young prospect in the classic White Sox mold: young, athletic, exciting, but flawed. Now he's playing next to and hitting behind the Sox's infielder of the present and the future in second baseman Yoán Moncada. Outfielder Eloy Jiménez is on his way and Luis Robert isn't that far behind him. Everywhere you look in the White Sox farm system, there's a prospect with a real chance to make a dent on the major league club.

After a massive reloading of prospects that this organization had never seen before, Anderson exists somewhere between future greatness and past failures that made a rebuild necessary. He’s still young (he turns 25 in June), he has limited-enough experience (1,037 plate appearances over two seasons) that his ceiling isn't yet defined, a quick bat (17 homers last season) and a famously impatient approach.

It's not just a reputation either. Anderson's 2.1 walk percentage last season was the lowest in baseball among 144 qualified players, according to FanGraphs, and his 26.7 strikeout percentage was 15th worst. He’s a more impatient Javy Báez with less pop, less-reliable defense and a great BABIP (.347 over his first two seasons). Plenty of talented players have seen their careers plateau because they struck out too much and walked too infrequently. Anderson isn't unique.

But while Anderson’s $25 million contract extension signed last spring seems a little premature, there is something special about him. Maybe it’s his attitude. It’s definitely not his bat. But Anderson, who grieved all season for a best friend who was shot and killed in Alabama, has vowed to keep it positive this season. If that helps breed results, he can keep his stake on the shortstop position for a team with playoff hopes in the near future. (Talk of moving him to the outfield has dried up with the influx of young outfield talent acquired last season.)

While Anderson is looking for a jump in Year 3, across the city, there’s Cubs shortstop Addison Russell, who has something to prove in his fourth season in the majors.

Two teams, two shortstops with a ton of talent, but uneven results. Russell, of course, was the higher- end prospect with the better tools. Anderson was raw coming out of junior college, which makes his major league success a definite hit for the White Sox's then-beleaguered scouting department, but doesn't guarantee him anything in, say, 2020.

While there is no shortage of storylines in town, I'm interested in seeing how these two shortstops continue to evolve after promising, but uneven starts to their major league careers. Both are talented and neither are sure things.

Defensively, Russell is well ahead of Anderson, even if you factor in the former's sometimes-challenging throws to Anthony Rizzo at first base. If you look at their offensive numbers through their first two years, they're a little closer than you might imagine. Anderson is faster with a better BABIP, while Russell is more well-regarded for his potential and those times when everything is clicking.

Those comparisons don't factor in Russell's disastrous Year 3. He got divorced (an MLB investigation into a friend of his ex-wife’s Instagram comment accusation of abuse seemingly went nowhere and no charges were ever filed). On the field, he played only 110 games (down from 151 in 2016) because of injuries. His numbers didn’t really go down, but that’s the problem. He was predicted to have a major jump statistically and be an MVP candidate after finishing with a few down-ballot votes in 2016 despite a .238 batting average and an abundance of lineup-related RBIs.

Russell wound up slashing .239/.304/.418 last season, with 12 homers and 21 doubles. While a late- season mechanical adjustment helped him finish confidently in the regular season, he flopped in October along with the rest of his team.

For that reason, Russell was No. 1 on my trade bait list going into the offseason after president Theo Epstein admitted he’d be willing to trade young positional talent for pitching if he needed to. Epstein didn’t know at that time how sluggish the free agent market would be, but there wasn’t much trade interest in Russell (or Kyle Schwarber) because of his down year.

In that regard, being bad was good for Russell, who could very easily have been replaced by Báez, who shined when he took over shortstop for an injured Russell last season. Russell still could be moved if the Cubs need pitching down the line. Or, the Cubs could lock him up at a bargain rate, like they did Rizzo.

“Obviously I want to be in this organization,” Russell said. “It’s a great organization with great guys all around in the clubhouse. It’s a winning organization too. I’ve been talking to a lot of guys that come over from other teams and they say, ‘Yo, you have no idea how good you have it here,’ from the travel to the coaches to the players to the facilities. Being traded from the Cubs would almost be a letdown. But I don’t have that determination. I’m just happy I’m here.”

While they're hopeful for a rebound year, the Cubs aren’t touting Russell for anything this spring. Anderson is expected to be a vocal leader on the South Side, but Russell just needs to speak with his bat, arm and glove.

“He’s got a world of talent,” Cubs GM Jed Hoyer said. “All the talent that had him touted as an MVP candidate probably too early is all still there. You look through plenty of players who go on to have amazing careers, often times there’s a year that isn’t their best where they struggle with injuries or an extended slump or whatever it might be. Last year wasn’t his best year, but to me maybe it was a great learning experience for him.”

Maybe. The reason for adding Chili Davis as hitting coach and Brian Butterfield as third base coach was for them to help some of the young Cubs hitters reach another level. doesn’t need much work, but Russell, Schwarber, Báez, Ian Happ and Albert Almora Jr. do. For all their hype in previous seasons, each one has significant gains to make to become “stars.”

For Russell, he thinks it’s all about being confident in his talent instead of doubting himself. That's not an uncommon thought in his profession.

“Yeah, that’s definitely one of the things I want to tap into,” he told me. “Just being a young player, I was kind of timid coming into the big leagues. Now that I’ve established myself up here, had a couple years in the big leagues, I feel like I can let it fly, be myself. That’s one of the goals I have this year. Find out what kind of player I can be this year.”

Anderson has similar goals of self-discovery. For him, it starts with controlling his natural, aggressive tendencies, i.e. his pitch selection and making routine plays at shortstop.

“It’s tough when you’re an athlete, man,” he said. “Because you can do so much and you try to do everything. I got to take the athlete role and put in perspective of being a baseball player.”

Anderson has gotten better at shortstop, but offensively, he’s still a mixed bag. No matter how you spin it, he’s got to be more selective at the plate. Even walking at a Báez level (5.9 percent last season) would be a major improvement.

“Yeah man, I’m learning how to control my aggressiveness,” Anderson said. “I don’t want to get too crazy with it, just being in control when I’m aggressive.”

In some sense that's hitting coach Todd Steverson’s challenge, but it’s Anderson’s career. Homegrown position prospects have been a weakness of the White Sox in recent, uh, decades and Anderson could be just another link on a long chain of missed opportunities that preceded the current rebuild. Or he could be a fun, exciting player who thrives, while still being flawed. Under manager Ricky Renteria, Anderson will have a positive environment to continue to develop in his third season.

“He’s a high BABIP guy who puts the ball in play with a very good positive outcome in terms of batting average,” Renteria said. “He needs to continue to command the strike zone and do what he does. I’m not going to take the bat out of his hand. As he continues to grow, he’s able to and is learning to lay off pitches not in the zone. Because we do know if he gets a pitch to handle the outcome is usually really good.”

Anderson needs every at-bat this season. Given the White Sox's mission isn't making the playoffs just yet, it's a perfect time for Anderson to grow, which is why he’ll continue to hit second for the time being.

“Ultimately time will tell us if we’re correct in that aspect,” Renteria said of Anderson’s development. “But other than that as long as he continues to produce in big situations for us, he isn’t hindering the flow of the lineup. I’m sure we’ll mess with the lineup over the course of the season, because the length of it starting to improve. But I think he’s very, very comfortable in the two hole.”

While Anderson just wants to show he's a complete ballplayer, Russell will try to prove the hype was real. Each could have roles to play in their team's future, but both will have to prove they can do it every day this season.

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Cubs.com Cubs come out slugging vs. Fish By Carrie Muskat

MIAMI -- The Cubs kicked off the 2018 season on a historic note with Ian Happ's leadoff homer and added solo blasts by Anthony Rizzo and Kyle Schwarber, who survived some adventures in left field, to post an 8-4 victory Thursday over the Marlins.

"I thought we swung the bats well the whole game," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "Obviously, a leadoff homer doesn't hurt -- and on the very first pitch of the game."

Happ's homer not only came on the first pitch of the game but the first pitch of the 2018 season for all Major League teams. He's the first player to do that since the Red Sox's did so in 1986 against Hall of Fame inductee Jack Morris and the Tigers.

"First pitch, he did a wonderful job," Maddon said of the fastball from Marlins starter Jose Urena. "[Happ's] not going to be there [in the leadoff spot] the whole time, but he got us going."

It was a dubious first inning for Urena, who became the first starter to hit three batters on Opening Day, and he did it in the first inning -- plunking Rizzo, Addison Russell and Javier Baez. According to Baseball Reference, that goes back to 1908.

Urena went four innings, which was slightly longer than Chicago starter Jon Lester, who was lifted after giving up three earned runs over 3 1/3 innings.

"Guys I got ahead of, I didn't put them away," Lester said. "Guys I got behind, I couldn't get back ahead. I really had no feel for the breaking ball. Good cutters that I did throw, they were balls out of the hand. An adjustment has to be made, and we'll make it. The big thing is we won the game. The guys swung the bats really well from the beginning and picked me up. There's positives to be seen."

The Marlins had four rookies in the Opening Day lineup, and they took advantage of some Cubs mistakes in the third to rally and tie the game at 4.

"If hope is an indicator, [and] I feel like it will be, we're going to play, that's for sure," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. "I just look at it and feel like we're going to be all right."

The Cubs and Marlins have different expectations this season. The Cubs are looking for their fourth straight trip to the postseason. There was no team meeting, though. Maddon has tried to get his message across this spring through artwork, and the most recent painting featured Uncle Sam with "We Want You To Be Yourself."

Rizzo is the perfect example of that. This is an emotional trip for the first baseman, whose Parkland, Fla., high school was the site of a horrific shooting on Feb. 14, when 17 people were killed. After hitting his homer in the second, Rizzo touched the patch on his jersey, which both teams are wearing to honor the victims, then pointed to the sky.

"I just wanted to slow down, run the bases, enjoy that moment," Rizzo said. "It's Opening Day -- to hit a home run Opening Day is special, but with everything that's gone on at home in Parkland, it was a little more special for me personally."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Start me up: Happ didn't waste any time, launching the first pitch of the regular season into the right- field seats. Happ, who led the Cubs with seven homers in Spring Training, connected on Urena's fastball.

"I was thinking fastball first-pitch there," Happ said. "Historically, I've seen him pretty well the last couple times I've faced him. He got me a couple times after that."

"The first inning was we were going to attack the hitters with fastballs," Urena said. "We knew they were going to be aggressive."

Holding the line: After the Cubs reclaimed the lead, 5-4, in the fourth inning on ' two- out, RBI , the Marlins had chances in the fourth and fifth innings. In each frame they had a runner on third with less than two outs, and twice reliever Steve Cishek, a former Marlin, turned Miami away. Cishek struck out Starlin Castro and retired Justin Bour on a fly ball to left to strand Cameron Maybin on third in the fourth inning. In the fifth, with Garrett Cooper on third and Miguel Rojas (who doubled) on second, Cishek fanned Chad Wallach and got pinch-hitter Tomas Telis to pop to short.

"That's not where I want to put myself in the second inning of work," Cishek said of the fifth inning. "I was staying calm. The biggest thing was to make sure we weren't mixing up signs with a guy on second and third. We hadn't really practiced that in spring, so we did impromptu stuff there and it worked out. The last thing I wanted to do was throw the ball to the backstop."

Cishek ended up getting the win in his Cubs debut.

QUOTABLE "To get that win was nice. You've got nice pitching coming up. That's what you look at -- here comes Kyle [Hendricks], here comes Yu [Darvish], here comes [Jose Quintana], here comes [Tyler] Chatwood. That makes the difference for me when you can throw good of a quality pitcher every night, it just presents differently to your team." -- Maddon, on his rotation

"They have a high fan base, everybody knows that. But so do we. We've got to build ours. I heard plenty of Marlins fans out there. I'm glad for everybody that showed up today -- Cubs or Marlins fans. We'll get them out to the ballpark. All we have to do is win games." -- Marlins rookie Lewis Brinson, on the energy in the ballpark

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Happ is the first Cubs player to hit a leadoff home run on Opening Day since Alfonso Soriano did in 2009 against the Astros. Happ is the fourth Cubs player to accomplish the feat since 1908, joining Bump Wills in 1982 and Tuffy Rhodes in 1994.

WHAT'S NEXT Cubs: Kyle Hendricks makes his regular-season debut in the second game of the Cubs' four-game series in Miami. Hendricks finished 2017 strong, posting a 2.19 ERA in 13 starts after the All-Star break. He's 2- 1 with a 1.32 ERA in four career starts against the Marlins, including a complete-game shutout Aug. 1, 2016, the last time he faced them. First pitch is scheduled for 6:10 p.m. CT from Marlins Park.

Marlins: Caleb Smith, one of 12 Marlins to appear on an Opening Day roster for the first time, makes his debut with the Marlins on Friday for the 7:10 p.m. ET game at Marlins Park. Smith made nine appearances (two starts) for the Yankees last season, and in 18 2/3 innings, he had a 7.71 ERA. At two Minor League levels, the lefty was 9-1 with a 2.41 ERA.

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Cubs.com Happ leads off 2018 with a homer in Miami By Carrie Muskat

MIAMI -- Ian Happ didn't waste any time on Opening Day.

The Cubs' leadoff hitter belted the first pitch of the Major League season into the right-field seats of Chicago's 8-4 win over the Marlins at Marlins Park on Thursday. Happ, who hit seven home runs this spring, launched a fastball from the Marlins' Jose Urena.

Happ is the first player to homer on the first pitch of the regular season since the Red Sox's Dwight Evans did so in 1986 against Hall of Fame inductee Jack Morris and the Tigers.

"That was exciting," said Chicago's Kyle Schwarber, who also went deep. "I don't think anyone in the dugout thought a single was coming there. We thought something special was going to happen there. To lead off the baseball season on the first pitch with a homer is pretty special."

Happ had faced Urena in the past and was anticipating a first-pitch fastball.

"Historically, I've seen him pretty well the last couple times I've faced him," Happ said. "He got me a couple times after that."

Urena struck out Happ in the second and got him to pop up in the fourth.

"I thought we swung the bats well the whole game," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "Obviously, a leadoff homer doesn't hurt -- and on the very first pitch of the game."

Happ came to Spring Training wanting to earn a spot not only on the Cubs' Opening Day roster but also at the top of the batting order, and he did just that.

Last season, Happ, 23, belted 24 home runs in 115 games after he was promoted from Triple-A Iowa in May. He was projected to share center field with Albert Almora Jr., but Happ put on a show in Arizona, batting .321 in 19 games with seven home runs.

All of those games were a plus for Happ on Thursday.

"It definitely helped me get used to [leading off], especially having the first at-bat in the game," Happ said of the spring games. "It's definitely going to be a process. I think I learned more today from the other four at-bats than the first one."

Maddon downplayed trying to find one leadoff man. The Cubs rotated 11 different players in that spot last season and finished second in the in runs scored.

"The batting order is the batting order the first time through and after that, it's who hits after who," Maddon said. "You want guys getting on in front of your better RBI guys. You try to build it up as much as you can."

The Cubs have tried not to put any pressure on Happ in his new role.

"It's his first Opening Day," Maddon said. "He had a great year last year. He showed up, hit 24 [homers] or whatever it was. Give him a chance to get his feet on the ground. This guy is going to be a great player for many years to come."

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Cubs.com Schwarber's day: Adventures in LF, long HR By Carrie Muskat

MIAMI -- Kyle Schwarber wasn't happy about his outfield play in the third inning on Thursday, but he said he forgot about it in a few minutes. It showed in the seventh inning, when Schwarber launched a solo homer to help the Cubs beat the Marlins, 8-4, on Opening Day.

Schwarber had worked hard this offseason to slim down, hoping a more svelte physique would help him in the outfield. He still had some trouble on Thursday.

In the bottom of the third inning, Schwarber seemed to have a hard time tracking Derek Dietrich's hit, which ended up as a leadoff triple. Cubs starter Jon Lester then walked Starlin Castro and Dietrich scored on a groundout by Justin Bour. The ball had only a 32 percent hit probability according to Statcast™, indicating what should have been a relatively low-damage fly ball.

Brian Anderson then singled to left and Schwarber overran the ball, allowing Anderson to reach third on the hit and error, allowing another run to score.

"The first ball [by Dietrich] just carried," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "The second ball [by Anderson], this kind of grass, when it's cross cut it's going to snake. It does snake. The ball's coming right at you and it can make a left turn, and that's what happened to him. When you're playing on that kind of an outfield, you have to be a little bit more cautious as you're coming to the ball.

"He learned a lesson here today," Maddon said. "It could've happened to anybody."

Schwarber may have nightmares about that fine Bermuda grass -- or he might forget it.

"I was over it in two minutes," Schwarber said. "I just had to find a way to move on from that and stay locked in to what's going on in the game.

"I still want to find a way to knock it down or get a glove on it. It is what it is. I was frustrated for about two minutes, because I want to make that play for [Lester]. Obviously, it was frustrating, but you have to be able to move on from it and learn from it. I'm not being mad about it. I felt I moved on from it pretty great and went on with my at-bats."

Schwarber got all of his home run against Miami's Tayron Guerrero, launching the ball 406 feet to right. Maddon thought it was headed to the upper deck but the wind knocked it down. Guerrero had struck out four in a row before the blast.

"I love watching him hit," said Ian Happ, who hit the game's first pitch for a homer, of Schwarber. "He's a special hitter. For him to clip that guy after he struck out four guys in a row was pretty cool."

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Cubs.com Opening Day takes on special meaning for Rizzo By Carrie Muskat

MIAMI -- Anthony Rizzo took advantage of the Cubs opening the regular season near his hometown of Parkland by going to watch his high school baseball team play. He made the trip even more special on Thursday, hitting a home run on Opening Day, which gave him a chance to pay homage to the victims of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Rizzo launched a solo homer with two outs in the second inning of the Cubs' 8-4 win over the Marlins. As he crossed the plate, he touched the patch on his uniform that both teams are wearing to honor the victims.

"I've hit a lot of home runs," Rizzo said. "That was probably the most out-of-body experience I've had hitting a home run in my life. It just felt really good. My emotions on Opening Day are usually pretty high, but with all this, you can't really put it into words.

"I put my hand on the Stoneman Douglas patch and looked up to those kids up there, the adults who have lost their lives," he said. "It was a special moment for me personally."

On Feb. 14, 17 people were killed in a shooting at his high school, and the Cubs and Marlins will honor the victims on Friday with pregame ceremonies. Rizzo and his foundation will present a check from money raised in an auction to the National Compassion Fund - Parkland. The fund handled money for victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting in 2016 and the Las Vegas shooting last October.

Four families connected to the shooting will throw out a first pitch, and Rizzo also invited the MSD baseball team.

On Thursday, Cubs players wore maroon-colored T-shirts with the MSD logo on the back and "#MSDStrong" on the front. Manager Joe Maddon's Respect 90 Foundation arranged to get the shirts for the Cubs players and staff.

The Cubs and Marlins also will wear patches during the series with the school's initials and colors plus 17 stars, one for each of the victims.

Watching the high school game was memorable for Rizzo.

"They put on a show and won 15-0 and motivated me to come out today and score some runs," said Rizzo, who belted his first homer of the season in the second inning.

Rizzo has watched students from Stoneman Douglas speak out about gun violence and heard their speeches at rallies.

"I think it's amazing," Rizzo said. "These kids are standing up for what they believe in. They're motivating everyone to go out there and register to vote. That's as powerful as they can make their voice heard. They're holding the throttle down on these politicians and holding them accountable for what they believe in. It's unbelievable that an entire nation is rallying around Stoneman Douglas High School."

Rizzo did make an emotional speech at the prayer vigil after the shooting occurred but said the community is trying to get back to normal.

"The kids are doing great," Rizzo said. "From the outside looking in, I related it to when I had cancer. People were, 'Oh, can I talk to him? Is he contagious? Can we touch him? Can he go outside?' Those kids [at MSD] are doing great. From what I've seen being around them, the students back in school are doing great, the teachers are doing great. I know a lot of the teachers and I've been talking to them. It's normal -- you have to be normal and try to make it as normal as you can."

That doesn't mean Rizzo or anyone from Parkland will forget what happened, or forget about the victims.

"It's where I'm from, it's my city, it's where I was raised, where I grew up," Rizzo said. "I went to that school. Every day, you think about them, every day you feel for what happened."

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Cubs.com With 'pen sorted out, Cubs set roster By Carrie Muskat

MIAMI -- Reliever Pedro Strop showed the Cubs enough in his brief spring outings and made the club's 25-man Opening Day roster, which was officially announced Thursday morning.

Strop, who was slowed by a sore left calf and then an illness this spring, appeared in four games, including Tuesday's exhibition finale against the Red Sox.

Eddie Butler, 27, secured the final bullpen spot and could serve a long-relief role. The right-hander, who is out of options, appeared in six spring games, making three starts, and gave up seven earned runs over 15 innings. Last season, Butler pitched in 13 games for the Cubs and made 11 starts, posting a 3.95 ERA.

The Cubs will cary eight relievers, and the only question late in spring was whether Strop was ready to go.

Jon Lester got the regular season underway on Thursday against the Marlins, heading an impressive rotation that includes Kyle Hendricks, Yu Darvish, Jose Quintana and Tyler Chatwood.

This will be the first time Victor Caratini, Ian Happ and Butler are on the Cubs' Opening Day roster. Happ, 23, was called up May 17 last season and belted 24 homers in 115 games.

Infielders Ryan Court and Mike Freeman, who were assigned to Minor League camp on Thursday, impressed manager Joe Maddon in Spring Training.

"Court showed to me he's a really good baseball player," Maddon said of the Elgin, Ill., native. "I put a lot of signs on with him, whether he was on the bases or at the plate, and he didn't miss one. That tells me a lot about his ability to be in the moment."

The Cubs also optioned right-handed pitcher Shae Simmons to Triple-A Iowa. Simmons was slowed by injury in Spring Training, and only appeared in four games.

Catcher (2): The only position battle this spring was who would backup Willson Contreras. The Cubs picked Caratini over veteran Chris Gimenez, and will see if Caratini gets enough at-bats.

First base (1): This is Anthony Rizzo's spot and the only question is who will back up him when he gets a day off. Ben Zobrist played some first base this spring and could give him a break.

Second base (2): Javier Baez and Zobrist will share second base. Baez will likely get more playing time.

Third base (1): This is Kris Bryant's fourth season, and his spot. He struck out 11 times but also drew nine walks, while batting .366 this spring. He hit one home run in the Cactus League. Not to worry. They'll come.

Shortstop (1): Addison Russell looked sharp this spring, batting .326 in 18 games.

Utility (2): Versatility is key to winning a spot on Maddon's roster. The left-handed option on the bench will be Tommy La Stella, who batted a career-high .288 last season. Zobrist may be Mr. Everything again.

Outfield (3): Happ and Albert Almora Jr. are expected to share center field, although Happ, a switch- hitter, will likely get the most at-bats as the leadoff man. Happ batted .321 this spring, with seven home runs and 12 RBIs. The Cubs have five-time Gold Glove winner Jason Heyward in right and Kyle Schwarber in left, although he'll share that space with Zobrist. Schwarber, who batted .340 this spring, has looked good since losing weight this offseason.

Starting pitching (5): The Cubs have three Opening Day starters in their rotation in Lester, Darvish and Quintana, and Hendricks could easily have done so as well. Chatwood rounds out the starting five.

Bullpen (8): Strop is ready after missing some time because of a sore left calf and then an illness. Right- hander Brandon Morrow is the new closer, the fourth in the last four years. His setup list is long and talented, including Carl Edwards Jr., Steve Cishek, Justin Wilson, Brian Duensing, Mike Montgomery, Strop and Butler.

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ESPNChicago.com Marlins, Cubs wear 'MSD' patches, to visit with victims' families, survivors By Jesse Rogers

The and Miami Marlins will honor the victims of last month's mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School with a number of tributes during their season-opening four-game series.

Both teams wore patches with the initials "MSD" and 17 stars to honor the number of lives lost in the shooting.

The Cubs will host victims' families and survivors from Stoneman Douglas before Friday's game.

Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo, a Stoneman Douglas alumnus, hit a home run during an 8-4 victory Thursday, tapping his chest as he crossed home plate.

"I've hit a lot of home runs. That was probably the most out-of-body experience I've had hitting a home run, probably in my life," Rizzo said after the game. "My emotions on Opening Day are usually pretty high, but with all this, you can't really put it into words."

Rizzo said he put his hand on the Stoneman Douglas patch after rounding the bases and looked skyward.

"[I gave] a look up to those kids up there and the adults that lost their lives," Rizzo said. "It was a special moment for me, personally."

Rizzo said Friday would be an emotional day, as four families of victims or survivors are scheduled to throw out the first pitch.

"[Friday] will be a tough one to see for everyone who has a pulse," Rizzo said before Thursday's season opener.

Rizzo and the Cubs showed their support for Stoneman Douglas by wearing T-shirts made by manager Joe Maddon's Respect 90 Foundation.

"I want to show our support for the kids," Maddon said. "The entire activist movement by the youth of America. We love it. I love it. I think a lot of the players do also."

Rizzo echoed that message after watching the Stoneman Douglas baseball team win a game 15-0 on Tuesday night. He will host the team at Friday's game as well.

"These kids are standing up for what they believe in," Rizzo said. "They're motivating everyone to go out there to register to vote, which is amazing. ... They're holding the throttle down on these politicians and making them accountable."

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NBC Sports Chicago How Ian Happ emerged as key to Cubs lineup By Tony Andracki

MIAMI — The Cubs are not surprised by anything Ian Happ does...including knocking the first pitch of the 2018 MLB season into the right field bleachers.

In fact, Kyle Schwarber said there was a feeling in the Cubs dugout that something special was going to happen with Happ leading off the season in Miami.

It was special, alright.

The last time a player hit the first pitch of the MLB season out for a homer was 1986 when Dwight Evans did it for the Boston Red Sox. Among current Cubs position players, only Ben Zobrist was alive when Evans turned that feat.

When it came time for Schwarber to launch a ball high into the Miami orbit, Happ responded in kind with an epic dugout reaction:

"I love watching him hit," Happ said. "I love watching him up there. He's a special hitter."

And of course, Happ also had some fun at the "expense" of Bleacher Nation's Michael Cerami:

But Happ's big day was not just the product of one good swing that happened to work out. He spent much of spring in the leadoff spot, getting used to a new role.

That prepartion helped him feel comfortable stepping up to the plate under the South Florida sun Thursday.

"Definitely helped me get used to it, especially having that first at-bat of the game," Happ said. "It's gonna be a process. I felt great out there.

"Just gave away a few of those at-bats later. I think I learned more from the other four at-bats than I did that first one."

That last sentence right there is exactly why the Cubs are so high on Happ.

Instead of talking up his homer, he chose to focus on the four at-bats where he failed to reach base, including three strikeouts.

The Cubs bet big on Happ in 2015, making him the 9th overall pick in the MLB Draft. At the time, that was seen as a bit of a reach for a player without a set position. There was also a perceived body language problem — the dude hardly ever smiles on the field — and the state of the Cincinnati baseball program was in turmoil, Theo Epstein said.

"There was kind of a false narrative about Ian Happ out there, so our scouts did a great job of digging deeper," Epstein said. "Daniel Carte, the area scout, really got to know him well, really saw through some of the labels that were floating around about him. We got to meet him personally at Wrigley when he worked out for us.

"Give credit to Daniel Carte and [amateur scouting director] Matt Dorey for really going to bat for him. Actually, I knew Sean Casey really well, so I was able to talk to him, who had a personal relationship with [Happ]. He swore by the kid as well.

"I think he surprised a lot of people who just went by what they heard about him in college. He's definitely someone who's mature beyond his years in terms of doing what is necessary to get better and being really honest with himself and self-aware, making intelligent adjustments and working hard to put them into play. His makeup is a big plus for him."

When the offseason began shortly after the Cubs were knocked out of the postseason by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series, Happ was a popular choice among pundits and fans alike to be traded for pitching.

Fast forward six months and it was Happ that became the hottest name in Cubs camp, overshadowing Schwarber's body transformation and Willson Contreras' ascension into superstardom.

That progression for Happ came as a result of a conversation with Epstein shortly after the season ended, where he was asked to get in the best shape possible — something that was already on his list of offseason goals.

Happ was already in very good shape in 2017, but the 23-year-old spent the winter making sure he could handle a full big-league season...in center field.

"I just recommended that he get into the most athletic shape that he could be and to get as quick as he could possibly be, as twitchy," Epstein said. "Because there could be a real opportunity for him in center field.

"And once you're in that shape, you can move all over [the field]. And of course, he took it to heart. He already had a plan; that's already what he was planning on doing and he ran with it and had a great offseason."

Against right-handers now, it seems Happ is the Cubs' clear choice at leadoff and in center field. That may switch against lefties, when Albert Almora Jr. may man center and set the table in the lineup, but Happ's ability to switch-hit is a point in his favor, as well.

Plus, when Almora was brought in for a defensive replacement for Schwarber in Thursday's season opener, he went to left field while Happ stayed in center. Last year when Almora and Happ played the outfield together, Almora was almost always the one roaming center field.

"You saw him coming to camp in great shape," Joe Maddon said. "That was obvious. You saw him really want to become a better centerfielder. We've seen that.

"He likes the idea of leading off. That's also a condition of him doing well. I think I'm seeing him make better adjustments with two strikes. He doesn't take that big old hack — all or nothing — with two strikes.

"This is his first full year. I mean, this is Opening Day. The guy had a great year last year, [hitting 24 homers] in 300-something plate apperances. Give him a chance to get his feet on the ground. Regardless of how this turns out right now, it doesn't matter. This guy's gonna be great for many years to come."

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NBC Sports Chicago In wake of Parkland tragedy, Anthony Rizzo has transformed into an icon that transcends baseball By Tony Andracki

MIAMI — Anthony Rizzo never wanted to be here.

Sure, he wanted to be the first baseman and No. 3 hitter of a team with World Series expectations on Opening Day.

But he never expected to be more than just a baseball player.

When asked what he believes gun control laws should be before Thursday's season-opener at Marlins Park, Rizzo shrugged and said:

"I play first base for the Cubs."

While yes, that is true, he's become so much more. He's become an icon that transcends the game of baseball.

That much was certain when he continued after that sentence Thursday to discuss how he would like to see stricter gun laws and make it harder for people to acquire guns.

Last month, Rizzo was careful to clarify that he wasn't trying to speak about gun control specifically, pointing out how he never said the word, "gun."

Well, he's saying that word now.

Earlier this week, Rizzo went to visit his former high school, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, in Parkland, Fla., and watched the baseball team win 15-0.

He said it inspired him to go out and score a bunch of runs in Thursday's Game 1 of 162. The Cubs scored eight runs, with Rizzo crossing the plate twice himself — including a blast into the upper deck in right field in the second inning.

"That was probably the most out-of-body experience I've had hitting a home run in my life," Rizzo said. "Just felt really good, obviously. My emotions on Opening Day are usually really high, but with all this, you can't really put it into words.

"...I just wanted to slow down, run the bases, just enjoy that moment. It's Opening Day — to hit a home run on Opening Day is special, always, but obviously with everything that's gone on at home with Parkland, it's a little more special for me personally and for the most part — everyone."

Rizzo and the Cubs wore Stoneman Douglas T-shirts during Thursday's pregame warm-ups and teamed with the Marlins to pay tribute to the high school and the recent tragedy on their uniforms during the game:

Rizzo doesn't have anything special planned to honor Stoneman Douglas for the rest of the season beyond what he's already doing.

"I honor them every day," Rizzo said. "That's where I'm from. It's my city. It's where I was raised, where I grew up. I went to that school. Every day, you think of them. Every day, you feel for what happened."

Immediately following the shooting in Parkland that claimed 17 lives, Rizzo left Cubs camp in spring training and spoke at the vigil site.

He's since passionately backed students on National Walk Out Day:

Rizzo has always been extremely generous with his time and money in the community, with his foundation and cancer research. He won MLB's Roberto Clemente Award for his charitable work last year, an award he picked up at the World Series six months ago.

He's already beaten cancer and that's helped him put everything in perspective.

Make no mistake: Rizzo understands his role right now and also knows things will eventually return to normal at Stoneman Douglas.

"It comes with the territory," he said. "We have this platform and everyone wants our opinions. But everything smooths over, everything fades away. The cameras will eventually go away there."

He also knows our country is in the midst of changing times, and these students from Stoneman Douglas are at the forefront of that movement.

"For them to be getting bullied on Twitter from some guy with strong fingers, I think it's pretty funny," Rizzo said. "I know for a fact they're not going to let anything affect them and their mission.

"Because what they're doing is bigger than themselves. It's for a lot of people."

And those trolls bullying the students?

"I think they're losers," Rizzo said. "That's what I think, to be honest. You hear all these things and you think, 'How can you even say this? Where's your heart? Where's your sense of sympathy?'

"This is as real as it gets. You don't think it's real? Go there."

The Cubs front office has invested a lot in Anthony Rizzo as a person, dating all the way back to when Theo Epstein drafted him in the sixth round from Stoneman Douglas in 2007.

So it's no surprise to Epstein see Rizzo's image transcending professional sports.

"He's much more than a baseball player," Epstein said. "There's a lot of elements to him as a human being. Very caring, emotional person that develops important relationships easily.

"He feels really connected to his home town, to his school. He's got a big heart. It really affected him when he saw that and he's standing up for what he believes in.

"He's not someone that's just going to look the other way and think someone else will take care of things. He really wants to dive in and make a difference. You see that with how he conducts himself in Chicago. He's a great role model for all of us, really."

Any issues with this off-the-field stuff affecting Rizzo's performance between the white lines?

"No," Epstein said, flatly. "You're talking about somebody who stops by pediatric oncology on the way to games in Chicago. He's good at compartmentalizing when he needs to."

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NBC Sports Chicago Cubs Opening Day roster puts an end to spring position battles By Tony Andracki

MIAMI —The Cubs entered camp this spring with only one question surrounding the roster (assuming everybody was healthy): Who will be the backup catcher?

That was answered earlier this week when Joe Maddon confirmed youngster Victor Caratini had beat out veteran journeyman - and former Yu Darvish personal catcher - Chris Gimenez.

Gimenez, 35, was optioned to Triple-A Iowa and will probably be up in the majors at some point this year.

The Cubs created another roster battle when they released Justin Grimm in the middle of spring training, leaving the final bullpen spot up for grabs.

That answer has now been granted, as well, with Eddie Butler earning the last relief spot.

Butler, 27, is out of minor-league options which means the Cubs would've risked losing him on waivers if he didn't make the big-league roster.

He gives the Cubs another long relief option out of the bullpen in addition to Mike Montgomery. The ability to go multiple innings is a weapon for Maddon to employ in a way to "piggyback" any starter and save the bullpen by tossing Butler or Montgomery the last three or so innings of a game.

Butler also is rotation insurance if multiple injuries strike the Cubs' starters.

However, Butler has struggled in his MLB career. The former top prospect boasted a 3.95 ERA in 13 games (11 starts) with the Cubs last year, but had a 1.43 WHIP and barely struck out more batters than he walked (30:28).

Overall, Butler has a 5.85 ERA, 1.68 WHIP and 5.2 K/9 rate in 214 big-league innings.

Here is the rest of the Cubs' Opening Day 25-man roster:

Catcher

Willson Contreras Victor Caratini

Infield

Anthony Rizzo Kris Bryant Addison Russell Javy Baez Ben Zobrist Tommy La Stella

Outfield

Jason Heyward Kyle Schwarber Ian Happ Albert Almora Jr.

Starting rotation

Jon Lester Kyle Hendricks Yu Darvish Jose Quintana Tyler Chatwood

Bullpen

Brandon Morrow Carl Edwards Jr. Pedro Strop Justin Wilson Steve Cishek Brian Duensing Mike Montgomery Eddie Butler

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Chicago Tribune Yu Darvish and the Cubs look like the perfect match at the perfect time By Teddy Greenstein

One month into his Cubs career, Jon Lester had zero victories. He had one quality start. He had a 6.23 ERA.

He had the burden of a $155 million contract, and he took the mound each time worrying about impressing his new teammates and trying to validate his front-office chums who made him the centerpiece of the Cubs’ rebuild.

“When you go to a new team, the expectations you put on yourself, that other people put on you, you feel that weight,” Lester said. “Nobody is ever going to live up to a contract, no matter who you are.

“It’s only until you realize: All I can do is be me, I can’t be something I’m not. … That’s when you can let your guard down and go about your business. It doesn’t happen overnight. It’s not like when you’re a kid and all of a sudden you get invited over to the cool kid’s house and you say: ‘OK, I fit in now.’ It takes time.”

Lester’s clone in the Cubs clubhouse does not much resemble a left-hander with a medium build and country singer’s twang.

He is a giant Asian man with a scruffy Abe Lincoln beard. Like Lester in 2015, his inaugural season on the North Side, Yu Darvish has Cy Young talent, a nine-figure contract and an intense desire to prove he belongs.

“You obviously want to come in here and not suck,” Lester said. “But as quickly as you can move that aside and just play baseball, it’s easier.”

Here’s the thing, though: Darvish is perfectly positioned to succeed. The Cubs have acquired him at the perfect time.

Whereas Lester was handed the ball for an opening night clash with the Cardinals, Darvish will slide into the third spot in the rotation, behind Lester and Kyle Hendricks. He will debut Saturday in Miami.

“When Jonny came in, he was expected to be the change,” manager Joe Maddon said. “I don’t think Yu will have that same kind of pressure from within to be the guy who leads us to the Promised Land.”

Darvish joins a clubhouse loaded with stars ready to give him the space and privacy he craves.

Once obsessed with strikeouts and becoming the “No. 1 pitcher in the world,” Darvish now is embracing team goals.

That said, his motivation never has been higher. Picture the water from a tea kettle surging past 212 degrees. He was rocked twice in his final two appearances last season, as the Astros chased him from the second inning in two World Series games.

“He is an extreme competitor,” said Cubs minor-leaguer Chris Gimenez, who caught Darvish in Texas, “and I guarantee you that it’s eating him alive.”

‘She can squat way more than he can’ Theo Epstein watched the Darvish-pitched World Series games at his Lakeview home.

“I remember thinking: He can’t get a grip on the ball to throw a slider,” Epstein said. “He’s in trouble.”

Indeed, Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci reported during the Fall Classic that the balls had extra slickness, making it harder to throw good sliders.

“He threw a couple that didn’t have his normal great movement and sharpness,” Epstein said. “He was a cutter-slider guy at that point and without the slider, he fell into predictable patterns.”

Darvish threw 14 sliders in Game 3 and did not register a single swing-and-miss. That hadn’t happened in a start all season.

So, Epstein is asked: Not to be a jerk, but were you thinking that Darvish’s struggles could help the Cubs in their free-agent pursuit?

“A little bit in the back of your mind,” Epstein replied, “but we had kind of assumed … we had so many pitching needs and wanted to stay under a certain threshold payroll-wise, so we had set him into the category of guys we were unlikely to pursue. He came into play after the free-agent market moved in a direction we had not anticipated.”

A week before Christmas, Epstein and three other Cubs executives met with Darvish and two of his agents near Dallas. What’s known about the 3½-hour soiree is that Darvish declined to use an interpreter. Less known is that Epstein was armed with enough information to write Darvish’s biography.

“Our pro scouts do a tremendous job in helping to paint a picture of a player,” Epstein said, “trying to understand what makes them tick and trying to find ways to relate to them and connect. Any time you’re making a big investment, you want to understand their most powerful muscle — their mind.”

Epstein also learned about Darvish’s fascinating backstory. Born to an Iranian father who attended high school in Massachusetts and a Japanese mother, Darvish became a phenom in Osaka by pitching a no- hitter in a prestigious high school tournament at age 17. His parents met at Eckerd College in Florida, where father Farsad played soccer.

Darvish married an actress named Saeko, reportedly agreeing to vows on Nov. 11 because of the 11 on his jersey. That marriage yielded two children but ended in divorce on the 2012 day Darvish signed with the Rangers, who shelled out a $51.7 million posting fee plus $60 million over six seasons.

In Texas he fanned 500 batters faster than any pitcher in major-league history, needing 401 2/3 innings.

In 2015, Darvish married Seiko Yamamoto, a four-time wrestling world champion who served as an assistant coach for USA Wrestling’s women’s program.

“She’s a stud,” Gimenez said, “a gorgeous woman who can squat way more than he can.”

Gimenez’s wife, Kellie, is a former Nevada Gatorade Athlete of the Year who starred in basketball and volleyball.

“I always joke that our wives are better athletes than we are,” Gimenez said.

While Gimenez is an open book, Darvish generally opts for privacy. Seiko did speak to SI after the World Series, but Darvish declined to make his family members — or himself — available for a sit-down while this story was being reported in Mesa, Ariz.

“He craves privacy,” Maddon said. “I think he’s guarded. He’s waiting. He doesn’t throw it out there immediately, which I’m good with. He doesn’t expose all of himself to you, but he does it in bits and pieces.”

‘I immediately started panicking’ Ask Jim Hickey what pitches Darvish throws, and the new Cubs pitching coach chuckles.

“All of them,” he said. “It depends if you want to include the variations — four-seam fastball, two-seam fastball, cutter, slider, curve, change, split. It’s a conventional four-pitch arsenal but he can subtract and add.”

And throw left-handed, hitting about 80 mph. Seriously.

“I watched him play long-toss left-handed; he said he does that Day 1 after he starts,” Hickey said. “He also switch-hits. I’ve seen him hit to the opposite-field fence in (batting practice), but the ball does carry here.”

Darvish is a career .129 hitter with two extra-base hits in 31 at-bats, so let’s not get carried away. But the raves regarding his stuff are universal.

“Going up against him has been unique,” Maddon said. “A big, tall guy with a variety of pitches. He throws a fastball from a low angle that keeps its plane all the way through. And his breaking balls on any given day are cartoonish, nearly unhittable.”

Maddon did not watch the World Series games but formulated an opinion on whether the 6-foot-5 Darvish suffered as a result of tipping pitches, as had been reported: “I think it has been absolutely overblown.”

Gimenez, who knows Darvish’s stuff as well as anyone, agreed: “If he executes his pitches, he can tell you what’s coming” and it will not matter.

There was the issue with the slick balls. And …

“Not to make any excuses because he’d probably be mad at me if I do,” Gimenez said, “but he had never pitched that deep into a season before. And he was coming off (Tommy John elbow surgery in 2015).”

Gimenez first caught Darvish in 2014 because the Rangers’ top catcher, Robinson Chirinos, needed a breather.

“I immediately started panicking,” Gimenez said. “I’d seen him pitch a lot, but he might have said one word to me at that point.”

Over time, Gimenez tried to convince Darvish not to throw his splitter — “I felt that it was 1- or 2-out-of- 10 good” — and to economize his pitches: “Hey man, you’re throwing eight pitches to every guy. Now you’re at 100 pitches in the fourth inning. Yeah, it’s fun and great that you struck out nine or 10, but, dude, you’re a horse, we need you. Throw 2-3 pitches to this guy. Get your weak contact so you can go seven innings. You’re crushing the bullpen and those guys hate you … just joking.”

After a while, Gimenez could leave out the wink at the end of those zingers. Darvish gives as good as he gets.

Asked last month about Gimenez, Darvish replied with a smile: “I like (Willson) Contreras better.”

“We’ve developed this fun, joking relationship,” said Gimenez, who replied to Darvish’s barb by saying he prefers Lester.

Cubs closer Brandon Morrow teamed with Darvish in Los Angeles, saying: “He has a dry sense of humor. I think he likes to get reactions out of people.”

Asked why he lost 15 pounds, Darvish replied in deadpan through interpreter Daichi Sekizaki: “Because of the World Series.”

Darvish joked after his March 16 spring outing against the White Sox that he was worried Contreras would dislike him because of all the “one-bouncers” he threw.

And after clocking a robust 98 mph on his fastball: “I think there’s something wrong with the speed gun.”

‘One of the guys’ Maddon said he has certain rules for all players: “Be respectful, do the work properly. Respect 90, work on your defense. The message is the same, but you can’t have the same methods with everyone. Some get more latitude.”

You know who gets more latitude? Veteran starting pitchers. They often dictate how they will prep between starts and whether they travel a full day before the first game of a road series.

Epstein and Darvish discussed that during the meeting in December, a session that ultimately yielded a six-year, $126 million deal.

“We learned that like the rest of us humans, he is evolving and growing,” Epstein said. “When he first came over here, his priority was to be an individual success. He had a whole country following him. He would make Japan proud or he wouldn’t. He had to make sure to strike out a lot of guys and have good years. He was really open with us at the beginning (of the meeting) about the fact that that everyone (here) would get rah-rah about winning the World Series. He didn’t grow up wanting to win the World Series.

“But his experience last year with Dodgers, seeing a team come together for a common goal, made a big impression on him. It left him in a position of new awareness, (knowing) how rewarding it can be to be part of something bigger than yourself, in pursuit of something like the World Series. I think he will dedicate the rest of his career to making that happen.”

And specifically about preparation?

“I think that has evolved for him as well,” Epstein said. “He does like his space and freedom to do his own thing. It’s a nice balance.

“He (also) is really intent on being one of the guys — and that’s why he signed when he did. A lot of people thought he and his agent would wait deeper into spring training the way a lot of other pitchers have. But we told him we thought it was important for him to be here on the first day and to connect with his teammates and establish that he was an equal among them. He thought that was important too.”

Epstein knows the challenge ahead, saying: “I think people underestimate how strange it can be when you’re the new guy with a big contract, how long it takes to get into a sense of normalcy and routine.

“It’s usually beneficial when you can get off to a good start because that burden falls quickly from your shoulders when your teammates are impressed and you feel like you’re contributing and making their lives better. You’re more accepted.

“But sometimes it doesn’t happen that way and guys get off to rough starts. What you typically see with the right kind of clubhouse are teammates who come to his support and help him get through it. I have a good feeling about this one.”

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Chicago Tribune Kyle Schwarber’s defensive woes could mean more playing time for Albert Almora Jr. By Mark Gonzales

The script could have played out any better Thursday for Kyle Schwarber and the Cubs.

But after some of the developments during the Cubs’ 8-4 win over the Miami Marlins in the season opener, at least one trend may start to crystallize.

After Schwarber sparked a three-run rally in the top of the seventh inning with a home run, he was replaced by Albert Almora Jr. in left field.

It was understandable that Schwarber was replaced by one of the team’s best defensive outfielders with a four-run lead and nine outs to go. But in the wake of two mishaps by Schwarber, it could be a more common occurrence to see a late-inning switch if the Cubs are trying to protect a lead.

“I’m not frustrated by it anymore,” said Schwarber, referring to a double by Derek Dietrich that sailed over his head and a fielding mishap later.

“I got to learn from it and move on.”

Manager Joe Maddon believed that Schwarber needed to get acclimated to the crosscut style of the Marlins Park grass, which creates a “snake-like” wiggle on balls that scoot to the outfield.

“When you’re playing in that kind of outfield, you have to be more cautious,” said Maddon, adding that outfielders complained about a similar trim style at Angel Stadium.

Which bring us to two of the final three games of this series. The Marlins will start left-handers Caleb Smith and Dillon Peters, and Almora batted .342 against left-handers last season.

“Albert made a lot of strides during the course of last season,” President Theo Epstein said before Thursday’s game. “He really started to lock in against right-handed starting pitching and began to lay off the chase slider and improved his approach against those guys, so I’m excited to see what he can do with that.”

Epstein also praised Almora’s solid defense, taking note of a strong throw he made Monday night to nail a Red Sox runner at home plate.

“We’re looking forward to seeing what he can do over the course of the season,” Epstein said.

This could create a pleasant juggling act for Maddon, who likes to keep his players sharp and hasn’t named Ian Happ as his full-time leadoff hitter.

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Chicago Tribune Ian Happ gives Cubs spark, bullpen finishes off Cubs' 8-4 win in opener By Mark Gonzales

There was a feeling of quiet confidence Thursday as Kris Bryant casually shook the hand of Ian Happ after the Cubs’ new leadoff hitter christened the 2018 major-league season when he smacked the first pitch over the right-field fence.

“We don’t expect him to do it but try not to treat any game bigger than it is,” Bryant said. “Just another game for us and another leadoff homer for him. I’m sure it felt pretty good.”

The Cubs left any sense of opening-day urgency up to manager Joe Maddon, who pulled starter Jon Lester after 3 1/3 innings and employed a bullpen that allowed only one hit the rest of the way to secure an 8-4 victory over the Marlins.

The hope throughout the Cubs organization is that their young nucleus plays wiser with the experience of missing out on a second consecutive World Series appearance last season.

The offense provided an effective blend of calmness and power as it clubbed three homers and the bullpen did its part with five relievers sharing the load.

“Every inning matters, especially in this game,” said Steve Cishek, who earned the victory with 1 2/3 scoreless innings after relieving Lester. “As you can see (with) how deep our bullpen is, it could be any one (of us) in those situations.”

The only trace of emotion — understandably — came from Anthony Rizzo. Describing what he called an out-of-body experience, Rizzo homered in the second inning in front of several hundred fans who appreciated his support in the wake of the fatal shooting Feb. 14 at his alma mater of Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.

“With everything that has gone on in Parkland, it’s more special for me personally,” said Rizzo, who received an ovation from the crowd of 32,151 at Marlins Park.

It also didn’t hurt that Kyle Schwarber remained poised after two mishaps in left field, one an error, allowed the Marlins to tie the game in the third.

Schwarber ripped a home run in the seventh that sparked a three-run inning pinch-hitter Tommy La Stella capped with a two-run double.

“It was frustrating, but you need to move on (from fielding miscues) and learn from it,” said Schwarber, whose home run came after flame-throwing reliever Tayron Guerrero had struck out four straight. “I’m not mad about it. I’m not letting (affect) how I play the outfield. I felt I moved on it pretty great and went on with my at-bats.”

Schwarber was more excited about Happ’s home run than his own, especially since Schwarber experienced struggles at the leadoff spot at the start of the 2017 season and subsequently was sent down to Triple-A Iowa on June 22 to regroup.

“(Happ) seems comfortable (leading off),” Schwarber said. “You saw it (Thursday). If he stays the course and keeps his mindset, he’ll be fine.”

Maddon, assessing the victory between sips of wine renowned filmmaker-vintner Francis Ford Coppola provided, reiterated that Happ would not be the Cubs’ only leadoff hitter but “he’s going to be there a lot.”

The maturity process will continue for Happ, 23, who hit 24 home runs but struck out 129 times in 364 at-bats last season. Happ correctly anticipated a first-pitch fastball from Marlins starter Jose Urena but then struck out three times and popped up in his next four at-bats.

“I felt great up there,” Happ said. “I gave away a few at-bats later. I learned more from those than that first one.”

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Chicago Tribune Cubs take care of business and make more opening day memories By Paul Sullivan

Theo Epstein was 29 when he experienced his first opening day as general manager of the Red Sox.

Fifteen years later, with three championship rings to his name and an express lane pass into the Hall of Fame, the 44-year-old Cubs president still admits to having opening day butterflies.

“But they’re pleasant little butterflies,” he said before Thursday’s 8-4 victory over the Marlins. “Compared to the, uh, are there venomous butterflies now?”

Uh, sorry, no such thing.

“Compared to the tarantula-like butterflies back then,” he finished.

That ’03 Red Sox bullpen coughed up his first opener as head honcho, and Epstein took the loss hard. He recalled going back to his hotel room and replaying the game in his head “over and over again.”

Thursday’s opener in Miami could have followed the same script, but the Cubs shrugged off Jon Lester’s poor outing and Kyle Schwarber’s defensive gaffe, coasting to triumph against a rebuilding team with only a few recognizable names.

So the Cubs did what they were supposed to do, and what their fans fully expect them to do on a daily basis as they count down to October in March.

“I don’t pay attention to it, and I think we use a lot of what happened last year, too,” Kris Bryant said. “We learned from that. We were expected to win last year too. The first half wasn’t great but we figured it out. It’s just a matter of sticking with what we have in here and not being worried about the outside stuff. We know how passionate our fans are, but we can’t concern ourselves with that (thinking).”

All in all it was a traditional opening day in Miami, a franchise with no tradition to speak of other than selling off its best players and starting over. DJ Khaled performed pre-game. Cheerleaders danced on the field and on top of the dugouts between innings. Empty seats were in abundance, and Cubs fans filled most of the rest.

The afternoon began like a perfect daydream under a clear blue sky, thanks to an open roof and Ian Happ homering on the season’s first pitch. The Cubs batted around in a three-run first before Anthony Rizzo homered in the second inning, pointed to the sky and tapped the Stoneman Douglas patch on his chest as he crossed home plate.

Rizzo called it a tribute to “those kids up there and adults that lost their lives” in the Feb. 14 shooting at his high school.

“I’ve hit a lot of home runs,” he said. “That was probably the most out-of-body experience I’ve had hitting a home run in my life. Just felt really good obviously.”

Staked to a 4-1 lead, Lester was ready to show his subpar 2017 season was an anomaly and not a trend. Epstein said before the game Joe Maddon feels “Jon is acting like he has something to prove,” and Lester has taken it to heart.

“A couple of those games that got out of hand last year, he knows that’s not who he is,” Epstein said. “He’s justifiably proud of everything he has accomplished and wants to live up to that. And he knows his role on the team and how important he is. He’s invested in winning, and he knows he has to be his best self to win.”

But Lester was not his best self Thursday, or even a reasonable facsimile of himself. He gave up four runs on seven hits and three walks over 3 1/3 innings before Maddon mercifully yanked him with a 5-4 lead in the fourth.

“Adjustments have to be made,” Lester said. “And we’ll make them.”

Lester deserves a mulligan, while Rizzo deserves a tip of the cap for coming through for his hometown of Parkland. After a pregame news conference in which he lauded the Stoneman Douglas student activists, called for stricter gun laws, criticized social media trolls and said politicians were “shaking” at the outspoken kids, Rizzo said his home run was a “special moment” in his career.

His teammates also knew it was not just another home run.

“It was a pretty emotional day for him, obviously playing in front of the (Parkland) families and his family and a lot of the community coming out,” Bryant said. “It was nice to see him do well today and get the win, too. Standing out there for that anthem was really touching. I could tell he was hurting a little inside.”

Openers are but one of 162 games. But just as Epstein recalled the heartbreak of his ’03 opener like it was yesterday, Rizzo always will remember his emotional home run in the 2018 opener.

Baseball may be his career, but it’s not his life.

“He’s much more than a baseball player,” Epstein said. “There are a lot of elements to him as a human being. He’s a very caring, emotional person who develops important relationships easily. He feels really connected to his hometown and his school and he just has a big heart.”

Rizzo invited the Stoneman Douglas baseball team to Marlins Park for Friday’s game, the second of the series, and some family members of victims will throw out the first pitch.

“It will be a tough one to see that for anyone who has a pulse,” Rizzo said.

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Chicago Tribune Cubs finalize 25-man roster with Eddie Butler part of the 13-man pitching staff By Mark Gonzales

The need for a second long reliever resulted in the Cubs’ decision to add Eddie Butler to their opening day roster announced Thursday morning.

Butler completes a 13-man pitching staff that includes Pedro Strop, who missed most of spring training due to a left calf injury, and three left-handed relievers.

The deep pitching staff limited the Cubs to four bench players, which may limit manager Joe Maddon’s late-inning options. However, pitching is at a premium as the Cubs are scheduled to play 10 games in 11 days starting Thursday against the Marlins at Marlins Park.

Here is the Cubs’ 25-man roster:

Pitchers

Jon Lester Kyle Hendricks Yu Darvish Jose Quintana Tyler Chatwood Brandon Morrow Steve Cishek Pedro Strop Carl Edwards Jr. Mike Montgomery Justin Wilson Brian Duensing Eddie Butler Catchers

Willson Contreras Victor Caratini Infielders

Anthony Rizzo Javier Baez Addison Russell Kris Bryant Ben Zobrist Tommy La Stella

Outfielders

Kyle Schwarber Ian Happ Jason Heyward Albert Almora Jr.

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Chicago Tribune Anthony Rizzo goes deep calling for stricter gun laws By David Haugh

Of all the artwork Cubs manager Joe Maddon has introduced to his players this spring, the most powerful display appeared Thursday at Marlins Park during batting practice before the Cubs’ 8-4 victory.

In a walking exhibit of empathy, Cubs players wore maroon T-shirts with “Stoneman Douglas” on the back and “#MSDStrong” on the front, an opening-day tribute to the 17 victims of the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. Maddon’s foundation, “Respect 90,” purchased the shirts for the Cubs.

“Every day you think of them and feel for what happened,’’ said Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo, a 2007 Stoneman Douglas graduate who hit an emotional home run in the opener. “It’s where I’m from. It’s my city. It’s where I was raised.’’

It’s who Rizzo is, a community-minded, socially conscious person with compassion who’s on the right team at the right time to do something about it. Maddon encourages his players to tap into their inner selves, so much so that the eclectic manager unveiled his latest piece of urban art with that in mind. It was a painting of Uncle Sam with the words: “We Want You …To Be Yourself.”

“The message is every day I want our guys to be themselves, I don’t want any watered-down version or to think they have to act in a certain way because someone’s watching,’’ Maddon said. “The more they feel free to be themselves, the better you’re going to see them perform on the field.’’

And sometimes it’s vice versa. Nobody embodies that evolution more than Rizzo, who tapped the “MSD” patch on his chest and pointed skyward after his 393-foot, second-inning home run. Adrenaline so overtook Rizzo that he consciously tried to slow down running the bases “and enjoy the moment.’’

“I’ve hit a lot of home runs,’’ Rizzo said postgame in his maroon T-shirt. “That was probably the most out-of-body experience I’ve had. A special moment for me.’’

The more valuable Rizzo has become as a player, the more visible he has made himself to causes near and dear to his heart. Before the game, the 2017 Roberto Clemente Award winner voiced his strongest opinions yet in the wake of the Parkland tragedy, calling for a common-sense approach to stricter gun legislation and criticizing the blowhards bullying student activists across the country. Bravo. Rizzo labeled social media bullies “losers,’’ which surely will compel somebody somewhere to tell the Cubs slugger to shut up and swing — the way preachy pundit Laura Ingraham told LeBron James to shut up and dribble.

“You hear all these things, how can you even say this? Where’s your heart? Where’s your sense of sympathy?’’ Rizzo said. “These extremists … people going for all the gun laws are going for the full extreme, and then you have the people defending them who are going to the other extreme. The message is somewhere in the middle. For them to be bullied on Twitter by some guy with strong fingers. …They won’t let any of it affect them because what they’re doing is bigger than themselves.’’

Asked how he would frame a national gun law if he could, Rizzo carefully delved into territory he previously had avoided.

“I play first base for the Cubs … but in a perfect world, I’d make it stricter (and) make background checks a little harder to get these guns,’’ Rizzo said. “I think it’s a little too easy to go in and get a gun.’’

This was Rizzo being himself, with Maddon’s blessing. This was one of Chicago’s most giving professional athletes lending a local voice to an important national debate, in a tenor that only will get stronger the more he uses it. This was an eye-opening day, and not just because of Ian Happ’s first-pitch home run or Kyle Schwarber’s up-and-down adventures.

“It really affected (Rizzo) and he’s standing up for what he believes in,’’ Cubs President Theo Epstein said “He’s not someone who is just going to look the other way and think that someone else will take care of things. He really wants to dive in.’’

Epstein scoffed at the notion of Rizzo losing focus.

“You’re talking about somebody who stops by pediatric oncology units on the way to games in Chicago,’’ Epstein said.

On Tuesday, Rizzo sat with old friends watching his high school baseball team win 15-0. The next morning, students began removing items from the makeshift memorial outside Rizzo’s former high school. The site will clear, the memories can fade, but their work continues.

“These kids are standing up for what they believe in and motivating everybody to register to vote,’’ Rizzo said. “They’re holding the throttle down on all these politicians and holding them accountable. It’s unbelievable how an entire nation is rallying around them.’’

The question of whether Rizzo has spoken with some of the kids drew a chuckle.

“From outside looking in, I relate it to when I had cancer,’’ Rizzo said. “People are like, ‘Can we talk to him? Is he contagious? Can we touch him? Can he go outside?’ From what I’ve heard, students at the school, teachers, they’re doing great. I know a lot of the teachers. I’ve been talking to them. You have to try to make it as normal as you can.’’

Rizzo knows life might never be the same again. But he can make a difference — just by being himself.

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Chicago Tribune Cubs' Jon Lester didn't have answers for his short outing Thursday By Mark Gonzales

A fastball lacking zip Thursday wasn’t the only issue bothering Cubs opening-day starter Jon Lester.

“I wasn’t throwing strikes and I wasn’t finishing guys,” Lester said after lasting only 3 1/3 innings against an inexperienced Marlins team. “I had no breaking ball. There were a few things we need to adjust on and make better for Tuesday.

“I don’t want to dive into it too much. Physically I felt fine, just didn’t execute.”

Manager Joe Maddon acknowledged many of Lester’s fastballs hovered a few ticks below the 90 mph range, which was the case throughout spring training. Maddon said there is no cause for concern and that he didn’t want to start looking for favorable matchups in the fourth inning of the season’s first game.

“But there was no other way to win that game,” he said.

Sign language: Reliever Steve Cishek said he and catcher Willson Contreras adjusted well in the wake of limitations on mound visits has instituted this season in an effort to speed up the pace of games.

“The biggest thing was making sure we weren’t mixing up signs with (runners) on second and third,” Cishek said. “We didn’t practice that so we improvised some stuff out there. The last thing I want to do is throw a ball to the backstop because I couldn’t communicate with the catcher.”

Cubs President Theo Epstein said each team received a memo and a videotape clarifying the new rules “so everyone should know” what they are.

Partly because of the Cubs’ thin bench, Cishek made his first plate appearance since 2012 and grounded to shortstop in the fifth.

“I might need to take batting practice more often,” Cishek said.

Extra innings: Ian Happ became the first Cubs player to hit a leadoff home run on opening day since Alfonso Soriano in 2009 at Houston, and the fourth Cub to accomplish the feat after Bump Wills (1982), Tuffy Rhodes (1994) and Soriano. … Happ became the first player to hit a homer on the first pitch of the season since Dwight Evans of the Red Sox accomplished the feat in 1986 at Detroit. … The Cubs’ opening day salaries, excluding bonuses, is around $162.3 million. That does not include benefits, but they still should be able to acquire midseason help and stay under the luxury tax threshold of $197 million.

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Chicago Tribune Ryan Court 'very impressive' to Joe Maddon despite not being named to Cubs' 25-man roster By Mark Gonzales

The Cubs’ opening day roster didn’t include infielder Ryan Court, but the versatile Dundee-Crown High School alum made a favorable impression on manager Joe Maddon.

“Court showed to me he’s a good baseball player,” Maddon said after the 25-man roster was finalized.

“He had good at-bats. I put a lot of signs on with him, whether he was on the bases or at the plate. He didn’t miss one. That tells me about his ability to focus on the moment.”

Court, 30, batted .360 with a .458 on-base percentage before he was assigned to minor league game.

Maddon also praised infielder Mike Freeman, who played briefly for the Cubs in the second half of 2018 and batted .407 before he was sent down.

“(But) Court came out of nowhere,” Maddon said. “And I give him a lot of credit to how he’s gotten to this point in his career. Very impressive.”

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Chicago Sun-Times Cubs’ Jon Lester after rough outing in season opener: ‘No excuse for it’ By Gordon Wittenmyer

MIAMI — Uh-oh?

Cubs starter Jon Lester couldn’t get out of the fourth inning Thursday, blowing a three-run lead, in the Cubs’ only significant negative during an 8-4 victory against the Marlins on Opening Day.

“I’m not going to sit here and make excuses for anything,” he said after allowing four runs (three earned), seven hits and three walks. “I didn’t throw the ball very well at all, and there’s no excuse for it.

“Guys I got ahead of, I couldn’t put away; guys I got behind, I couldn’t get back ahead. I really had no feel for a breaking ball. Good cutters I did throw were just balls out of hand.”

It followed one of Lester’s healthiest, strongest springs.

Lester said he feels fine physically, and manager Joe Maddon said he’s not concerned.

“There’s a few things in there we need to adjust and make better for Tuesday [in Cincinnati,” said Lester, who’s 1-2 with a 4.14 ERA in seven career openers. “It’s one game. I don’t want to dive into it too much.

“Adjustments have got to be made, and we’ll make them.”

Ouch

Anthony Rizzo, Addison Russell and Javy Baez were hit by pitches by Jose Urena in the first inning — the first time since 2003 that three Cubs were hit by pitches in the same inning.

All escaped serious injury, although that seemed in doubt with Baez at first glance after he was hit on the hand and quickly pulled his batting glove off as he walked in visible pain behind the plate. He finished the game.

“I didn’t know what was going on,” Maddon said. “Typically when a guy takes his glove off, his hand’s shaking, which it was. But he was able to press on it quickly, and he knew it was fine.”

Familiar face

Veteran reliever Steve Cishek made his Cubs debut with one out and two on in the fourth inning of a tie game — against the team he spent most of his career with.

He got a strikeout and a routine fly ball to escape the jam. It was the start of 5‰ scoreless innings by the bullpen.

“I’ve always liked pitching here,” said Cishek, who made his first appearance against the Marlins since he was traded to the Cardinals in 2015. “It was fun to be able to do it against my old team.”

Bonus: He got to bat for only the second time in his career and swung the bat for the first time. He grounded out sharply to short.

“They asked me if I could handle it, and I said, ‘Yeah, sure, why not,’ ’’ Cishek said. “I might need to take BP more often. That was fun.”

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Chicago Sun-Times Jon Lester struggles, but Cubs power way to opening 8-4 victory vs. Marlins By Gordon Wittenmyer

MIAMI — Leadoff man Ian Happ hit the first pitch of the season over the right-field wall Thursday, and the Cubs were well on their way toward October.

Of course, it wasn’t that easy, even in a season-opening 8-4 victory against the toothless Marlins.

It was an emotion-filled day for first baseman Anthony Rizzo, a rough day on the mound for starter Jon Lester and a bruising day in left field for Kyle Schwarber.

But after a powerful performance by the lineup and the bullpen, the Cubs felt good enough about their ridiculously early start to the season that manager Joe Maddon basked, smiled and sipped from a stainless-steel cup of wine from a bottle sent by legendary film director and producer Francis Ford Coppola.

‘‘I just wanted to toast Mr. Coppola and the best movie of all time, ‘The Godfather,’ ’’ Maddon said after his postgame media briefing.

Maddon shrugged off Lester’s tough start and figures to call on him someday — perhaps Tuesday in Cincinnati — to provide more than 3 1/3 innings.

‘‘[Lester] just didn’t have his stuff,’’ Maddon said. ‘‘I have no concerns.’’

Meanwhile, the Cubs did enough in their first game to show why many think they have a date with October they can’t refuse.

Happ didn’t do much after becoming the first player since the Red Sox’ Dwight Evans in 1986 to hit the first pitch of the major-league season for a home run.

But Schwarber regrouped after a face-plant into the fence on a triple in the third inning and a two-base error later in the inning to extend the Cubs’ lead with a homer in the seventh.

‘‘I moved on from it pretty quickly,’’ Schwarber said of the rough inning. ‘‘I was frustrated for a couple of minutes, but there’s still a lot of game left. You’ve got to be able to move on from it, and I did that pretty well. I was able to hit the home run there, and it felt good.’’

Maybe as impressive was that Rizzo homered in his first official at-bat during an opening trip that will be remembered more for what he has done for his hometown of Parkland, Florida, in the wake of the horrific school shooting last month.

He touched the Stoneman Douglas High School patch on his jersey and pointed to the sky after crossing the plate, a rare gesture he has made maybe three times in his career, once involving a cancer patient he had grown close to.

‘‘When I point to the sky, it’s more of a personal moment,’’ he said.

The relentless hitting on this day — which included batting around in the first and a two-run double by pinch hitter Tommy La Stella with two outs in the seventh — combined with an impressive performance by the bullpen to make the wine go down especially smoothly for Maddon.

‘‘Jonny wasn’t as sharp as he can be, but overall we played a good game of baseball,’’ Maddon said.

‘‘And here’s the thing: You’ve got nice pitching coming after. That’s what you look at. Here comes Kyle [Hendricks], here comes Yu [Darvish] and then here comes [Jose Quintana] and then here comes [Tyler] Chatwood. That really makes a difference on a nightly basis, when you can throw that good of a starting pitcher every night.’’

Especially when you can start with a 1-0 lead a pitch into the game.

‘‘I don’t think anyone in the dugout [thought] a single was coming there,’’ Schwarber, the Opening Day leadoff man last season, said of the way Happ started the game. ‘‘I think we all knew something special was going to happen right there. That was exciting.’’

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Chicago Sun-Times When he’s needed most on and off the field, Cubs’ Anthony Rizzo stands tall By Rick Morrissey

MIAMI — Baseball is a kid’s game. But if you’re lucky enough and good enough, you can play it into adulthood.

Life is supposed to be everybody’s game, and you shouldn’t have to be lucky enough to make it to adulthood.

Both those ideas converged Thursday in Anthony Rizzo, a baseball player and human being who has had it with all the gun-induced dying in this country. The Cubs first baseman addressed the goodness and the ugliness that have come out of the mass shooting at his high school last month.

Then he hit an Opening Day home run.

The Cubs' Anthony Rizzo celebrates his second-inning home run with teammates during Opening Day against the Marlins on Thursday. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)

‘‘I’ve hit a lot of home runs,’’ he said. ‘‘That was probably the most out-of-body experience I’ve had hitting a home run, probably in my life. It felt really good. Obviously, my emotions on Opening Day usually are pretty high. But with all this, you can’t really put it into words.’’

No one can speak more forcefully than the children and teenagers who called for a change in U.S. gun laws during a recent rally in Washington. But it helps when someone of Rizzo’s stature takes a stand. And for the first time since the mass shooting, he stood for tougher gun control.

‘‘In a perfect world, make it stricter,’’ he said. ‘‘Make background checks a little harder to get these guns. I think it’s a little too easy to go in there and get a gun. I think pretty much the entire nation can agree on that.

‘‘There are a number of other things [that can be done]. My biggest thing is that, if you can make it harder to get guns, hopefully it eliminates a little bit of the problem.’’

Rizzo is a graduate of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, where a gunman went on a shooting spree Feb. 14, killing 17 and injuring 17 more. It wasn’t close to home for Rizzo; it was home.

So when he crossed home plate after his second-inning homer, he put his hand on the Stoneman Douglas patch on his uniform and pointed ‘‘to those kids up there and the adults that lost their lives.’’’

When he thinks about the people spreading rumors that the students protesting at the rallies were actors hired by anti-gun activists, he gets angry.

‘‘I think they’re losers; that’s what I think, to be honest,’’ he said. ‘‘You hear all these things, and it’s like: ‘How can you even say this? Where’s your heart? Where’s your sense of sympathy? It’s as real as it gets. If you don’t think it’s real, go there.’ It’s crazy to hear that.’’

There isn’t much worse than a man opening fire with a semi-automatic weapon on a group of high school students. But critics ripping children and teenagers on Twitter for demanding sane gun laws is a close second.

‘‘You’ve got these extremists,’’ Rizzo said. ‘‘You’ve got the people who are going for all the gun laws, and they’re going to the full extreme. Then you’ve got the other side that is defending them that is going full extreme that we’re taking away rights.

‘‘I don’t think that’s the message. I think the message is somewhere in the middle that everyone can agree on. For them to get bullied on Twitter by someone with strong fingers, I think it’s pretty funny. I know for a fact that they’re not going to let anything affect them and their mission because what they’re doing is bigger than themselves. It’s for a lot of people.’’

If you haven’t realized it by now, Rizzo isn’t going to shut up and swing a bat.

‘‘It really affected him, what he saw, and he’s standing up for what he believes in,’’ Cubs president Theo Epstein said. ‘‘He’s not someone who’s just going to look the other way and think that someone will take care of things. He really wants to dive in and make a difference.’’

If you’re worried that Rizzo’s focus on the shootings might affect his play, A) what’s wrong with you? and B) his homer in the Cubs’ 8-4 victory should ease your mind.

A few days ago, he watched Stoneman Douglas’ baseball team win a game 15-0 and came away impressed with the players’ resilience.

‘‘The kids are doing great,’’ he said. ‘‘From the outside looking in, it kind of relates to when I had cancer [in the minors]. People are, ‘Oh, can we talk to him? Is he contagious? Can we touch him? Can he go outside?’ Outside looking in, that’s what you think.

‘‘But those kids are doing great. From what I’ve heard, a lot of the students back at school are doing great, the teachers are doing great. I know a lot of teachers, so I’ve been talking to them. It’s normal. You just have to be normal. You have to try to make it as normal as you can.’’

Three Stoneman Douglas families that lost someone to the shootings and one survivor whom Rizzo visited in the hospital will throw out first pitches before the Cubs-Marlins game Friday. It will be another reminder of the horror of Feb. 14, but it also will be a picture of resolve.

Lots of people are sick of gun violence. We’ve been sick of it for a long time. Maybe this is the time when it finally takes.

‘‘We’ve never seen this before in our country,’’ Rizzo said. ‘‘We’ve never seen 11-year-olds speaking at a rally, multiple 11-year-olds, 6-year-olds. I think that the nation is listening. I think there are some politicians that are maybe shaking a little bit, a little nervous. You’ve got to keep going. [Those students have] to keep going, fighting for what they believe in.’’

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Chicago Sun-Times Stoneman Douglas grad Anthony Rizzo calls for gun-control legislation By Gordon Wittenmyer

MIAMI — In his strongest comments yet about the subject, Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo on Thursday called for lawmakers to pass tougher legislation on gun sales.

“In a perfect world, make it stricter. Make background checks a little harder to get these guns,’’ Rizzo said before the Cubs’ opener against the Marlins. ‘‘I think pretty much the entire nation can agree on that.’’

As he spoke, Rizzo wore a T-shirt bearing the colors and logo of his alma mater, Stoneman Douglas High School, where 17 were killed last month by a former student using an assault rifle.

The Cubs, including Rizzo, wore Stoneman Douglas shirts for pregame workouts before Thursday's opener.

‘‘There are a number of other things,’’ said Rizzo, who declined to discuss his specific views on the gun- control debate when asked during spring training. ‘‘My biggest thing is that if you can make it harder to get guns, hopefully it eliminates a little bit of the problem.’’

Students at the school in Parkland, Florida, about 50 miles from Miami, have spoken out strongly for the same kind of measures Rizzo talked about Thursday. Their voices and actions have inspired a national movement in the last six weeks that included a day in which students across the country walked out of classrooms and rallies last weekend across the United States.

‘‘I think it’s amazing,’’ Rizzo said. ‘‘These kids are standing up for what they believe in. They’re motivating everyone to go out there and register to vote. And they’re holding the throttle down on all these politicians. They’re holding them accountable for what they believe in. It’s just unbelievable how the entire nation is rallying around Stoneman Douglas High School.’’

Rizzo, who arranged for an extra day off ahead of the opener, went to a Stoneman Douglas baseball game Tuesday. On Friday, in cooperation with Marlins, Rizzo will be a part of hosting three families who lost loved ones in the shooting and a survivor he visited in the hospital last month. They will be part of four ceremonial first pitches.

‘‘It’ll be an emotional weekend for me,’’ he said. ‘‘But games still go on. I’m here to play.’’

Rizzo was hit by a pitch and scored in the first inning and hit a solo home run in the second in the Cubs’ Opening Day victory.

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Chicago Sun-Times Anthony Rizzo has harsh words for gun-advocate bullies: You’re losers By Rick Morrissey

MIAMI – Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo on Thursday ripped people who are bullying student protesters in the wake of the shootings that killed 17 people at his high school in Parkland, Fla.

And for the first time since the incident, he advocated for laws that would make it more difficult for Americans to get guns.

Rizzo had especially harsh words for those who have spread rumors that the children and teenagers who spoke at rallies in Washington were actors hired by anti-gun activists.

“I think they’re losers. That’s what I think, to be honest,’’ he said. “You hear all these things and it’s like, ‘How can you even say this? Where’s your heart? Where’s your sense of sympathy?’ It’s as real as it gets. If you don’t think it’s real, go there. It’s crazy to hear that.’’

Rizzo is a graduate of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz allegedly went on a shooting spree Feb. 14, killing 17 and injuring 17 more. Rizzo has been very public in his support of the school since the incident, but he made his strongest statements on the shootings Thursday before the Cubs’ opener against the Marlins.

“You’ve got these extremists,’’ he said. “You’ve got the people who are going for all the gun laws and they’re going to the full extreme. Then you’ve got the other side that is defending them that is going full extreme that we’re taking away rights.

“I don’t think that’s the message. I think the message is somewhere in the middle that everyone can agree on. For them to get bullied on Twitter by someone with strong fingers, I think it’s pretty funny. I know for a fact that they’re not going to let anything affect them and their mission because what they’re doing is bigger than themselves. It’s for a lot of people.’’

Rizzo said he wants to see laws that would make it more difficult for people to get guns.

“I play first base for the Cubs,” he said. “But in a perfect world, make it stricter. Make background checks a little harder to get these guns. I think it’s a little too easy to go in there and get a gun. I think pretty much the entire nation can agree on that. There are a number of other things.

“My biggest thing is that, if you can get make it harder to get guns, hopefully it eliminates a little bit of the problems.’’

He said he senses a change in public thinking, thanks to the young protesters.

“We’ve never seen this before in our country,’’ he said. “We’ve never seen 11-year-olds speaking at a rally, multiple 11-year olds, six-year-olds. I think that the nation is listening. I think there are some politicians that are maybe shaking a little bit, a little nervous. You’ve got to keep going. (The students have) to keep going, fighting for what they believe in.’’

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Daily Herald Elgin native Court's spring training impresses Cubs' Maddon By Bruce Miles

MIAMI -- The Cubs officially finalized their opening-day roster Thursday. Not on it was Ryan Court, a native of Elgin and graduate of Dundee-Crown High School.

Court went to spring training as a nonroster invitee and impressed the Cubs with his play all spring. In spring games, Court was 18-for-50 for a line of .360./458/.660 with 4 homers and 7 RBI. Officially, Court was reassigned to Cubs minor-league camp at the end of spring training, and he will start the season at Class AAA Iowa. The 29-year-old infielder has been in pro ball since 2011 -- including a year in independent ball -- and is still looking to make his major-league debut. That could come this season with the Cubs.

"A lot of our young guys had a really good camps," said manager Joe Maddon. "Court showed to me he's a really good baseball player. Worked good at-bats. I put a lot of signs on with him, whether he was on the bases or at the plate, and he didn't miss one. I put more signs on in this camp than I have in maybe the last two years combined. He didn't miss one of them.

"That tells me a lot about his ability to focus in the moment. Mike Freeman had a nice camp, too. But Ryan Court came out of nowhere. I give the guy a lot of credit for how he's gotten to this point in his career. Very impressive."

Not a big deal: Major League's Baseball rule on limiting visits to the mound didn't seem to have an impact on Thursday's 8-4 season-opening victory for the Cubs over the Marlins. The center-field scoreboard kept track of how many visits each team had left.

The rule is designed to improve the pace of play. Cubs president Theo Epstein said before the game the rule seems clear to him.

"They sent out a memo that was really clear," Epstein said. "It'll be an adjustment for everyone to get used to it. But the rules have been pretty well thought out and communicated. Everyone should know.

Usually there will be a few awkward moments where people adjust to it, but I don't think it's going to dominate the game."

They all scream for Loyola: Joe Maddon, like many others connected to the Chicago sports scene, has been taken with Loyola University's ride to the Final Four.

At the end of his pregame media session Thursday, Maddon mused that he'd have to take team chaplain Sister Jean out for ice cream in his station wagon. Maddon also said that maybe the five starters for the Ramblers would fit in the wagon, a 1985 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser.

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Daily Herald Rizzo, Cubs lend more support to Stoneman Douglas High School By Bruce Miles

MIAMI -- The Cubs and first baseman Anthony Rizzo came out with a strong show of support Thursday for Rizzo's high school.

Rizzo and his mates took batting practice in T-shirts with #MSDStrong emblazoned across the front.

The hashtagged message was in support of Rizzo's alma mater, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, where 17 people died in a shooting on Feb. 14.

"It's always emotional, Opening Day, and being here on Opening Day, it's great," Rizzo said. "It's good to be playing baseball again. This will be an emotional weekend for me personally but the games still go on."

Rizzo left spring training in February to go back to Stoneman Douglas to speak to the community and lend moral support in the days after the shooting.

He also voiced support for students who took part in the march against gun violence and who spoke out.

"I think it's amazing," he said. "These kids are standing up for what they believe in. They're motivating every one to go out there and register to vote. That's as powerful as they can make their voice heard. They're holding the throttle down on these politicians and holding them accountable for what they believe in. It's unbelievable that an entire nation (is) rallying around Stoneman Douglas High School."

For critics who labeled students as "actors" for marching and speaking out, Rizzo had strong words.

"To get bullied on Twitter by somebody with strong fingers, I think it's pretty funny," he said. "I know they're not going to let anyone affect their mission. What they're doing is bigger than themselves. I think they (those who would criticize students) are losers. You hear all these things and think, 'How can you say this? Where's your heart? Where's your sense of sympathy?' It's as real as it gets. If you don't think it's real, go there."

Rizzo waded deeper into the controversial topic of gun control when asked possible changes or solutions.

"In a perfect word, make it stricter," he said of obtaining guns. "Make background checks a little harder to get these guns. I think it's a little too easy to go in there and get a gun. I think the entire nation can agree on that."

Rizzo and the Cubs will host families of the victims of the Stoneman Douglas tragedy Friday. For his work, Rizzo drew praise from team president Theo Epstein.

"He's much more than a baseball player," Epstein said. "There's a lot of elements to him as a human being. He's a very caring, emotional personal and develops important relationships easily. He feels really connected to his hometown and to his school. He's got a big heart. He's standing up for what he believes in. He's not someone who's just going to look the other way and think that someone else will take care of things. He really wants to dive in and make a difference. You see that with how he conducts himself in Chicago. He's a great role model for all of us, really, I think."

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