Crazy In Love (Anthony Rizzo)

Legacy

Anthony

Once we get spring training under way I start to relax and have some fun. We have a really good group this year and there's obviously something special going on here. Joe has all these sayings like embrace the target and don't let the pressure exceed the pleasure and try not to suck, things to keep things light hearted and remind us what it's like to still be young and playing the game we love most.

"Hey Rizz, can I see you for a second" Joe asks as I wait to start another conditioning exercise and I nod. I excuse myself from coach Buss' little huddle and join him on the side.

"What's up" I wonder.

"Well, as you know how we have a bunch of things in line this season with themed road trips and shirts and stuff like that" he starts.

"Yeah, of course" I assure him.

"I talked to a few of the older guys over dinner the other day and they came up with a idea I really liked. We were talking about what made last year special and we all agreed that Tim was a bright spot of our season. Going through that with him, making so many wishes of his come true and coming together for him, it made us more than a baseball team. It made us a family. And I know it's not last year and he's no longer with us but we wanted to do something to remember him by. We want to win it all for him and make him proud, even though he was always proud to be a cubs fan no matter what the scoresheet said.

So we were going to dedicate a spot in the dugout for him and leave it open because no one can replace him. He's the only guy I've seen Jon talk to on days he starts and the only one that makes Javy more excited to be here than he already was. And I don't want to lose his spirit this year. I know it meant a lot to him to live on even after his last breath and this is how we wanted to help him achieve that" he explains.

I wipe a tear away from my eyes when I think about not having him at the games anymore. It would be weird to see someone sitting on the end of the bench and it not be him. That was his spot, he would mess with guys as they came out of the clubhouse or give high fives right when you got back in the dugout reguardless if you just passed home place or struck out. He was a big part of our team last year and I think he should still be, for at least this season.

"That's amazing, I love it" I admit.

"Nothing's final yet, I wanted to run it past you and of course see if it's okay with Melissa and her family. But we wanted to make sure you and your wife to know that we're thinking of him and that just because he's gone doesn't mean our memory of him is. He was a great guy Tony, and I know losing him was hard. And if we can keep him around a little while longer I think we can all benefit from that" he explains.

"Thank you for this" I say softly and he smiles.

"Bring it in" he says as he pulls me into a hug. I wrap my arms around him tight as he pats my back. We break apart as he holds his shoulders to look at me.

"Now lets go make Big Tim proud" I say and he smiles up at me.

"That's what I like to hear" he nods.

We finish up training for the day so I zip on over to the hotel to see my favorite girls. I find Melissa in the kitchen because some things never change and Mallory was setting out the plates around the table. I help her and eventually tell her to wash up. I grab Melissa before talking to her about what Joe and I discussed today.

"I have wonderful news" I admit and she smiles.

"I like good news" she admits.

"Joe pulled me to the side today and told me that the Cubs players and organization wanted to do something to remember your brother" I explain and her eyes go big.

"Why" she wonders.

"Because your brother touched us all. He was a part of our team and he made us into a family. Everyone loved him and wanted so bad for him to still be here. He taught us true strength and love and none of us will ever forget how he made baseball more than a game. And we want to never forget that, so Joe suggested we make his spot on the bench at the end permanent and put it in memory of our fearless leader. He wants to dedicate this season to all the fans, but especially to our greatest one we ever knew" I explain.

A sad smile comes up on her face a she lets out a soft sigh. She wipes away a tear as she shakes her head.

"He would be so happy" she admits.

"He would be. I can hear him giving you a hard time about how you're married to me but he's the one getting all the stuff" I chuckle. He was always funny like that.

"Sounds like him" she agrees.

"So are you okay with this? Because if it's going to be too hard we don't have to do it" I assure her.

"I think it's a lovely idea. I think it's going to be nice to go to the games and know that my brothers still there with us cheering loud and being obnoxious. I know he meant a lot to me but he meant a lot to other people too, both alike and unalike. He wanted a legacy and now we have it" she says.

"Well I'm happy you're on board because I think this will be good for us, for all of us who was lucky enough to know Timothy. This special season just got much more special to me" I insist.

"Yeah baby, me too."

Eventually Mallory returns and we sit down to eat dinner. This was always important for us because we always sit down to eat. We find somewhere to be together and talk about our days and our favorite parts. Although Melissa doesn't act all that southern her family morals are high and even when Tim was here and he was sick he made it a goal for him to join us for dinner. And even though we weren't at home I felt like we were. I can look across the table and see my girls smiling and laughing and I knew I was home when I was with them.