Chicago Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward started opening day with a message to media members.
“Welcome back into the clubhouse,” he said.
It was nice to be welcomed back by anyone after an offseason like the one we just endured, testing our love for the game.
The last time reporters were allowed inside the home clubhouse at Wrigley Field was Sept. 22, 2019, when the Cubs lost 3-2 to the St. Louis Cardinals during a season-ending collapse in the final days of the Joe Maddon regime.
Only a half-dozen players remain from that day, which seems like it took place in a different time. Only one day earlier, Nico Hoerner had homered. He didn’t hit another one until a two-run shot in the fifth inning of Thursday’s 5-4 win over the Milwaukee Brewers.
“I remember it well,” Hoerner said. “The last two years had a lot within it. Awesome to be here on opening day, to be healthy and be with the team that’s very excited to play baseball.”
The COVID-19 pandemic kept reporters out of the Cubs’ lair the last two seasons, which might have been fine with many players, but not the ones who understand the history of the game and its need to be chronicled.
“You don’t know how the game is going to change over time,” Heyward said. “It could happen quickly or not. But (the media) is an important element of the game, just for players to see. You guys have a workplace here too. There is a sense of accountability, but I also think there’s a sense of fun — a guy has a big moment in a game the night before or that night, and we can immediately meet face to face, get a little reaction.”
Face-to-face interaction is always preferable to Zoom, so I was looking forward to actually getting to talk to people in person without having to unmute myself. And you could see in the eyes of catcher Willson Contreras that the reception he received from Cubs fans meant a lot.
“Since I took the first step toward the bullpen before the game it was really loud,” he said. “It was emotional. I was, like, floating. Man, this place. ... I know I’m just doing my job, but the fans here are really special to me.”
First baseman Frank Schwindel was clearly geeked before his second opening day — and first since 2019 with the Kansas City Royals — which he called a “short-lived” experience.
“This is awesome,” Schwindel said. “I felt like I never left because of all the hype last year, and getting back (Wednesday). Every time we take batting practice or step on the field it’s something special. There are no bad days at Wrigley.”
Thursday was a day the Cubs could savor. They’re not expected to go anywhere, so they might as well enjoy every day they can prove the narrative wrong.
Contreras even had a feeling of déjà vu after being plunked by a Jake Cousins pitch in the seventh inning, a reminder of Brewers pitchers treating him like a pin cushion last season.
“I guess it’s baseball,” he said. “The only good thing about that was I got on base, Ian Happ hit a double and we won the game.”
Former Cub Victor Caratini calmed Contreras down, while Adbert Alzolay tweeted from Arizona: “First HBP of many from this team for Willy,” while adding a few shrug emojis.
“Man, it’s just history,” Contreras said, laughing at Alzolay’s tweet.
If it were up to Cubs fans, Contreras would be re-signed already. Instead, he’s entering his walk year with no idea if he’ll end the season in Chicago.
“Listen, we’ve had a bunch of guys last year playing as free agents,” team President Jed Hoyer said. “It’s not something new to us. We’ve got a good relationship with Willson. Obviously if we do start talking about a deal in-season, we’re not going to talk about it publicly. Nothing different.
“We’re excited to have him. He’s a tremendously talented catcher, and we’ll sort of see where that goes.”
Chairman Tom Ricketts has the money. He wrote a letter to fans in the fall insisting the Cubs “will be active in free agency and continue to make thoughtful decisions to bolster our team this offseason.”
But the Cubs made only two significant moves in free agency — signing outfielder Seiya Suzuki and pitcher Marcus Stroman — which could be why there were so many empty seats at Wrigley despite an announced crowd of 35,112.
Before the game, while Ricketts was signing baseballs and taking selfies with Cubs fans, I shook hands and asked if he had a second to talk.
“I don’t think so,” he replied, continuing his walk up the aisle.
Nothing?
“Just happy we’re playing,” he said.
Well, you can’t expect miracles, even on opening day.
Ricketts has been under a self-imposed cone of silence since being booed at the 2020 Cubs Convention and then insisting he wasn’t booed. And now he has embarked on a new adventure — trying to purchase a Premier League soccer team with his friends and a few spare billion in pocket change.
That move made some fans wonder whether all those $13.99 premium draft beers and $14.99 “Cubbie Ritas” at Wrigley were going toward the Rickettses’ bid for Chelsea instead of the Cubs.
“The Chicago Cubs are a closed loop,” Ricketts’ spokesman Dennis Culloton told the Tribune recently. “All the revenue that is generated goes back into the team, in some fashion. So there’s no revenues from the Chicago Cubs being used for soccer or any other sports investment.”
But if the team isn’t putting those revenues back into the payroll, where exactly are they going? You’d think the Cubs would have ome remaining for Contreras, whom fans clearly want to keep.
Contreras said after Thursday’s game he doesn’t want to go anywhere.
“We have a lot of younger guys, and a lot of experienced guys, and I think there is a lot of balance,” he said. “I like the energy this whole team has brought since the start of spring training and I hope we can keep it the same.”
The conviction in Contreras’ voice was much more evident than it would’ve sounded on Zoom, a welcome thing to see face to face on opening day.
