When the Cubs started their series in Detroit on Monday night, there was a familiar face across the diamond. Yes, believe it or not, this was the first time the Cubs have met ex-Cub Javy Baez; remember him?
How can we NOT remember Javy? It all starts with the fact that he was on the 2016 World Series roster; anybody on that team will be forever remembered in our hearts. For a guy like Baez, it certainly doesn’t end there. 2016 NLCS MVP was certainly a feather in his cap. To be that important in the series that got us TO the World Series for the first time since 1945… Of course the first run that the Cubs scored in that magical run was a Javy Baez HR off Johnny Cueto that touched the sky and fell into the left field basket at Wrigley. So far, we’ve only talked about the 2016 postseason. I remember his debut… the HR in Colorado against the Rockies. His defense… sure, he missed some of the easy ones, especially the throws, but the magnificent… was El Mago’s specialty. Yet, maybe his nickname came from his baserunning. The things he did on the basepaths… woo boy. His sliding, and avoiding the tag… the play against Pittsburgh where he ran back home and then made it back to first. I forgot about his tags… the no look tags. And yes, he had big swings and misses, but man… when he connected, like off that dude whose name I’m forgetting right now at Wrigley after the whole back and forth… Amir Garrett… yeah, that’s him. For those of us who know, you know, I’m only scratching the surface. The dude was straight up electric.
So yeah, I miss him; part of me can’t believe I’m saying that. All the errors and ridiculous swings and misses… I’ve had words for Javy, sure… but in the end, he was a Cub that I will never forget; I will always be thankful for what Javy was able to do here in Chicago. Call me crazy, but I think Javy, like some of the other ex-Cubs who haven’t been doing so great outside of Chicago, would rekindle some magic back in Wrigley. One day maybe? It’s a little easier seeing him since the Cubs are doing surprisingly well this year; we have new stars that we love like Dansby, Belli, Nico. I’ve loved plenty of Cubs teams in the past, even though they weren’t able to bring the holy grail home. Yet, there is something to be said for the boys that finally did it; they’re my favorites.
When they were all shipped out, I was pissed; some days I still am. When people said they’d sign back in the offseason, I knew that was BS. Now, a few years later, I think about how that reunion would look… like I said, call me crazy, but I think it would work… for a reasonable amount of dollars of course… haha. But yeah, I wish them all well, including Javy, except for these few games against us. Of course, he turned in a bit hit in last night’s Tiger comeback; thankfully, it was only a footnote as the Cubs came back and got the W. But Javy… yeah, it was good to see him; when the Tigers come to Wrigley, I may have to get over there… Go Cubs!!!
Leave a Reply