The Chicago Cubs had bear cubs at their spring training today — VIDEO
March 25, 2016 - 1:08 pm
The Chicago Cubs spring training camps may be unlike any other MLB teams because today they got to hang out with bear cubs before their game. Yes, little bear cubs.
A few days ago there were mimes at their practice.
Stay with us.
Cubs manager Joe Maddon likes to have fun at spring training and today surprised the players with two bear cubs from Bearizona Wildlife Park in Williams, Arizona.
“Our own Bearizona Cubs went down to surprise the #ChicagoCubs this morning before their #SpringTraining game!,” Bearizona tweeted Friday afternoon.
Our own Bearizona Cubs went down to surprise the #ChicagoCubs this morning before their #SpringTraining game! pic.twitter.com/LXkWLICNnc
— Bearizona (@bearizona) March 25, 2016
The players really got into it, snapping pictures and videos before they took the field.
Crushes baseballs and plays with BEARS, that’s what @ARizzo44 does.https://t.co/IsK1O68Xm5
— MLB (@MLB) March 25, 2016
The Cubs’ baseball operations assistant John Baker tweeted a handful of pictures of players holding the cubs.
“Big thank you to #BearZona for sharing their Cubs with our @Cubs.”
Big thank you to #BearZona for sharing their Cubs with our @Cubs pic.twitter.com/VqLioBDPMm
— John Baker (@manbearwolf) March 25, 2016
The cubs (not the team) are just 3 1/2 months old, and it was their first time hanging out on grass, according to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers.
First time on grass for them pic.twitter.com/O4Zs87HlWd
— Jesse Rogers (@ESPNChiCubs) March 25, 2016
The team even gets to help name the baby bears.
“We’re trying to come up with creative ways to name both cubs as they grow up to be bears,” Maddon told ESPN.
The best moment with the little cubs may have been when one apparently peed on first baseman Anthony Rizzo while he had them in his lap.
Moments before that last pic one of them peed on Rizzo. Love it
— Jesse Rogers (@ESPNChiCubs) March 25, 2016
Rizzo and his new friends pic.twitter.com/VJ61cWZ7BO
— Jesse Rogers (@ESPNChiCubs) March 25, 2016
Contact Kira Terry at kterry@reviewjournal.com. Find her on Twitter: @kiraterry