Javier Baez - Chicago Cubs

1) #9 Javier Baez is an infielder for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball.

2) Nicknamed "El Mago" (The Magician in Spanish), Javier Baez was selected ninth overall in the 2011 MLB Draft by the Chicago Cubs and made his major league debut on August 5th, 2014.

3) In 2018, Javy had his breakout season and earned the starting nod in the All-Star game at second base and finished the season as the National League leader in RBIs with 111 and seventh in home runs with 34. 

Danny: What is your favorite baseball memory?

Javier Baez: Oooh. The home runs. The home runs in the playoffs.

Dad: Javi has had some big playoff home runs including NLDS Game 1 Win vs. the Giants , 2 HR in NLCS vs. the Dodgers , and this solo home run in Game 7 of the World Series . Which one was your favorite?

D's Follow Up: My favorite home run was the World Series home run against the Indians. This one is my favorite because the Cubs won the World Series.



Danny: What is your favorite fruit or vegetable?

Javier Baez: Strawberries.

D's Follow Up: Strawberries are one of my favorites and they taste so good. They are my third favorite fruit behind honeydew and mangoes.

Photo credit / Getty Images

On Wednesday, October 10th, Danny and I drove out to Bergie's Sports Card Dugout in Highland Park to meet Chicago Cubs superstar infielder #9 Javier Baez. Bergie's Dugout was sold out with Cubs fans excited to meet the Cubs young superstar and potential 2018 National League MVP. The event was jam packed and we were lucky to have a ticket to meet Javi.

The line was long but we eventually made our way in to meet Javi. Danny quickly started right in with his questions after they shook hands because the line was moving fast. Fortunately, Javi greeted Danny and was thoughtful to take his time to think about his favorite baseball memory and answer Danny's most often asked fruit and veggie question. 

Javi was as smooth in person as he is on the baseball field and we are grateful to have had the opportunity to meet another one of our Cubs favorites. We hope Javi can help bring another World Series to the North side in the near future and can build on his incredible 2018 season.

David Bote - Chicago Cubs

1) David Bote #13 is an infielder for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball.

2) David made his major league debut with the Chicago Cubs on April 21, 2018. Bote has filled in for the injured 3B Kris Bryant for much of the 2018 season.

3) Bote hit a pinch hit, two-out, two-strike ninth inning walk-off grand slam on August 12, 2018 against the Washington Nationals, which had not been done since 1979.

Photo credit / Getty Images

J: What's your favorite baseball memory?

David Bote: My major league debut.

J's Follow Up: Making it to Major League Baseball is probably the most special moment for most players. I feel like it would have been the grand slam if it wasn't his debut.

D: What is the toughest team you've ever played against?

David Bote: Honestly, I have no idea who was the toughest.

D's Follow Up: The guy right next to him was laughing and said the Chicago White Sox, probably because they beat them before he came to see us. I think the St. Louis Cardinals, Brewers, Dodgers, and Yankees are tough teams.

Photo credit / Christian Peterson Getty Images

On Sunday, September 23rd, we drove out to Bergie's Sports Card Dugout in Highland Park to meet Chicago Cubs rookie phenom #13 David Bote. Bergie's Dugout was filled with Cubs fans on a Sunday night at 6:30 to meet the Cubs young superstar. The event was sold out with more than 155 tickets sold and we were lucky to have one of them.

David and the Cubs had just defeated the Chicago White Sox a few hours before and he still made his way out to Highland Park to meet with fans. The boys and I had a fun night hanging with other Cubs fans and asking David a few questions. We hope David continues to make a big impact on the Cubs down the stretch and guides them to the top of the division and another World Series title in 2018!

Matt Davidson - Chicago White Sox

1) Matt Davidson is a Designated Hitter for the Chicago White Sox, who play in the American League Central division of Major League Baseball.

2) Davidson is known for becoming the fourth player in major league history to hit three home runs in a single game on opening day. He completed the feat in a 14-7 win against the Kansas City Royals on March 29, 2018. 

3) Matt made his Major League Baseball pitching debut on June 29, 2018 where he pitched one inning and retired all three batters. Davidson has made three relief appearances to date in 2018, allowing just one hit. Before this season, Matt's last time pitching in a game was in 2009, during his senior year in high school.

Photo credit Jonathan Daniel /Getty Images

J: What is your favorite Major League Baseball memory?

Matt Davidson: Honestly, my favorite memory so far has been pitching. I really enjoy pitching a lot.

J's Follow Up:  I expected him to say hitting three home runs on opening day was his favorite memory. That's cool that he is pitching in MLB even though he hasn't pitched since high school.

J: What sports do you like to play other than baseball?

Matt Davidson: I love to play all sports but I really enjoy tennis right now.

J's Follow Up: I like tennis too. I just started playing this tennis summer and I went to tennis camp at the high school. 


D: What are some of your favorite healthy foods to eat before a game?

Matt Davidson: Before the game, I usually eat a lot of vegetables and rice. My favorites are asparagus and broccoli.

D's Follow Up: I'm not really a big fan of asparagus but I'm really love broccoli. Broccoli is my second favorite veggie behind carrots.

Photo credit Ed Zurga / Getty Images

This was the first time that VincentsGo3on3 had just one of the three of us present to meet one of our favorite athletes. It was the first week back at school for Jordan and Danny, so I went solo to meet White Sox DH Matt Davidson at the Bucky's Express customer appreciation event on North Avenue in Glendale Heights on Friday, August 17th. 

I was fortunate to still be hanging on to summer by a thread, so I decided not to miss out on the fun and made the trip to Glendale Heights to meet Matt. Bucky's had a tremendous customer appreciation event as they had free hot dogs, chips, drinks, t-shirts, and White Sox prizes for all in attendance with the highlight being a chance to interact and take a photo with White Sox DH, Matt Davidson.

It was a weekday at 11 am, so you never know how many fans will be able to be in attendance but there were an estimated 150 fans in line to meet Matt. He shook hands, signed as many autographs as requested, and posed for photos with fans. Matt was willing to answer Jordan and Danny's questions and was quick to note that he loved getting out to the mound to pitch and that he is really into tennis at the moment. He also was kind enough to sign pictures for me to give out to my students for prizes in the upcoming school year. I'm thankful that Matt was able to meet with fans and although they couldn't be there with me, J and D were excited that we could add him to our list of favorites on Vincents Go 3 on 3!

Kris Bryant - Chicago Cubs

1) #17 Kris Bryant plays third base for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball.

2) Bryant entered Major League Baseball in 2015 and won National League Rookie of the Year and is a 2x All Star (2015, 2016).

3) In 2016, Kris Bryant took home the National League Most Valuable Player award and was a major part the team that won the first World Series championship for the Chicago Cubs since 1908.

J: What is your favorite fruit or vegetable?

KB: Honestly, I don't eat too much of either. I eat a lot of steak and I love cake. They have everything in the clubhouse. I would say strawberries though for fruit to pick one.

J when talking to Cubs World Series MVP Ben Zobrist in November 2016: When we met Kris Bryant he said he likes cake and steak.

BZ: For fruit? When you asked him that question? That sounds like him. And soda. He drinks soda all the time.

J's Follow Up: This is not what I was thinking he was going to say. I thought he'd say broccoli and raspberries or something like that. But he went with cake and steak and also soda. He's like a top 10 baseball player in the league and he eats that. I think it all tastes good and I eat them too. I like cake a little more than steak but I don't try to eat them that much. 

D's Follow Up: I do like cake and steak but steak to me is better than cake. Cake is good to me too. I like to drink soda sometimes because I like Coca-Cola. My mom and dad say no pop unless we go out to eat. Dad always says water is the best.

Jordan and I met Kris Bryant on May 28th, 2015 at ATI Physical Therapy in Zion, IL. After an afternoon where Jordan visited Bannockburn School to celebrate our school's victory as Illinois' top Play 60 school with a visit from Chicago Bears tight ends Zach Miller and Bear Pascoe, we both decided to head north to Zion to meet the #2 overall draft pick from the 2013 MLB draft and highly touted Cubs rookie. At the time, we were excited to meet the future of the Chicago Cubs but we had no idea that one season later he would be named MVP and lead the Cubs to a World Series title. I saw the event earlier in the morning and we quickly made the drive out to Zion right after school. Luckily, I had one of my Cubs hats in my office and off we went.

The event at ATI was a photo opportunity only but we were thrilled to have access to the future of the Cubs! We waited about 45 minutes to shake hands with Kris and Jordan was excited to help me do healthy eating research for school. The Fuel Up to Play 60 team was recording the healthy foods that players from different Chicago teams ate before a game. We would then host a healthy taste test at school with each player's favorite snack. Of course, we were surprised to hear that Kris opts for steak and cake while he's hanging out in the Wrigley Field clubhouse and we had to throw those two foods out of the mix for our event. Being fans of both foods, we did enjoy his honesty and thought his response was awesome... but at least he did mention strawberries. To this day, we still talk about Kris when we have steak for dinner or when we dive into cake. At the time, Kris was brand new to the major leagues and we are guessing that his diet has changed over the past few seasons. With the importance of strength training and nutrition for high level athletes today, we assume the Cubs might have him cutting back on the cake, soda and the steak. If not, more power to him because he has become one of the brightest young stars in Major League Baseball. 

Ben Zobrist - Chicago Cubs

1) Ben Zobrist is a three-time MLB All-Star and two-time World Series champion and the ultimate utility player for the Chicago Cubs.

2) Zobrist has played 11 major league seasons including stops with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2006-14), Oakland Athletics (2015), Kansas City Royals (2015) and the Chicago Cubs (2016-present).

3) Ben is a native of Eureka, IL and originally attended Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, IL which is also home to Chicago Bears training camp.

J: What's your favorite fruit or vegetable?

BZ: You know, I'm a pineapple and mango guy. Pineapples and mangoes.

J: It's a little weird. We went to meet Kris Bryant and he said that he likes cake and steak! 

BZ: Cake and steak? For fruit? When you asked him that question. (Maybe he heard food?) He said cake and steak, that sounds like him...and soda. He drinks soda all the time.

J: He said if he had to pick one he'd pick strawberries but he pretty much eats steak and cake.

J's Follow Up: I'm not much of a mango dude but I'll eat it every once in a while. But I do like pineapple unlike my brother. Dude I'm always eating cake and steak like Kris. I only drink soda every once in a while but I really like it. 

D's Follow Up: Mangoes are my favorite and I don't like pineapple anymore. I had sour pineapple and that is seriously why I don't like it now. If I ranked all my favorite fruits, mangoes would be number one.

We met the World Series MVP Ben Zobrist on November 12th, 2016 as Ben and the Cubs were fresh off of winning the World Series just ten days earlier. The thrilling game seven (8-7 final score) victory versus the Cleveland Indians was the club's first title in 108 years. The signing took place at Woodfield Mall inside the My Fan Cave store. 

Our family always makes an effort to be early when attending signings with athletes, and it's especially important when meeting with the World Series MVP. On Saturday, November 12th, the boys went to a friend's birthday party and we quickly made our way over to the mall at the end of the party. We arrived with roughly fifteen minutes left in Ben's official signing time but we were told that he was gone and had left the store ten minutes earlier. 

Fortunately for us, Ben was still in the mall and we were escorted to a special security room where the four of us got one on one time with the two-time World Series champ. The boys decided to ask their go-to question as they wanted Ben to name his favorite fruit or vegetable. He quickly replied with pineapple and mangoes, which are favorites of our family too! Danny has recently gone sour on pineapple but you'll still see fresh pineapple and mangoes on our dinner table on a regular basis.

It was an amazing opportunity for our family to talk with Ben Zobrist just 10 short days after being named World Series MVP and winning the World Series with the Chicago Cubs! I can tell you that we were walking on cloud nine after this experience and it's a day we will never forget. Go Cubs Go!

                    

Willson Contreras - Chicago Cubs

1) Willson Contreras #40 is a star catcher for the Chicago Cubs. 

2) Contreras was a rookie for the Cubs in 2016 when they won their first World Series Championship in 108 years. He was called up in June 2016 and became the 30th player in the modern MLB era to hit a home run on the first pitch of his first major-league at-bat. 

3) Willson teamed up with the Special Olympics this season as the 2017 Windy City Rubber Ducky Derby Celebrity Ambassador. You can help support Special Olympics Illinois by adopting a duck here for the big race on August 3rd. 

D: What do you like to do more...hit a home run or throw someone out when they are trying to steal a base?

WC: Throw somebody out when they are stealing. Yes, that's a good one. 

D's Follow Up: I thought Willson would say he likes to hit a home run more. If he hits a home run, his team would get more runs but I also see how he would like to stop the other team from getting runs too. 

J: What's your favorite Chicago food?

WC: Favorite Chicago food is pizza.

J's Follow Up: Pizza is one my favorites too. I thought he would say that because most people like pizza and Chicago is known for it. Lately I like MOD and Blaze pizza even though it's not Chicago style because I can put whatever I want on it.

On Wednesday, July 26th, the boys and I decided to make the trek downtown to meet superstar catcher and one of the top players in Major League Baseball, Willson Contreras. We love to watch Contreras call a game as he works with Cubs pitchers and we also love the home run power he brings to the plate for each at-bat. We believe Contreras has the potential to be an all-star catcher for many years to come. 

Willson Contreras was scheduled to make a special appearance at the Jewel on Division Street to meet with fans and sign Special Olympics duck cookies. Proceeds from the purchase of the cookies will be donated to the Special Olympics of Illinois. 

The boys and I waited for an hour and a half to meet Willson and we agree it was worth every second. With questions in hand, the boys introduced themselves to Willson and he repeated their names back to them and eagerly awaited their questions. First up was Jordan. He's really become a pro at approaching his favorite athletes. He calmly asked Willson what his favorite Chicago food is. Coming from Venezuela, we were unsure what he might choose as his favorite but we know most people love pizza. Like us, Willson loves Chicago's pizza but we wish we would've found out his favorite local spot because we'd be happy to meet him there!

Up next was our favorite seven year old and Kyle Schwarber's #1 fan, Danny Vincent. I thought his question was great and Willson agreed by telling him that after he answered. Would you rather hit a home run or throw a base runner out? One thing that seems to be a constant is players are just as excited to make a defensive stop in their sport as they are to make a big impact on offense. Contreras said he prefers to throw the base runner out if he has to choose between the two. 

In my short co-ed softball career, I understand the rush you get making a big defensive stop when your team needs you to. Most people consider catcher to be the most important position in baseball because of the tremendous responsibilities put on their shoulders. Catchers must know everything about everyone at all times. From knowing every hitter in the lineup, to understanding his pitcher's strengths and also knowing where the defense is lined up, catchers have a ton of information to process. Combine that with being the most physically demanding position, I understand that a catcher would love to help their team out in a major way by making a pinpoint throw to tag out a base runner.

With all that said, I can imagine the rush you would get by hitting a home run over the ivy in Wrigley Field on gorgeous day game in July. That feeling would never get old to me.

We had a fun time meeting a great baseball player and an even better person, Willson Contreras. Thanks to Jewel for hosting such a sweet event and to Willson for taking the time during the Crosstown Classic to meet with fans and raise money for the Special Olympians of Illinois. It was a day we'll never forget.

Frank Thomas - Chicago White Sox, MLB Hall of Fame

1) Frank Thomas is a former first baseman/designated hitter and 2-time American League MVP, 5-time all-star, and 2014 MLB Hall of Fame inductee who played for the Chicago White Sox for 15 seasons. He is widely considered the greatest player in Chicago White Sox history.

2) Thomas is also known as the "The Big Hurt," a nickname given to him because of the damage he inflicted on opposing pitchers and the baseball.

3) A three-sport star in high school, Frank played on the baseball, football, and basketball teams. He earned a scholarship to play football at Auburn University and also played on the baseball team. Ultimately, baseball became his only sport in college and he left Auburn with a school record of 49 home runs.

D: Who is the toughest pitcher you've ever faced?

FT: There's a lot of them. Wow, that's a loaded question! Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, Roger Clemens, Jeff Nelson out of relief. I mean there were a lot of great pitchers back there in my time.

D's Follow Up: I do not know any of those pitchers because I was not alive. They must have been great players if they could get Frank Thomas out.

J: What was the hardest part about playing football and baseball?

FT: You know what, it wasn't hard because I did it my whole life. So when I got to college it was no big deal. It was just like it was when I was growing up. All year long I was playing sports, so it was easy for me. 

J: Why did you choose baseball over football?

FT: Longevity. So I could play a long time. 

J's Follow Up: I play sports all year long too. I can see how it would be easy for him because I'm used to playing soccer, flag football, basketball, and golf. 

I think you could play baseball longer than football because you could get hurt and your career could end. I think Frank Thomas made a good choice because he was really good at baseball and played for a long time. 

We are excited to have our friend and the biggest White Sox fan we know, Chris Rhode, help us out with this blog post. We found out late the night before that "The Big Hurt" would be visiting Buona Beef in Orland Park and taking pictures and meeting with fans. We asked Chris if he would like to provide the questions to ask Frank Thomas and if he would share his take on the answers. Chris was excited to help out and lend his White Sox expertise to the blog. Jordan and Danny were excited to ask Chris' questions and Chris delivered with his take and makes this our best post yet. Thank you, Chris!

Chris Rhode with Frank Thomas at Hawthorn Mall, Vernon Hills

Chris Rhode's Take

The following commentary is from our friend Chris Rhode

On the toughest pitchers Thomas has faced

Frank is a 2 time AL MVP, a career .301 hitter, and the owner of 521 career home runs. He is one of the greatest right handed hitters of all time and made many pitchers uncomfortable on the mound. When Frank shares his opinion on the toughest pitchers to face, everyone should consider his opinion valid. He mentions 3 of the greatest pitchers of all time and a journeyman reliever as his toughest pitchers to face. Jeff Nelson was known for his slider and from a sidearm arm slot, he was tough on right handed hitters like Frank. As a lifelong Sox fan who watched the entirety of Frank's career, Nelson is an interesting name as he wasn't the first guy that came to mind when I tried to guess Frank's answer. However, now that I hear his name in this discussion, I remember many tough at bats for The Big Hurt. Nelson typically pitched in the late innings meaning that his appearances against Frank were usually with the game on the line. Frank hit only .161 off Nelson in his career so the numbers support Frank's memory. The fact that Frank mentions him in the discussion with 3 of the greatest pitchers of all time should tell you everything you need to know about how tough he was on a Hall of Fame hitter like Frank Thomas. Jeff Nelson did end up pitching one season for the White Sox in 2006. It was the first season after Frank left Chicago for Oakland.

Chris and Nikki Rhode at Mark Buehrle Day 6/24/17

On the challenges of playing football and baseball

This doesn't surprise me about natural athletes. In my opinion, the thing that makes baseball a great sport is that you don't need to be a certain size to be good at it. Being a big football player gave Frank an advantage to be able to hit home runs but players smaller than him were able to play just as well. Frank Thomas was and still is a big guy so it should surprise no one that he was an accomplished football player but could also hit a baseball a long ways. He was a tight end so clearly he could move pretty well and he would be a tough guy to tackle in the open field. The thing I always think about when watching any professional sport is that these guys that we watch on TV typically played many sports growing up. The skills they learn from the multitude of sports translate in to all sorts of benefits in other sports. Kids these days get specialized in a sport too early and can get burned out on it. I'm glad to hear Frank speak fondly about being a multi-sport athlete. More kids need to grow up playing many sports and experiencing as much as they can.

On why Thomas chose football over baseball

This is a great answer from Frank. The case study for this issue is the fellow Auburn Tiger Bo Jackson. Bo of course played professional football and baseball and had the skill set to be a Hall of Famer in both sports. That would have been an incredible feat but it wasn't to be after Bo needed a hip replacement after getting hurt playing football. He did come back from the injury and made history as the first man to play professional baseball with an artificial hip but he wasn't the same player after the injury. The injury sustained playing football not only ended his football career but it also shortened his baseball career. As I mentioned, Bo could have been an all time great in 2 sports but instead is the poster child for the "what if" athlete. Frank on the other hand, stuck with baseball and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014.

A big thanks to Chris for chiming in!