April 01--Anthony Rizzo tracks a pop-up into his glove just as he's about to cross into the "World Series" logo painted along the first-base line at Wrigley Field.
It's only animation, not the reality Cubs fans hope to see in October, but digital Rizzo's star turn in an ad for "MLB The Show 16" plays on championship expectations that aren't just dreamed up.
"People like to talk about the past," the ad's narrator says, referring to the team's 108-year World Series drought. "Then again, people like to talk about a lot of things." The game hit stores this week.
Rizzo tweeted Friday, "Keep talkin'! Too busy w/ #TheShow16 to worry ;) #ad."
The Cubs first baseman has been heavily involved with the making and promotion of this year's version of the game. He told gameinformer.com that he gave Sony feedback on his player model. "It's so realistic that it's kind of scary to me. I was just playing the game here and I saw I had sunglasses on. I told Sony I don't wear sunglasses so they are going to fix that."
Rizzo went head-to-head with Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer late last month in a video-game showdown livestreamed by IGN and PlayStation, which Hosmer won.
Rizzo is rated 92 in the game, fourth highest at his position. He told FranchisePlay's Brian Mazique that he's fine with the ranking, but it motivates him to do work on the field to improve his game rating.
"I used to be a big gamer when I was younger -- younger as in five or six years ago," Rizzo laughs.
plthompson@tribpub.com
