Sept. 23--The Cubs soon could be celebrating a wild card berth. But they've been celebrating all season long -- and often in a most peculiar way.
Helmet rub
Cubs player gets a hit. Player stands on base, looks to the dugout and then rubs his batting helmet with both hands. Infielder Jonathan Herrera, the apparent trendsetter, claims he was inspired by Starlin Castro, who once rubbed his head vigorously when something funny happened. A short while later when Herrera got on base, he did it -- and now everybody does it. Even Jon Lester. (Starlin Castro has recently added a prelude to the rub: After he gets on base and before the rub, he waves his arms to the left, then the right, then to the left again. But that routine has yet to become a trend.)
Disco after-party
In April, after a win over the Padres, players entering the clubhouse were greeted to a light show with club music blaring, a smoke machine blasting and a disco ball spinning overhead. "We just have a good time," Anthony Rizzo said. "We just get the lights going, and whoever is the pitcher that day gets to pick the music and we all just dance around and act like idiots for a few minutes."
Sunflower seed shower
After Kris Bryant hit a homer in the fifth inning of a game against the Diamondbacks on Sept. 6, a teammate doused him with sunflower seeds in the dugout, a celebration that took root last season and one that is certainly more practical than a Gatorade bath and much safer than a jumping chest bump. Jorge Soler got the same seed shower Monday night after his three-run homer against the Brewers. (After Jake Arrieta's 20th victory Tuesday night, he was doused with water and Gatorade but, alas, no seeds.)
