June 06--Jake "Snake" Arrieta peeled a cap off his head and turned his attention to John "Lack" Lackey.
Both men were wearing matching Cubs blue track suits, complete with jackets and pants, as the team prepared to board a bus for the airport for what manager Joe "Joey" Maddon dubbed the "'Jon Lester Tribute to the NBA Finals Road Trip.'"
"We look like a Division III basketball team," Arrieta said.
"No scholarship players," Lackey cracked.
The team's zany suit trip but a memory, the Cubs left for Philadelphia on Sunday night out to make new ones while decked out in Jon "Left Hander" Lester's idea of a theme trip.
Nicknames and numbers were sewn onto the back of each suit. Each player had a pair of gray tennis shoes to go with the suits.
"They're comfortable," Trevor Cahill said of the outfit. "I just tried them on. I'll wear 'em wherever."
Cahill's jacket sported just his first name. Matt Szczur's (SZCZ-URRRRR, for the record) poked some fun at the backup's last name, which is pronounced like Caesar.
Catcher David "Rossy" Ross suggested the Cubs looked like "America's Team," if America's team is the Harlem Globetrotters.
Maddon said the fun of coming to the ballpark -- and leaving it -- shouldn't be overlooked.
"I want them to be 12 (years old)," Maddon said. "I want them to feel like they're on the best team in Little League, go out after the game and get some pizza and ice cream. That's great. That's part of what we're wearing today.
"I know it's a business; I know there's a lot of money. But it's a game. So play it like one."
Maddon said Lester came up with the idea and consulted with trainer Tim Buss, who, among other things, was responsible for bringing a mime in to lead stretches during spring training.
Maddon, known for his catchy "Try not to suck" and "Embrace the target" T-shirts, also created the "If you look hot, wear it" culture (and T-shirts).
"That's the 12-year-old in me too. I hope I never grow up," he said. "Too many times people consider this more of a life-and-death moment, and it's not. ... I know I've pretty much done well when I've had a good time doing what I'm doing."
pskrbina@tribpub.com
