March 04--Infielder Munenori Kawasaki is considered a long shot to make the Chicago Cubs' opening day roster, but he's already brought a season full of laughs to his teammates in spring training.
The latest example was Friday morning when Kawasaki sang in front of his teammates.
Kawasaki didn't disappoint as he sang "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing" by Aerosmith to his teammates, who were sporting three different headbands that read "Must Win," "Fighting Spirit," and "No. 1."
"He can sing," center fielder Dexter Fowler said.
Kawasaki received applause from his teammates before they performed drills to songs "Kung Fu Fighting" and "Turning Japanese."
Maddon said the karaoke act has been in the works for a few days.
"We're having a pretty good time right now," Maddon said. "Political correctness has been at an all-time high the past couple decades. We're not trying to hurt anybody. It was all in fun. It was a blast, and everyone can appreciate the humor."
Kawasaki admitted he was nervous at first.
"But afterward, I was very happy. Because everyone was happy, Kawa is happy," Kawasaki said. "Everyone smiled, Kawa smiled."
Maddon hopes stunts like these prevent monotony with slightly less than four weeks left in spring training.
"I hope there's no monotony," Maddon said. "I really abhor monotony, so why would you ever want to just come out on a daily basis and grind it out in the Arizona heat, in the relentless sun doing the same things every day and hope to get the best out of your group? I don't get that. I don't understand that."
When asked if he would perform again in front of his teammates, Kawasaki deadpanned, "No mas."
Kawasaki has made a favorable impression on his teammates, including Kris Bryant.
"That guy is hilarious," Bryant said. "What's so cool about him is he really tries to learn things. You say words to him, and he tries to repeat it. He says, 'keep saying it. I want to learn.'
"He's definitely one of my favorites so far."
