Read It And Weep (Anthony Rizzo)

Twenty One~ Defend Her Name

Anthony

We were in Minnesota to take on the Twins in a little inter league play. It was just two games here then they'll come to Chicago for two games and that was about it for a while. It's always different for us to be playing American League teams. Here we have a designated hitter and that allows us to use pitching a bit differently. I started in Boston so the system wasn't a stranger to me, just didn't put it to much use in my short time there.

But we still prepare the same with pregame meals and going over the line up card. We go over defensive positions and signage before going out for the media portion of our day.

Media hasn't been all that bad with how good the team has been. Of course we go through our ups and downs in the season and people want answers. And I try my best to give the answers I can. The team sees me as a leader so I usually handle answering the questions so they don't have to. And that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make.

So I take my seat in the dugout and the media swarms me. I got thrown out here to take most of the heat and I don't mind. We had a lot of young guys in there who are trying and I don't want them to get lost in all of this. So I take on the responsibility and do my best to answer the questions.

"Hey, I wonder where Hannah Anderson is at" a Twins reporter asks and I raise a eyebrow. I look around and notice she wasn't here yet so I wasn't going to start until she was here.

"Yeah. This scrum looks a lot better with her around" another adds on.

"Ain't that the truth. I've never seen someone in journalism with such a sexy body" the first guy says.

"Makes up for the fact she's such a bitch" the other guy says and I just about had it.

I clinch my fist as I try to control myself. I don't know why this made me so upset, I did the same thing when I first met her. But for some reason I was ready to beat these two until they learned some respect.

"If I looked that good I could be a bitch too" the one snickers.

"Honestly wouldn't even care what came out of her mouth. Just what goes in it" the other winks.

I stand up out of my seat as I put my foot down. "Excuse me, but Hannah is a beloved part of this team and she is one hell of a reporter. So if you guys could stop talking this mess and get on with asking some relevant questions that would be greatly appreciated" I bark.

The whole place falls silent as I stare the guys down. They stare back at me as they shift in their spots. "I'm sorry Anthony" the first guy whispers.

"I'm not the one you need to be apologizing to. You need to more than apologize and change how you think. Because you might see her as eye candy but everyone around here knows that she brings to this team something no other sports team has. And we're lucky to have her with us and share her knowledge of this game despite what you guys think" I argue.

"We will, I promise" the other guy says.

I sit back in my seat and the silence surrounds us. I see Hannah peak her head into the scrum and I wonder how much of that she heard. I know she doesn't want me protecting her and doing things for her, but she wasn't here to defend herself. Someone had to.

We get on with the interviews and conclude them pretty quickly. Everyone leaves but Hannah stays back with me. She just stands there as she looks up at me.

"Thank you" is all she says and I smile a little.

"How much of that did you hear" I wonder.

"Most of it. And what I missed Paul caught me up on. He was recording the whole time" she explains.

She sits down next to me on the bench as I let out a long sigh. "Are you mad at me" I wonder.

"No Anthony, I'm not" she claims.

I turn to look at her as she stares back at me. "Then how are you feeling" I ask.

"I'm very thankful that I have a friend like you who would stick up for me. You could have acted like you couldn't hear what they are saying or laughed along. That's what most of the guys do.

You're the first guy to actually stand up for me. Maybe most guys think I can stand up for myself, but I can't do that if I wasn't here for it. And I'm lucky I have someone like you who defends me when no one else is around to do so" she claims.

"I hated what they were saying. It was awful. You work so hard to be where you are. You endure so much shit from guys like that, like the guy I used to be. And I don't think it's ever going to change" I sigh.

"Maybe not in this lifetime. But maybe we can make a better world for the people who believe that the future is one they want to live in. Give them hope that not only can we coexist, but live together beside one another raising each other up instead of pushing each other down. We can grow a lot taller together than we can by ourselves. And hopefully we can show the world that some day" she explains.

I just smile at her as she pours her heart out. I know that's not easy for her but she's finally opening up. And I appreciate that she trusts me enough to be the person she opens up to. "I'm sorry this happened" I insist.

"I am too. I just hope they realize that what we say when people aren't around make us who we are. And that makes them no good womanizing uneducated ass holes" she insists.

I chuckle at her creative use for words. "You're going to be good, right" I ask.

"I'm a strong girl. I think I'll be fine" she assures me. "And again, thank you Anthony. I appreciate how much you care for me and even though I hate how insistent you are to be in my life... I'm happy you are" she smiles.