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Addison Russell is a lucky man.
Months of therapy, reflection and support from his family, friends and employer have helped save Russell's career, which opened a new chapter Wednesday night at Wrigley Field, when he returned to the Cubs' formation after being suspended for 40 games for violating the National Major League Baseball Violence Policy.
Speaking to Cubs dugout journalists before the game, Russell seemed much more relaxed than he was at the press conference of his spring training, when his discussion topics seemed well recorded and that he seemed overwhelmed by the light of the media.
On Wednesday, Russell had returned to his original state – or at least the confident player, with the quick smile and easy-going temper we all thought we knew – saying that he had done a lot of "thinking" over the years. last months.
"I'm just trying to get the message across, I want to do it," Russell said. "I can only tell the truth and say it as I can say. I think that with the Chicago media, I've also become a little more comfortable with reporters, so familiar faces make my job a little easier. But overall, I think my behavior has calmed down. I'm ready to slow things down a bit. "
Many Cubs fans booed Russell when he came to the plate in the third inning, and they booed again after he was out. It continued as the night continued while Russell finished 0-to-3 with a walk.
No surprise. It will probably be like this for a while in Wrigley.
But little by little, the boos will run out, especially if Russell plays on the field and does not fear trouble. Aroldis Chapman arrived in Chicago in the summer of 2016 with a lot of luggage after his own suspension for domestic violence. Remember how some fans have said that they could no longer fight for Cubs after Chapman trade?
But once Chapman started throwing three-digit fast balls and dominating in the ninth inning, his past mistakes were no longer relevant to the average Cubs fan. He helped them organize a World Series parade and that was all that mattered to some.
Russell is one step ahead of Chapman because he was a beloved player in Chicago before last year's allegations of his ex-wife, Melisa Reidy. Everyone knew that Chapman was only a mercenary brought to win a championship and that he would soon be gone, what he was.
"I hope Addison will continue to grow," said Cubs president, Theo Epstein, before Wednesday's game. "That's what it's about. And he should expect to face adversity en route. He does not deserve to receive a warm and unconditional welcome and with open arms. I think he will receive an appropriate response, and that is something he has to take responsibility for, to deal with, to manage in the right way and to evolve.
"I think he knows that gaining people's trust is a long way – whether it's the organization, especially the people in his day-to-day life, his team-mates and fans, it's not something you get back. It's something he won.
Russell owes a huge debt to Epstein and Cub president Tom Ricketts, who could have easily dismissed him as the Chiefs did with attacking midfielder Kareem Hunt in December after posting a video stabbing and hitting him a woman. Russell admitted that the possibility of not being able to return to the Cubs "was one of the many thoughts that crossed his mind.
"But being the positive person I am, I've always thought of the lighter side of things," he said. "And I'm happy to have this second opportunity."
Russell said he was "determined" to show that he was better, and the Cubs said Russell had changed. But none of us really know it.
"I do not think it's a binary thing where there's a time when someone is rehabilitated," Epstein said. "That's not how it works. It's a lifelong process, to continue to grow and to change behaviors and habits.
"I do not want to violate the confidences, but at times I felt that real progress had been made, which were important moments in Addison's life that may not have happened. without the second conditional chance. "
Off-the-field issues continue to haunt the Cubs, from Russell's suspension to Joe Ricketts' racist and Islamophobic e-mails leaked to anonymous charges, to threats of retribution to a member of the media who criticized Russell's treatment .
While the baseball operations department was addressing Russell's situation on Wednesday, the commercial operations department was investigating a Tuesday night incident in which a fan would have made a white supremacist hand gesture during the television broadcast of Doug Glanville, a journalist. for NBC Sports Chicago.
"Really disgusting," said Epstein. "It gave me shivers to watch that, it happens at Wrigley Field. … We have clearly shown how blatant and unacceptable this behavior is, and it has no place in our society, in baseball, and certainly not in Wrigley Field. And the person responsible for this gesture will never be welcomed at Wrigley Field. "
Crane Kenney, president of the commercial operations, subsequently issued a statement claiming that the Cubs had sent a letter to the fan informing him that he would be "liable to violation of the criminal property" s & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; He was trying to get into Wrigley.
Kyle Schwarber was one of the people shocked by the incident, calling for a lifetime ban and saying, "It's really not normal. We do not need that.
Jason Heyward did not seem so surprised that his reaction.
"I've been black all my life," he said.
Twitter @PWSullivan
A Cubs supporter who made an alleged racist gesture: "He will not be allowed to stay indefinitely on the Wrigley Field"
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