On Tuesday, the Chicago Cubs placed first baseman Anthony Rizzo on the disabled list due to back tightness that surfaced over the weekend. This stint represents the first of Rizzo's career -- and he's determined to make it the last for a while.
How far is Rizzo willing to go? How about sleeping on the floor the next time the Cubs visit Cincinnati? Here's what Rizzo told ESPN:
Rizzo, who was placed on the 10-day disabled list with back tightness retroactive to Friday, thinks the hotel bed may have played a part in his back issues.
"I think the next time I go [to Cincinnati], I'll sleep on the floor," Rizzo said. "I just have to take care of myself better."
The Cubs don't believe Rizzo's injury is serious. Still, the Cubs first baseman noted he tends to get these kind of pains later in the season, as part of the wear and tear that comes with each year. Cubs manager Joe Maddon, for his part, believes that batters swing too much:
"I still believe guys swing too much," Maddon told reporters Tuesday. "I came here this morning and I'm hearing cracks of the bat down the hallways in the batting cage. I don't think Billy [Williams] did that, I don't think [Ron] Santo did that, I don't think Ernie [Banks] did that. They probably didn't have a batting cage to do that in.
Whether or not Rizzo follows through -- be it sleeping on the floor or taking less batting practice -- the Cubs just hope he's back in the lineup and doing his thing sooner than later.
