After teasing the relaunch of their YouTube channel over the last week, the Cubs dropped nearly 20 new videos Monday morning that serve as a further preview for the 2020 launch of the Marquee Sports Network launch. The behind-the-scenes videos will take you probably half your day to watch (I would know, I did it) and include interviews, highlight reels, player features, DIY craft videos and more.
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While these videos, some of which included presenting sponsors, are likely only a small portion of what Marquee will eventually look like, Cubs Productions has already shown the capability they have in combining access to players and incredibly high production value to create award-winning content — the Cubs’ 14-person team (according to their website) has won several Midwest Emmys.
These efforts seem more indicative of the movement to grow the sport than any major rule changes Rob Manfred wants to make. The videos clearly cater to a younger crowd (see: “Bae vs. Ballplayer”) and aim to forge connections between fans and players through comedy and glimpses into their personal lives.
But as you’ll see watching the videos, not every player is perfectly suited to every situation. Some thrive when asked to improvise, while others might be better off answering questions in a more traditional interview setting, like in “The Breakdown,” a very cool, in-depth feature on David Bote’s infamous walk-off grand slam against the Nationals.
It may take some time to figure out what works best for everyone, but the Cubs are clearly one of the better-positioned teams to utilize their players’ personalities this way. Not to mention that they have plenty of highlights over the past four seasons to trot out for various reels from “The Top 10 Comebacks of the Joe Maddon Era” (including my personal favorite, The Brian Matusz Game) to “Javy Báez’s Magical Slides” to the slightly less thrilling “Anthony Rizzo Fielding Bunts.”
From a player and media perspective, it’ll be interesting to see how much more time these efforts demand from players and coaches, and the ripple effect that may have. But for now, let’s go over some of the best and worst from the Cubs’ relaunched YouTube channel.
One element that seems to cater to young kids is the “Make It Cubs” series, which is basically craft how-to’s. But the two crafts shown — Cubs magnets and a St. Patrick’s Day string art board — don’t look all that kid-friendly. The magnets require glue and a glue gun, which isn’t so terrible, but the string art board requires a bit of woodworking, paint, a hammer and a lot of nails. The Cubs provide a link to a logo template you can print, but no advice for treating your kids’ inevitable flesh wounds. Maybe go back to the drawing board on this one.
For the slightly older crowd, there’s a series of videos where Cubs public address announcer Andrew Belleson interviews former Cubs Rick Sutcliffe, Jody Davis, Kyle Farnsworth and Jon Lieber during Cubs Convention weekend. The videos are a bit long (Ranging from 20-32 minutes!), but I applaud the Cubs for finally putting to work some of the approximately 87 old-timers who show up at the Sheraton Grand Chicago every January. The team can presumably mine even more material from Theo Epstein’s stable of special assistants.
As I mentioned above, not all players are at their best off-the-cuff. Javy Báez is one of the most electrifying players in Major League Baseball, so pairing him with a cute kid and a basket of puppies would seem like a no-brainer. But while Báez often provides a great quote, he seemed a little awkward and uncomfortable answering pretty basic questions from Charlie, a kid who deserves a large payday or at least a nice ice cream cone for his efforts. The puppies, as cute as they are, serve little purpose, and I would’ve much rather watched Báez take Charlie in his Polaris Slingshot than on a scooter ride. No offense to Charlie, but next time find Báez an interviewer who doesn’t have to sit in a car seat.
Kyle Hendricks was an interesting choice for this type of feature. While Joe Maddon’s “Mic’d Up” video was a perfect glimpse of the rambling soliloquies reporters hear during every pre-game media session, Hendricks’ short video was basically just a bunch of awkward laughter and random small talk. Giving him the benefit of the doubt, though, it seems like generally most Cubs’ “Mic’d Up” segments would not be fit to air, and people are just more careful about what they say with the mics on.
As we’ve seen from their “Bryzzo” commercials, Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo have a unique chemistry that just works. Their two videos, “Bae vs. Ballplayer” (essentially a “Newlywed Game” but between Rizzo and Bryant’s wife, Jessica) and “Call to the Bullpen” (where they answer fan advice questions) were the best of the bunch. While “Bae vs. Ballplayer” got a little awkward at times and was a bit long, it’s a fun concept that can be replicated in different ways. Plus, there’s a great moment at about 4:30 in the video where Rizzo and Bryant seamlessly reference “Spongebob Squarepants,” and the theme song is piped in. The Bryzzo advice segment should be a regular thing with real fan questions (perhaps with a different title, since they’re not actually in the Cubs’ bullpen). There’s definitely some potential for late-night Marquee programming here.
Finally, “The Offseason” feature will be one to watch. The first video, featuring Pedro Strop in his Dominican Republic hometown of Palenque, was a great insight into one of the more magnetic personalities on the Cubs, and a cool extension of his Instagram page, which often shows his glistening home with its “Strop 46” logos scattered about. Much like the White Sox did during their prospect trip to the Dominican Republic, where Reynaldo López gave a tour of his childhood haunts, we see where Strop grew up and where he says he’ll spend his post-baseball days. Fans in the United States don’t often get to see these different perspectives that many Latin players have, and it’s an important window into their world.
(Top photo: Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
