Baseball and karaoke? For 34-year-old Chicago Cubs’ Munenori Kawasaki, it’s all about fun and games.
By William Chase
Has there ever quite been a situation like the Chicago Cubs?
Not only are they good enough to compete for the World Series in 2016, but they might just be the most entertaining team in all of baseball.
From manager Joe Maddon‘s boisterous clubhouse culture—snakes, petting zoo’s, disco balls—to the now legend of Munenori Kawasaki, who might have done the best karaoke jaunt, that of Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing.”
Munenori Kawasaki singing “Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing” to the assembled Cubs. pic.twitter.com/K5UXAcc5vr
— Jesse Spector (@jessespector) March 4, 2016
His line of “I have a dream: my dream, speak english” is as epic as his singing.
Through just 262 games played over parts of four seasons with the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays, the 34-year-old Kawasaki has just a .234 lifetime batting average, with one career home run.
But for Kawasaki, he clearly realizes he’s reaching the dream of playing Major League Baseball, not taking anything for granted.
Though he’s not likely to break camp as a member of the Cubs, you still have to root for him; a guy with a great attitude, and really, anyone who sings karaoke in broken english is a must-win for any clubhouse, Joe Maddon or not right?
Teams that thrive on the field, usually get along great off the field as well. Chemistry is a huge factor, and Maddon has always had that zest for fun with his teams.
In an exchange with MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat:
“I hope there’s not monotony here. We just had a really good time a couple minutes ago, and now they’ll get down to business and do their work and take a break and come out and play.”
Seriousness and fun. It goes well sometimes, especially for Maddon and Co.
