Bill Murray’s outside-the-juice-box plan to keep core intact originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
As complicated as the high-finance business of sports can sound when it comes to player contracts, maybe it doesn’t have to be so complicated.
Bill Murray, the longtime Cubs fan and occasional actor/comedian, spent time examining the dilemma the Cubs face in trying to extend championship-core players Kris Bryant, Javy Báez and Anthony Rizzo, and hatched a plan for bringing all three back.
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"This is going to be kind of controversial in these difficult political times," said Murray after conducting a rousing seventh-inning stretch Friday for the Cubs’ biggest crowd of the year.
"But I’m going to suggest that the children of Chicago begin something like a March of Dimes and contribute individually lemonade money," Murray added, unveiling his plan for NBC Sports Chicago. "You can’t expect Tom Ricketts to pay for everything, and they’ve got to be prudent with the way they run their business.
"If the children of the city could begin giving up their allowance in the name of keeping this Cub team together after we win the championship this year, I think they’d feel really good about it the rest of their lives," added Murray, who was a ballpark fixture during the Cubs’ 2016 playoff season and celebrated in the clubhouse after winning Game 7 in Cleveland.
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And how much lemonade for El Mago would Murray buy?
"I’m thirsty as heck right now," said Murray, who then headed out, presumably to find the nearest lemonade stand.
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