South Florida

Chicago Cubs' Anthony Rizzo's World Series Dreams Began in South Florida

A piece of the Chicago Cubs' World Series win will always belong to South Florida.

That's because the first baseman who helped make history last night hails from our own back yard.

From Parkland's little leagues to the professional big leagues, Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo honed his skills right here, where Elliot Bonner used to coach him on Douglas High's baseball diamond.

"Just a great kid, always laughing having fun," Coach Bonner said Thursday.

In Game 7's nail-biting bottom of the 10th, Rizzo caught the final out of the World Series, tucking the ball and history into his back pocket.

Douglas's younger generation is not only talking about it, they're dreaming about it too.

"Anything's possible and if you work hard enough you can be where he was," 10th grader Andrew Jenner said.

Rizzo dreamed about this moment himself at their age. There's even a 2007 baseball yearbook to back it up. Among his list of goals is to win the MLB World Series.

"Sometimes you have to dream for it to come true," Bonner said.

Rizzo is still dedicated to Douglas High. He comes back and works out with the guys every year.

Rizzo was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in 2007 and then found out he had Hodgkins Lymphoma. He beat the cancer and returned to baseball. His family hosts an annual walk for cancer fundraising in Broward.

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