Kris Bryant talks Taylor Swift, Sandlot and Cubs World Series
Extra Mustard recently had a chat with Cubs rookie sensation Kris Bryant who has been tearing up the major leagues since he was called up early this season, and recently joined up for a mutli-year memorabilia deal with online sports retailer Fanatics.
The third baseman says he and Fanatics linked up because he felt the company best represented both his and fans’ interests.
“As a player, you want to make sure that you're with the best of the best,” Bryant explained “And you want to make sure your stuff is taken care of. I think they're the best ones out there.”
To learn a little bit more about the first-year phenom, we gave Bryant a chance to fill in the blanks on some things fans may not know.
Andy Gray: The toughest pitcher you've faced so far would be...?
Kris Bryant: Chris Sale.
AG: The funniest guy you've talked to on first base after you've gotten a hit has been...?
KB: Funniest? Let me think here. Joey Votto was a good one. I don't remember laughing too much, but I just remember talking to him nonstop. Pedro Alvarez is another one who's really cool, too. I guess that's their job, to be cool, as a first baseman. You get so many guys at first base.
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AG: The ballpark with the funniest or most entertaining fans has been...?
KB: Man, that's tough. Cincinnati, maybe? We were there earlier in the year, and it was pretty crazy.
AG: How were they when you were there for the All-Star break?
KB: Oh, they were loud, they were great, especially for Frazier. But, I guess anybody in the division has pretty crazy fans. The Cardinals are good, too.
AG: Your favorite athlete who doesn't play baseball?
KB: Let's see. I'm not really a football guy, so I can't really say a football player. I kind of change it up all the time. I've been watching a lot of golf right now, so Jordan Spieth is pretty fun to watch.
AG: Have you had a chance to meet any athletes where you were like, "Oh my god, I can't believe I'm meeting this person?"
KB: Well, obviously, this last weekend at the All-Star game, there's a lot of guys. Ken GriffeyJr. was there, it was pretty cool, and just meeting a lot of the other guys in the clubhouse, that was a lot of fun. Albert Pujols. But nobody really outside of baseball that I can remember.
AG: What's your favorite place to eat in Chicago?
KB: Any of the RPM restaurants; RPM Steak or RPM Italian.
AG: Is there a TV show you want to binge-watch but haven't had time to yet?
KB: Actually, I'm in the middle of one. I'm watching Prison Break right now, so, yeah, that's a great show.
AG: Yeah, that one doesn't really get a lot of credit.
KB: No it doesn't. And it's very entertaining.
AG: What is your favorite meal in the entire world?
KB: A steak, filet mignon.
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AG: Do you have a song on your iPod or iPhone that you're embarrassed about?
KB: I don't know. I'm not really embarrassed about it, but maybe Taylor Swift? I've got a lot of her songs. She's pretty good.
AG: If you could only see one movie on repeat for the rest of your life, what would it be?
KB: Elf. I can watch that anytime of the year, even though it's a Christmas movie.
AG: On the team plane, what would you say you spend most of your time doing? I feel like no fans really know what goes on on those planes. Maybe that's a good thing.
KB: I don't know, I watch a lot of the movies because they're free movies, and they're just streaming nonstop, so I'm probably watching a movie.
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AG: Do you have a favorite baseball movie?
KB: Sandlot.
AG: So, I know your past year has probably been a crazy whirlwind, but is there something that you're just really looking forward to doing in the offseason, whether it's just sitting on the couch for a week and doing nothing or going to Bermuda or anything crazy like that?
KB: I think you nailed it—sitting on the couch doing nothing for, I don't know, a week or so. But I look forward to playing a lot of golf, hanging out with family and just taking my mind off of baseball a little bit.
AG: So, growing up in Vegas, obviously, you probably you were exposed to a lot. Would you say now that you're a pro baseball player you're still seeing things where you're like, "Oh my god, I can't believe that just happened" or have you kind of seen it all? And by that, I mean, it's girls hitting on you or fans acting crazy for a ball, whatever it might be.
KB: Yeah, I mean, usually during the games, the fans go crazy for a foul ball. Somebody's hitting line drives into the stands, and they're sticking their hands in front of it. I mean, that's something that's pretty crazy. But, I don't know, I feel like I've seen a lot of it, haven't really been surprised by anything.
AG: You were buddies with Bryce Harper growing up. Is there anything you could say about him that might surprise people, whether he's very sensitive with girls, or whatever it might be?
KB: I haven't really had the chance to hang out with him since I got to college. But this last All-Star couple of days were good to hang out with him and catch-up a little bit, but I don't know if he'd want me saying anything that people don't know about him.
AG: If you could describe Joe Maddon in three words, what do you think they would be?
KB: Different. I think that's a good one; he does a lot of things in the clubhouse, bringing in a magician, zoo animals, that kind of thing. He's fun. He's fun to play for, he knows what he's talking about, so I'd say he's intelligent, too.
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AG: Obviously, you know all about Chicago and their history and all of that fun stuff, but have you really thought about what would happen if you guys were able to win? Is that something you talk about ever? Like, "Oh my god, this city will go crazy, we'll never have to buy a drink again?" Or do you just sort of play every day?
KB: I mean, we kind of mention it in passing. I mean, it's not something we really talk about, but we've definitely said, "This city is going to burn down when we finally win a championship," and seeing the Blackhawks parade and how passionate those fans are, I can't even imagine when the Cubs do it. We're definitely looking forward to that and working to it, and I think we've got a good shot here.
