Chicago Cubs: Good guy Anthony Rizzo lends a helping hand

Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo yet again stepped up in the community, lending his support to a victim of a brutal beating recently.

Time and time again, Anthony Rizzo has taken on a leadership role in the Chicagoland area.

Women fawn over him; and it’s not just for his exploits on the diamond. It’s because he may genuinely be the most caring individual in the entire world.

Really, the entire world. Definitely in Chicago. Probably the whole Midwest. And there are a lot of incredibly thoughtful Midwesterners out there, folks.

In early February, Henry Sembdner, a 12-year-old from South Elgin, Ill., was beaten by a classmate. He soon fell into a coma from the injuries he sustained.

Chicagoland news outlets picked up the story and Rizzo caught wind of it. All he did, as he told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, was send a tweet out showing his support for Henry.

He followed that up with another tweet, clearly hoping to spread the support for Henry throughout the area.

The next day, Rizzo delivered. Rosenthal did a great job recapping the countless tweets Rizzo sent out over the course of the day, so check out his excellent piece here.

“If you can just make him smile for a second, it can go a long way,” Rizzo said. “Obviously it gained a lot of steam. But that wasn’t the intent.”

“It wasn’t the intent.”

With so many professional athletes, you’d laugh it off as a public relations stunt. Sure, he wants to make a good impression on fans and make headway with the fanbase and city. Within a week, the media – and the athlete – would move on to a new story.

But he didn’t.

He continues to show his support for Henry and the entire Sembdner family, promising to bring them all to Wrigley Field this season for a behind-the-scenes Chicago Cubs’ experience. And, that’s not all.

Shaving for a cause – Respect Bald

Rizzo will take part in the team’s annual Respect Bald event in Mesa next week. Below, he can be seen at last year’s event shaving his head for childhood cancer research alongside Kyle Schwarber, Albert Almora and Joe Maddon.

With a leader like Anthony Rizzo in the clubhouse, it makes sense to think about the reputation this team has. Thanks to his efforts, along with those of his teammates, he’s touched the lives of countless fans – young and old.

Doing something like shaving your head is simple. But caring enough to walk the walk every single day and genuinely want to impact the lives of the people around you – that’s rare.

Anthony Rizzo is rare.

He sets an example for all of us in how he lives his life. He’s overcome some terrible challenges in his life, but emerged stronger and more hopeful than ever. Furthermore, he gives that hope to everyone around him.

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To people like Rizzo, there’s no such thing as publicity stunts. He’s a good guy. He’s our good guy Rizzo.

For more information regarding Rizzo’s charitable organization, the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation, you can visit its website here.