Hilarious Anthony Rizzo story reminds Cubs fans why we miss him so much

It's been more than three years since the Anthony Rizzo era ended in Wrigleyville, with the Chicago Cubs trading their longtime face of the franchise to the New York Yankees as part of a midseason fire sale led by president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer.

His on-field contributions speak for themselves: a World Series championship, three All-Star selections, four Gold Gloves, one Platinum Glove, a Silver Slugger Award and a Roberto Clemente Award. He was on the field during the dark days of the early 2010s as Theo Epstein and Hoyer rebuilt the organization from top-to-bottom and led the team to that long-awaited title.

But as much as we loved him for all of that, he was just as lovable for his personality, antics and involvement in the community. Who could forget him running around the Wrigley Field outfield with his dog, Kevin? Or what about the Bryzzo Souvenir Company commercials he shot with teammate Kris Bryant?

The point is that he's always had a sense of humor. According to Yankees bullpen coach Mike Harkey, the 35-year-old is playing pranks even with the team two wins short of reaching its first World Series since 2009 - calling the bullpen phone in the fourth inning of every game.

Playing through two fractured fingers, Rizzo is 3-for-8 with a double and a run so far in the ALCS - impressive, given it had been more than two weeks since facing live pitching. New York heads into Thursday's Game 3 matchup with Cleveland up two games to none, needing just a pair of wins to send Rizzo to his second Fall Classic.

Rizzo is showing why he's such a key piece of this team: not only is he delivering for the team come game time, but he's keeping things light as a key veteran presence on this Yankees team.