Cubs, Eddie Vedder team up in fantastic new MLB ad
If baseball is a business, then business is booming for the Chicago Cubs. The team is not only coming off its first World Series title in over 100 years, but they are the favorites to repeat in 2017.
[Sign up for Yahoo Fantasy Baseball | 2017 Player Rankings]
The Cubs took that metaphor literally last season, launching a humorous commercial in which Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant ran the Bryzzo Souvenir Co. Their mission was to ship their home run balls to clients.
It’s safe to say last season was a success, and that means it’s only reasonable for Bryzzo Souvenir Co. to expand. That’s precisely what happens in this excellent new ad from Major League Baseball. A slew of new hires joins the Bryzzo team, including Pearl Jam lead singer Eddie Vedder.
Look, we’ll be the first to admit it’s easy to get fatigued by all the coverage surrounding the Cubs lately. They were one of the game’s most popular teams when they were losing. Now, the love-fest surrounding them can, at times, border on insufferable.
But that’s just not the case here. This new ad is fantastic. We even think some St. Louis Cardinals fans will begrudgingly agree. The cameos by Ben Zobrist, Kyle Schwarber, Addison Russell and Javier Baez are all well-done, and Rizzo and Bryant can actually act a little bit.
Of course, the two standouts are Vedder and retired catcher David Ross. Everyone knows Vedder is a big-time Cubs fan after the watching the team during the postseason, but it’s still a surprise to see him appear in an MLB ad. Plus, his Bryzzo theme song is pretty funny.
Ross kind of seals the deal at the end, though. Even if you were trying to hate the commercial the whole time, it’s tough not to crack a smile when he shows up.
The ad is part of MLB’s new “This Season on Baseball” campaign. The first commercial in the campaign focused on the storylines and key players heading into the 2017. Between that and this latest effort, we’re impressed. The game is so flush with young talent right now that MLB should be doing everything in its power to push those players. Both of these commercials do exactly that.
For the Cubs, the only issue now is how do they top themselves if the team is able to repeat in 2017? We’re not entirely sure that’s possible, but we’re open to any scenario that might include Arriester Pitching Co.
More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:
– – – – – – –
Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
