MESA, Ariz. — In the weeks and months since Major League Baseball free agency began in November, many Chicago Cubs fans eagerly waited for news that outfielder Cody Bellinger had re-signed with the organization.
Lisa, whose account is @Lisa_L_Dubbs on X (formerly known as Twitter), was among those fans hoping the slugger would return after a stellar bounce-back season after he signed a one-year pillow contract with the Cubs. Little did she know what she thought was an innocuous social media post would make her and “Lisa was right” part of Cubs social media fandom lore.
“Honestly, since Thursday it’s been bananas,” Lisa told the Tribune.
A text that popped up from a group chat with three other longtime girlfriends set everything in motion. Her friend Jen had received a text from her dad, who lives in Arizona where Bellinger also spends his offseason, that he had heard Bellinger got a three-year deal from the Cubs.
Lisa then checked Google, Facebook and X to confirm the news but didn’t see anything. She predominately uses X to follow Cubs news and trade rumors. Lisa texted Jen back, “Are you sure?” to which her friend confirmed the info her dad shared. So, Lisa decided to ask the Obvious Shirts account run by the founder Joe Johnson, whose popular T-shirt company makes custom designs for the team and who is someone she had interacted with occasionally on the site. She figured if anybody knew something, Johnson might have the inside scoop.
I heard that they signed Bellinger just now from a good friend who’s in AZ right now, but can’t find anything online about it. Have you heard anything?
— Lisa (@Lisa_L_Dubbs) February 22, 2024
At 3:02 p.m. Thursday, Lisa replied to an Obvious Shirts post about Cubs baseball returning the next day: “I heard that they signed Bellinger just now from a good friend who’s in AZ right now, but can’t find anything online about it. Have you heard anything?”
She didn’t get a response. And since she’s not on the platform often, Lisa didn’t think much of it — until she went on a walk. Her Apple Watch pinged but she figured it was alerting her to hitting her steps goal so Lisa ignored it. Within minutes, the alerts started blowing up her phone. Johnson had quoted her reply with a message of his own: “WHO IS THIS GOOD FRIEND OF YOURS, LISA!!??”
“I mean, I don’t know what viral necessarily is, but it’s gone viral for me,” said Lisa, who didn’t want to make her full name public. “I would never have asked him if I didn’t trust my source, you know what I mean? I would not have tweeted that. But then I’m starting to think, Oh my God, should I regret my tweet? Because what if he doesn’t sign now? Because social media is either really cool or it’s really cruel.”
Fortunately for Lisa and Cubs fans, it had a happy ending. She happened to be awake when ESPN’s Jeff Passan broke the news early Sunday morning — two and a half days later — that Bellinger agreed to a three-year, $80 million deal with opt-outs after the first two seasons. Passan even gave her a shoutout in a follow-up post saying, “lisa was right.” Obvious Shirts has created a shirt with the line, and all proceeds will go to Cubs Charities.
LISA WAS RIGHT. In partnership with @Lisa_L_Dubbs. Proceeds donated to a foundation TBD. #FlyTheDubbs
Shop: https://t.co/njI6t7EEMf pic.twitter.com/xS7iVpT3fP
— OBVIOUS SHIRTS® (@obvious_shirts) February 25, 2024
Lisa felt relief and excitement that Bellinger is back.
“Every year is playoffs or bust because I’m that hopeful Cubs fan,” said Lisa, who annually attends the home opener at Wrigley Field, estimating she’s attended roughly 20. She plans to be in the stands again this year when the Cubs play the Colorado Rockies on April 1.
The Cubs have already felt the support in camp, with strong crowds watching workouts. Mike and Carrie Molan and their sons Miller, 9, and Merrick, 7, spent Monday watching the team’s morning workout before the Cubs traveled to Surprise where they lost to the Kansas City Royals 6-0. The Molans traveled from Oceanside, Calif., for five days at spring training and had hoped to see Bellinger at camp Monday. Miller and Merrick got to see their favorite players up close — Dansby Swanson and Pete Crow-Armstrong — with Merrick getting his baseball signed by Crow-Armstrong.
“They have so much young talent that needs a little bit more time to develop, but now that they’ve got Belli on a one-, two- or three-year deal, it gives those young guys a chance,” said Mike Molan, a lifelong Cubs fan from Bloomington. “They should be good.”
Sloan Park should be rocking when Bellinger eventually makes his spring debut. The Cubs have already averaged 12,809 fans through two home Cactus League games with attendance expected to grow by the end of the spring slate next month.
“Looking out on the berm and seeing that just packed with people in February, it’s a totally different feeling,” Nico Hoerner said. “We’re so lucky, I love playing here. It’s so just upbeat and makes playing easy and feels purposeful and just so excited to be back out there.”