The Rundown: Maddon Preaches Humility, Russell Embraces the Stardom, Heyward Goes Yard

I’m not sure how strength coach Tim Buss preening around in a plaid sportcoat and gold chains illustrates humility, but I know better than to expect Joe Maddon to make a great deal of sense.

“The overarching theme is humility,” Maddon explained Monday from Sloan Park. “On a daily basis, (Buss) is able to pull something off to make the guys laugh. It’s beautiful. It’s a big part of what we do.”

Maybe it’s about just being willing to goof around and not taking themselves too seriously, which has always been a part of Maddon’s Cubs. And that’s why it’s hard to imagine any of these guys getting too caught up in the hype of the World Series and deviating from the plan.

“A lot of these guys have it built into their system, from the families they grew up in,” Ben Zobrist said. “It’s just natural.”

Speaking of families they grew up in, you need to get on our interview series with Mike Bryant. The MVP’s father talks about how he and Kris have worked together to make adjustments to a swing that has garnered awards at every level of the game. The next goal: trying to improve his ability to…maybe you should just go check it out (the changes for this season are in Part 3).

From the looks of it, Anthony Rizzo has been working with the Bryants to improve his own game. How’s that for humility?

Russell wants to be a superstar

“Ever since I was a little kid,” Addison Russell told reporters Monday. “I always wanted to be on the big screen.”

“The opportunities are coming, which is great. It’s a whole new playing field. I’m glad that I’m getting to see a different side of baseball, where I can actually find a couple talents off the baseball field. It’s all interesting stuff.”

Russell’s been working on securing some national endorsements, among them Pepsi and Audi, as Patrick Mooney reports. Quite a rush for a laid-back guy who now finds himself swimming in the wake of the biggest story in America sports in the last few decades.

“This whole fame thing is really new to me,” Russell admitted. “Walking everywhere, people want autographs and stuff. Different airports, different cities, it’s very humbling. It’s a great blessing. I’m just a small-town guy, so it hit me pretty hard.”

Things aren’t going to get any calmer if Russell breaks out like I think he can this season. Okay, I didn’t write that linked piece, but it reinforces my belief that the shortstop is primed for a big offensive season.

J-Hey took Lackey yard

It was only BP and you can’t see the ball land, but you’ll just have to believe me when I tell this was a home run.

See more video from yesterday’s workouts in our Daily Cubs Clip Fix. And don’t be surprised if the Cubs file a missing person’s report on their right fielder this morning.

More news and notes

• Not much on the interesting-transaction front, so I’ll just remind you not to steal other people’s intellectual property
• Seriously, it’s very easy to just give credit
• Also, baseball lifestyle social media accounts are mostly trash