Cubs' Byrd sports a new look

February, 18, 2012
Feb 18
1:01
PM CT

MESA, Ariz. -- Along with a body that is now 20 pounds lighter, the Cubs’ Marlon Byrd was sporting a significant amount of fresh tattoo ink Saturday.

Marlon ByrdCourtesy of Doug PadillaMarlon Byrd won't have to look far for motivational words this season.

Running the length of Byrd’s right arm is a portion of a Teddy Roosevelt speech called “The Man in the Arena,” which dates back to April 23, 1910 and was given in Paris, France.

The most famous portion of the speech, which is believed to be the text Byrd committed to his arm, is as follows:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

At the very least, we can assume that if Byrd goes down, he will go down fighting.

Doug Padilla

Chicago Cubs beat reporter
Doug joined ESPN Chicago in July 2010 and covers the Chicago Cubs for ESPNChicago.com and ESPN Radio 1000.

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TEAM LEADERS

WINS LEADER
Paul Maholm
WINS ERA SO IP
4 4.35 22 39
OTHER LEADERS
BAB. LaHair .352
HRB. LaHair 10
RBIS. Castro 22
RD. DeJesus 22
OPSB. LaHair 1.158
ERAR. Dempster 1.74
SOJ. Samardzija 45