You didn’t see Anthony Rizzo twerking on “Saturday Night Live” this offseason. You didn’t see Kris Bryant gabbing with Ellen DeGeneres and Jimmy Kimmel. No Cubs players rode around in a Disney World parade.

By the time the Los Angeles Dodgers eliminated the defending champs from the National League Championship Series, Bryant felt completely drained, physically tired and mentally exhausted from carrying the load of the reigning MVP. After playing in 472 games plus eight playoff rounds within three years, Rizzo couldn’t find the right “Rocky” music for inspiration, going 1-for-17 with eight strikeouts against the Dodgers. The Cubs needed a detox from being the Cubs.

Looking back, the Cubs can now admit how much they coasted into the All-Star break with a 43-45 record, forced president of baseball operations Theo Epstein to think about selling at the trade deadline and still needed a team meeting in the middle of September to refocus.

“Energy” and “enthusiasm” already sound like the buzzwords for manager Joe Maddon when pitchers and catchers report to spring training next month. As surreal as it must have been to have total strangers constantly thanking you, corporations throwing around endorsement money and reaching an entirely new level of celebrity, the 2018 Cubs should have a little more edge, fewer distractions and something to prove.

“It was different,” Rizzo said. “We’re playing a big weekend series in April in Boston and everyone’s writing about the playoff picture, potential World Series. The vibe, it’s just different. Those games didn’t mean as much to us, because we just came off that crazy high we were on.

“The whole first half, it showed how good we were, to be honest, because – you guys know – we were kind of in cruise control.”

There was skinny Kyle Schwarber walking through Studio Paris on Thursday night before Rizzo’s “Laugh-off for Cancer” charity event, his body completely transformed from an offseason conditioning program. There was Addison Russell, the All-Star shortstop who looked lost at times during a season marked by injuries and off-the-field turmoil. There was David Ross, because Grandpa Rossy seems to be everywhere, from this River North nightclub to ESPN to “Dancing with the Stars” to his book that’s supposed to be made into a movie.

“It’s not easy coming off that type of season,” Rizzo said. “We knew it was going to be hard. We fought through it every day. It’s not like you have one individual not trying or just going through the motions. It was just different. It’s something you really can’t explain. We came together, like we always do, and we put our best foot forward. We were on ‘E’ there for a while.”

The Cubs were running out of gas after surviving an unbelievable elimination game against the Washington Nationals and hit empty by mid-October. Rizzo has purposely kept a low profile this winter, appearing at the World Series only to pick up his Roberto Clemente Award for his charity work. He didn’t try to re-recruit Jake Arrieta, knowing how relentless Epstein’s front office can be, and the only time he went viral was when he posted a black-tie photo with his fiancee at a friend’s wedding: “I got fake married.”

“I’ve been pretty much off the grid,” Rizzo said. “How is J.D. Martinez not signed? (Yu) Darvish? Jake? But it’s the process and they’re going through it. I’m sure teams are trying to get them to bring their prices down. And they’re not worth those prices, so they’re holding out. There’s a lot of good talent out there that’s going to be signed here probably in the next couple weeks.”

If the Cubs sign Darvish, then spring training will have more of a circus atmosphere again. But when Cubs Convention opens on Friday night at the Sheraton Grand Chicago, it won’t be about Theo-palooza or Maddon’s shot-and-a-beer welcome to town or the frenzied anticipation after a surprising 2015 playoff run or last year’s delirious World Series celebration. “60 Minutes” won’t be filming for a future segment. It’s back to business for what should be a very hungry team.

“We fell short last year,” Rizzo said. “We want to get back to the top.”

(Top photo: Shanna Lockwood/USA TODAY Sports)