David Ross, “My Heart is Drawn to that Dugout”
With the Chicago Cubs offseason officially starting, and the team having one of the most attractive jobs open, there will be a lot of rumors on who could be interested, interviewed, and hired. I have been pretty open about how I feel former Cub, David Ross, would be the perfect fit for this team.
Yes, there are a couple of questions when it comes to Ross and his readiness. The first, he doesn’t have managerial or coaching experience. The next, he has a lot of close ties with several members on the Cubs roster.
To answer the first, guys like Craig Counsell and Aaron Boone are doing just fine in their coaching positions without previous experience. The next, well, I’ll let Rossy answer that.
“I loved my teammates when I played with them; every team that I played for. But I also try to tell guys the truth in love, and so I think the best managers I have had do that exact same thing – they have great conversations, they communicate, they walk that line between authority and leadership and being a friend as well. I think that’s the line you’ve got to kind of walk with players and you never know until you are in that seat.”
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Ross was always able to tell guys the way it was when he played. It is that truthfulness, mixed with a lot of love, that made him a favorite in every clubhouse he walked in. But as far as if he is interested? Yeah, he’s interested.
I think it’s one of the best jobs in baseball,” Ross said on ESPN’s Sunday’s Baseball Tonight. “I’ve got a lot of close ties with those guys. I think the interest would be there. I think my heart is drawn to that dugout a little bit.
“You never know until you sit in the manager’s seat how hard it really is to have those tough conversations with guys,” Ross continued. “I’m kind of an open person; when I was teammates with a lot of these guys I shot them straight.
“I’ve got a lot of thinking to do if this gets presented to me as everyone says will happen. I’m sure waiting for that phone call.”
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So Ross is thinking about it, and he is absolutely looking forward to a phone call. Now, it is likely too early for Theo Epstein or Jed Hoyer to start those calls, but I am certain the conversation if there is one, will be very interesting. Someone else that is expecting a conversation to happen is Cubs third baseman, Kris Bryant.
I’ve always looked at Rossy as a coach when he played here,” Bryant said. “Yeah, it was goofy, it was fun, it was energetic. But when he needed to tell you something, he let you hear it. From the very get-go, I felt like this guy will be a manager some day for sure.”
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There have been rumors about Ross potentially finding his way into the Cubs clubhouse as a manager for over a year now. There had even been some thought to him taking over the role of bench coach this past season until Mark Loretta was hired. But, I think some cooler heads prevailed as the bench coach has a potential successor path to Maddon, and of course, Ross wouldn’t have wanted to be in that position.
One potential reason Ross wouldn’t step in is because of his family life.
Right now, Ross has a pretty sweet gig with ESPN. He has been poking around the Cubs front offices as a special assistant to baseball operations. He also has a ton of time to be home with his family.
That last part is something that Cubs first baseman, Anthony Rizzo wants to discuss with Ross.
If it was Rossy, I’d obviously sit down; I’ve talked to him about it before,” Rizzo said. “He’s in a really good place now at home with his family and what he’s doing and he’s happy. The pros and the cons. I mean, he’s the biggest mentor in this game and other than [Maddon]. Can it work? Yes. But I don’t know what direction we are going in.”
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It isn’t a secret, all baseball believes Ross would be an excellent manager. And while he only spent two seasons in Chicago as a player (he has actually spent the past three as a special assistant) he’s very much beloved here. It sounds as if he reciprocates that feeling.
There are a lot of people that still believe current bench coach, Mark Loretta is the front-runner, and that is likely so. But to deny that there is a strong potential that Ross be interviewed or even a likely candidate would be going against just about every insider’s belief or expectation.
Personally, not only do I think he is a legitimate candidate, I think that if he wants the job, like really wants the job – it is his for the taking.
