David Ross has the itch to manage one day, but will it be with the Cubs?
By John Buhler
David Ross enjoys his role as an ESPN analyst today, but could one day return to the dugout as a big-league manager. Could that be with the Chicago Cubs?
David Ross spent 15 years in the big leagues playing catcher, most notably with the Atlanta Braves, the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago Cubs. He won two World Series in the latter half of his career, one with the Red Sox in 2013 and one with the Cubs in 2016 to end their 108-year championship drought.
Ross also famously finished as runner-up on the 24th season of Dancing with the Stars to former NFL running back Rashad Jennings. Today, Ross is enjoying family life and calling the occasional MLB game for ESPN as a baseball analyst.
“Do I one day have the itch to manage?”, Ross told FanSided’s Mark Carman. “That has definitely crossed my mind, with all the rumors that fly around.” The rumors that Ross is referring to about his former team in the Cubs likely parting ways with his former skipper Joe Maddon at the end of the season.
Though the fit seems obvious, Ross for the record believes that Maddon is the right man to keep leading Chicago’s Senior Circuit team going forward. “I go back to people have no idea what Joe Maddon has brought to the team, what he has done, his résumé.” Maddon has won everywhere, taking the Tampa Bay Rays to new heights before he took over the Cubs in 2015.
Overall, Ross finds the thought of him managing a team one day flattering. “It’s a huge honor…People think that you’re the best guy to run an organization.” Ross may have the pedigree to be a future MLB skipper, as former catchers seem to have the best pathway to managerial success when compared to the other players scattered across the diamond.
While he is enjoying his pretty sweet gig with ESPN calling roughly 50 games a year, he thinks it’s “one of those things that it’s gonna have to be the right opportunity to come back.” If a team does offer him the opportunity to manage a club he once played for, it would be very hard to turn down.
“I’ll tell you, my heart definitely itches to get into the dugout at times and to be part of something special that I’ve been a part of before, so there’s a push/pull for sure. It’s gonna have to be a unique opportunity to pull me away from my family and the sacrifices you make to be in the major leagues.”
“I’ll tell you, my heart definitely itches to get into the dugout at times and to be part of something special…It’s gonna have to be a unique opportunity to pull me away from my family and the sacrifices you make to be in the major leagues.”
Ross would later add, “I don’t do things halfway, I go all-in.” This is the type of thing you would hope for any former player before getting right back into the grind that is Major League Baseball.
If his heart isn’t in it and his mind isn’t completely made up, then Ross should stay in the ESPN booth, call ball games and be associated with the Cubs organization in any capacity that feels right for him.
Ross did mention that being able to do this cool event in Chicago on behalf of Huggies and Walgreens for Cradles to Crayons is such a great part of his life now in his post-playing career.
One thing is certain regarding Ross, it will have to take an incredible opportunity for him to become a big-league skipper. His family is important, but he does have the urge to get back into the dugout. Maybe one day soon that will be the case? We’ll just have to wait and see what the future holds for Ross and his love for the game of baseball.
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On Sept. 18, Ross will be in Chicago to help donate 250,000 diapers to local charity Cradles to Crayons. This is part of a national initiative where Huggies and Walgreens will donate two million diapers and 250,000 wipes to the National Diaper Bank Network.
Ross spoke with FanSided on behalf of Huggies and Walgreens.