10 Best Moments Of David Ross' Cubs Career

It's crazy to think that David Ross only played two seasons as a Chicago Cub. I remember when they signed him I was still riding my 'Jon Lester' high but I knew that Rossy would be a great fit in the city of Chicago. I didn't really expect much from him at the plate because I was still under the assumption that Kyle Schwarber was the answer at catcher. We all saw how that worked out. Ross' time spent with the Cubs will undoubtedly be remembered by his role in helping the team win their first World Series championship in over a century and for that, Cubs fans will be forever grateful. Ross turned into a fan favorite due to his humility, work ethic, and overall genuineness as a person and now that he's moved on to the next chapter in his life, I thought I'd send him off with a nice farewell present: A top ten list of the best moments of his Cubs career.

10. Grandpa Rossy Is Born

Just before Thanksgiving of 2015, David Ross announced on XM radio that the 2016 season would probably be his last because it was "time to be a dad." Ross' protege, Anthony Rizzo, took to Twitter to share his feelings on this news. https://twitter.com/ARizzo44/status/666624424183857153?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Rizzo made it a personal mission to send his mentor out in style. With the help of Kris Bryant, the two young Cubs created the "Grandpa Rossy" persona to mock the 39-year-old Ross' age. They created an Instagram page on February 21st to highlight Ross' last season and gave fans great insight into the daily life of the team. What started out as a joke ended up sticking. Ross even joked,

"Nobody knows my first name any more."

Even the Cubs organization got in on the fun. Here's a video they created attempting to get Ross to the All-Star game in his final season. https://twitter.com/Cubs/status/740670958143295492?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw I'm sure Ross doesn't mind the nickname anymore.

9. David Ross...The Pitcher?

There are very few things that make me happier then when I get to see a position player enter a big league game and attempt to pitch. It makes me happy because regular dudes can't throw a 98 mph fastball like Major League pitchers do but most regular dudes can get up and throw a 70 mph heater the exact same way a position player does when they try to pitch. Ross was called on twice in the 2015 season to take the mound and he surprisingly pitched pretty well. Six batters faced.....six outs. Here's his May 9th outing versus the Brewers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2z3svUyeP1E And his July 26th outing versus the Phillies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qkrs3Mm-ro I'd also be an asshole if I didn't mention that after he retired the Phillies 1-2-3, Ross hit a home run in the bottom of the ninth. Total boss move.

8. The Farewell Speech

David Ross is a self-proclaimed "cry baby" which is one of the reasons why I think I like him so much. He's a real guy with real feelings who goes through emotional shit like the rest of us and he's not afraid to open up his water works every now and then. So everyone knew that when the Cubs were celebrating their World Series championship with five million of their closest friends on a warm November day, when Ross got to the mic, the tears would be flowing. He tried to hold them back and rush his speech but to no avail. Is someone cutting onions in here?

7. The Dick Bump

Early in the 2016 season I noticed a pretty strange phenomenon after a Cubs player hit a home run. Upon their return to the dugout, instead of high fiving each other, it appeared that the players were bumping their hips together. The more I saw it, it became clearer it wasn't hip bumping but rather "dick bumping." Now as much as I want to take credit for coming up with such a great nickname like "dick bump," I cannot claim that as my own. The Cubs have always had quirky ways to celebrate getting hits (helmet rub, pointing to bases) and the dick bump appeared to be the dugout celebration of choice in 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8kw7ntuxjU If you want to laugh your ass off, watch Munenori Kawasaki's face after Ross gives him a grade A dick bump.

6.The Walk-Off Pick off

One of Ross' biggest strengths on the field was keeping base runners guessing during their time on the base paths. His arm has always been strong throughout his career and he's always found ways to bail his team out of tight spots by picking off runners throughout the game. He threw out three runners in Milwaukee in May of 2016, he kept the Dodgers base runners quiet when Jon Lester was on the mound in the 2016 NLCS, and he was the one responsible for throwing the ball to the wizard, Javier Baez, to gun down would be base stealers during the 2016 NLDS. My favorite Ross pick off moment however, comes from 2015 when he completed the very rare "walk-off pick off" against the Washington Nationals. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAe9UtNhAU4 A 2-1 game, with two outs, in the bottom of the ninth and you get caught straying off first base? You need to be fired Clint Robinson.

5. Postseason Plays

The Cubs were looking to redeem themselves in the 2016 postseason after completely shitting the bed in 2015 by getting swept at the hands of the New York Mets. There are always plays that you will remember that happen at key moments of the game and David Ross was a part of two of them. Already trailing 2-0 in Game 1 of the World Series, the Indians were threatening to score yet again. Lonnie Chisenhall hit a foul pop just to the third base side of home plate and Ross made a HUGE catch to keep the lead at two. In an even more important must win Game 5 of the World Series, Cleveland slugger Carlos Santana hit a pop foul by the home dug out and Ross yet again, made me shit my pants by making this play. I'd hate to think about what would have happened if outs weren't recorded during both of these plays.

4. A Wrigley Field Farewell

The Cubs finished off their 2016 at Wrigley facing the St. Louis Cardinals with absolutely nothing at stake. The Cubs had a 17.5 game lead on the Red Birds so fans could have really cared less about what the score was. What they DID care about though was sending David Ross out of Wrigley Field in style. Before the series opener, the Cubs played the following video on the jumbo tron and I was lucky enough to be in attendance at the game. I may or may not have cried when they played this. https://twitter.com/Cubs/status/779393650325204992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Two nights later, on the last home game of the season, Cubs skipper Joe Maddon gave Ross the proper send off that he deserved. In the top of the seventh, Maddon visited the mound but instead of calling in for a relief pitcher, he subbed Ross out so he could get one last ovation at Wrigley Field. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHwabl1Pfjo Dammit. Did someone bring the onions back?

3. 100th Career Home Run

On May 26, 2016, Ross reached the century mark in homers, launching a three-run blast in the fourth inning to help the Cubs beat the Phillies, 6-2. Ross began 2016 with 96 ding dongs and the rest of the team were counting down after each home run he hit before he got to the finish line. Even though he's a 15-year vet, the excitement of hitting 100 still got to him.

"My favorite part while this has been going on is rounding second base and looking in the dugout. It makes me smile every time seeing everybody so happy for me and counting down for me. They're as happy as I am. That makes me feel good."

What's even funnier is the fact that home run number one came off former Cubs great Mark Grace during his time with the Diamondbacks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKDTgeRDr08 Ross added two more home runs in the post season to finish his career at 102.

2. The "Rudy" Moment

You couldn't have scripted a better ending to Ross' career. The life-long backup who was playing in his last game belted a home run in his last at-bat off the best reliever in the game which helped the Cubs break the longest drought in professional sports history. It's still surreal thinking about it. As the celebration was preparing to move into the visiting team's clubhouse, Anthony Rizzo and Jason Heyward crept up behind Ross while he was being interviewed and scooped him up on their shoulders. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkfW2731e1s Absolutely no better way to end a career then being carried off the field.

1. The Final At-Bat

I know I've said this a couple times already but you literally could not have scripted a better way to end a career. I was lucky enough to be at Game 7 in Cleveland and I still can't describe the feeling in the stadium as the game went into the later innings. Cleveland fans were feeling confident knowing they had the momentum of the game and let's be honest, they were playing the Cubs. A team that has historically found a way to fuck shit up so Cubs fans (including myself) could not sit still and were just waiting for that moment to show. What I initially thought was going to be "that moment" was immediately after David Ross checked into the game in the sixth inning. Jon Lester bounced one to the plate and the ball caromed and hit Ross right in the face mask. Ross stumbled and literally fell on his face and two Indians runs crossed the plate to trim the Cubs lead to 5-3. I said to myself, "There it is. There's the moment. A wild pitch that allows not one, but TWO, runs to score." I couldn't be mad at Ross because Lester's pitch was hot trash. Ross had a chance to redeem himself in the bottom half of the inning because he was due up at the plate. The only problem? He had to face the best reliever in the game, Andrew Miller. In what would be his last at-bat of his career, the journeyman catcher stepped in and took one deep over the center field wall to get back one of the runs that he allowed to cross in the top half. A home run in Game 7 of the World Series during the last at-bat of your career off the best reliever in the game. Let that sink in. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoTf8gfpLyw _____________________________________________________________________ I'll let you in on a little secret about myself: I'm a jersey snob. I only buy jerseys of players that I know will last with the Cubs long-term or players that are considered to be legends. I never bought a Nomar Garciaparra jersey because I knew he'd never last. As much as I loved Mark Prior, I knew he wouldn't make it. Hell, I'm probably the biggest Jake Arrieta fan on Earth but there's no way in hell I'm going to buy his jersey because I know this will probably be his last year with the Cubs. With that said, immediately following the Game 7 victory in Cleveland, I stumbled back to my hotel room, got onto my phone, and bought a David Ross jersey. Yes, I was absolutely hammered and although he was only with the team for two years, I haven't seen a player in my time have a bigger impact on a team than what he's done the past two years. And for that, I'll be forever grateful.