Ross played the final two seasons of his career with the Cubs and was on the '16 World Series teamGETTY IMAGES
Former MLBer and ESPN analyst David Ross has been named the next Cubs manager, and the 42-year-old's familiarity with the franchise "trying to rekindle the spark of the young core that won" the '16 World Series was a "factor in the Cubs selecting him to replace Joe Maddon," according to Mark Gonzales of the CHICAGO TRIBUNE. In hiring Ross, the Cubs have "faith he will be able to maximize and mesh the skills of individuals into a successful unit while holding players more accountable for any mistakes or shortcomings." Spending the last three seasons as a Cubs special assistant "allowed Ross to get acclimated to all facets of the baseball operations department, including research and development that will provide him with analytical tidbits" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 10/24). In Chicago, Tony Andracki wrote Ross' preexisting relationship with the team will be a "huge advantage immediately, as it eliminates the time another candidate would've needed to earn the trust of the players on the roster." Additionally, the relationship between Ross and Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein's front office is "already so far advanced for a first-year manager that there's an instant level of understanding and rapport" (NBCSPORTSCHICAGO.com, 10/23). ESPN's Trey Wingo said despite Ross having no managerial experience, it is "really a relationship job at this point." Wingo: "You’re the in-between between the players and the analytics department and the general manager” ("Golic & Wingo," ESPN Radio, 10/24).
APPOINTMENT VIEWING? In Chicago, Rick Morrissey writes the Ross hire "looks like a match made in heaven for the Cubs' new Marquee Sports Network, which wants fans' money in return for a warm, accessible product" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 10/24). Also in Chicago, Paul Sullivan writes hiring Ross "may have been a no-brainer, especially with a new TV network that needed a marquee name in the manager's chair to placate Cubs fans watching their cable bills go up again." In this "reality-show world we live in, the Cubs finally have a reality-show manager" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 10/24). Meanwhile, the CHICAGO TRIBUNE's Phil Rosenthal writes Marquee "doesn't need star power," it "needs victories." So it is "very hard to believe" Ross' "quasi-celebrity status from ESPN, 'Dancing With the Stars,' his best-selling memoir or even his short-lived Grandpa Rossy Crunch cereal had anything to do with the Cubs choosing him to be their next manager." Hiring Ross, "in and of itself, will have no impact on Marquee." It is "not as though Marquee will get picked up by area cable companies because the new Cubs manager somehow advanced further" on "Dancing With the Stars" than Gold Medal-winning gymnast Simone Biles. Only "greed and boorish ineptitude will keep the Cubs and Sinclair from securing carriage agreements with cable, satellite and streaming services" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 10/24).
THE CRADLE OF MANAGERS: USA TODAY's Bumbaca & Nightengale note Ross "followed a similar blueprint set out" by Yankees manager Aaron Boone, who "worked at ESPN for some time before heading back to the dugout." Another ESPN personality, Eduardo Perez, has been "closely linked" to the Mets job (USA TODAY, 10/24). ESPN's Jason Fitz said “if you want to be” an MLB manager “just come work for ESPN” ("Golic & Wingo," ESPN Radio, 10/24).
