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http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/benjamin-hochman/hochman-ex-cub-david-ross-getting-on-st-louis-nerves/article_25035271-e3ca-52aa-be40-1b47838bea22.htmlHochman: Ex-Cub David Ross getting on St. Louis' nerves
He unites our divided city during a vulnerable time. Yes, St. Louis has issues. And yes, the St. Louis Cardinals have issues, too. But our citizens seem to come together on one particular passionate promulgation:
Good Lord, David Ross is annoying.
On Sunday night, St. Louisans were treated to some recent staples of Cardinal baseball – defensive miscues, bullpen faltering – and if that weren’t enough, David Ross was broadcasting the whole danged thing on ESPN.
Now, the former Cubs catcher is a seemingly congenial gent with a zest for life, but around here, he’s become a 40-year-old villain. Trending on Twitter on Sunday in St. Louis? The NBA Finals. #OneLoveManchester. David Ross. It’s because this backup catcher somehow became the loquacious face of the lovable Cubs. He earned a disproportionate amount of ovations in his final regular-season game. And then, after winning the World Series, he somehow infiltrated the lives of Cardinals fans even more.
Most recently, the “Dancing With The Stars” star filled in Sunday on the ESPN national broadcast. And like that old saying, “I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out,” well, I watched a David Ross reality show and a Cards-Cubs game broke out.
There was David Ross in the makeshift broadcast booth in right field.
There was David Ross in a commercial.
There was David Ross in David Ross commercial outtakes.
There was David Ross, between innings, actually playing catch with right fielder Jason Heyward.
There was David Ross, singing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” to Wrigley fans during the seventh-inning stretch.
“You just got tired of this guy?” @ohnoitsluce tweeted to me. “Where were you last year?!?”
The player Cards fans seem to hate the most isn’t even a player anymore. It’s comical, I’ll admit — this retired ballplayer forever driving St. Louis nuts. He must love it. Chicago must love it.
Dare I go down this path, but … do we have David Ross envy?
Is that it?
Is St. Louis jealous because this is the type of guy that’s our type of guy?
We love loving the nontraditional guy. St. Louis — famously or infamously — appreciates the nuances in the game, the sacrifice fly, the dirty uniform, the unknown player suddenly making hay, the scrappy ballplayer deserving of reverence via a password. And the, I don’t know, maybe the team-oriented backup catcher who provides more than just catching a good game, providing a locker room presence, a sense of humor and a love of the game?
The reality is, this guy has been methodically wearing down our town for years.
He retired with a .229 batting average but hit .253 against the Birds.
He had a .739 on-base plus slugging percentage in his career. Against St. Louis it was .849. And the team he hit the most homers against? Yep, nine against the Cards. He was hanging around our lives during divisional stints with the Reds and Pirates.
In 2012 with Atlanta, he homered in that zany first-ever wild card game, which St. Louis ended up winning.
Then, if you’ve tried to forget, he was an unexpected hero for the 2013 Red Sox, when those guys defeated the Cards for the World Series title. Ross tallied a game-winning RBI double in Game 5. And there he was, catching the final out of the Series in Game 6.
And he just won’t go away.
He was Jon Lester’s personal catcher — and there he was on the broadcast Sunday, doing a personal interview with Lester, yukking it up from the dugout. And last season, his final season, he hit .385 against the Cardinals.
And now, he’s a national treasure. Maybe this is what makes the Cardinals-Cubs rivalry so fascinating – every few years, a new persona becomes a firestarter. What’s unique about this one is he no longer actually plays for the Cubs. Yet I bet if you stopped by some St. Louis bars and asked: “Name your least-favorite Cubs,” you’d often hear about David F. Ross.
I saw that he’s writing a book too.
I wonder if David Ross is even getting sick of David Ross?
But you’ve got to give him credit – Reggie Jackson once said “they don’t boo nobodies.” For years, Ross was a nobody, and now, in retirement, he’s still tiring St. Louis.
_________________ The Original Spanky wrote: I don't like white rappers.
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