Chicago Cubs: Three takeaways from the David Ross press conference

David Ross was introduced as the manager of the Chicago Cubs on Monday. What can we take away from the press conference? Here are three things.

For the past month, Chicago Cubs fans have been bitterly divided over who the next manager should be. David Ross was at the center of that debate; some thought that he would bring back what’s been missing from this team over the past three years, while others thought he was “too close” to the players and didn’t bring the experience needed to succeed.

On Monday, the Cubs formally introduced Ross as the 55th manager in Cubs history. Though the speculation is over, the debate over whether he’s the right man for the job will continue. Indeed, Ross has a lot to prove.

He’s replacing Joe Maddon, the man who led Chicago to its first World Series title in more than a century. The three-time Manager of the Year presided over one of the most successful stretches in team history. In Ross, the Cubs opted to go with what they knew – based on longstanding relationships he had with people in the front office.

So, what can we take away from this press conference? Here are at least three things:

Chicago Cubs: It isn’t 2016 anymore.

Throughout the press conference, Ross emphasized the fact that he’s all about moving forward. He seems to understand that it’s no longer about 2016, in more ways than one.

For one thing, Ross is no longer the cuddly “Grandpa Rossy” character that many have made him out to be. In fact, that’s never who he was, as Ross admitted that the persona has been overblown.

The former catcher gained such a great reputation, not because he was fun-loving and friendly, but because he knows a lot about the game and knows how to hold players accountable. Indeed, accountability came up several times during the conference.

Yet it’s also not 2016 because, as Theo Epstein pointed out, a lot has changed in the game since then. Largely because of that, the Cubs’ 2016 championship is a distant thing of the past. Ross said that he wants to win multiple championships. He’s not going to do that by reminiscing about the “good old days” but rather by moving forward with the group of players he has in 2020 and beyond.

Chicago Cubs: David Ross has been preparing for this.

Right away at the press conference, Ross addressed the fact that he doesn’t have managerial experience. However, throughout the conference, he spent a lot of time explaining why he is ready to manage the Chicago Cubs.

Really, Ross started preparing for this role long before his playing days were over. Particularly as a backup catcher, he had many chances to learn from several great managers, which he talked about on Monday. It seems that Ross has wanted to manage for quite some time and that he views his hiring by the Cubs as the culmination of years of preparation.

“I’ve been a part of a lot of winning teams,” Ross said. “I know what winning looks like. There are things I’m going to expect out of the players, out of myself, that entail winning. Some of those things come with respect, trust, commitment, effort, hard work and accountability. These things are important to me. My players can expect that from me, and I will expect that from them.”

While the former backstop doesn’t have managerial experience, we can’t discount both his playing career and his experience working in the front office over the past three years in preparing him for the job. At the press conference, he pointed out the fact that he’s had a chance to see lots of different aspects of running a major league ballclub since he retired as a player.

This isn’t to say that Ross doesn’t have some learning to do. In fact, he admitted this during the conference. He seems willing to put in the time and effort required to do the job well.