David Ross - Teammate (Book Review)

As David Ross competes on "Dancing with the Stars," I am reading his memoir.

I must confess that I did not follow his major league career.  I did not know he was a member of the Cubs until the playoffs last year.  I did not realize that he was a member of the 2013 World Champion Red Sox even though I am a Red Sox fan.  And I certainly did not realize last year that he was completing a 15-yr. major league career.  Gosh, he played for so many teams over the years!  The fact that he survived for 15 years in the majors mostly as a backup catcher is amazing.  I'll be watching him tonight on Dancing.

Lo and behold, Ross makes it to the finals of Dancing on tonight's show.

Ross is from Tallahassee, Florida.  He had multiple collegiate offers to play baseball.  One day his father told him he needed to make decision.  He says that on the spur of that moment he decided to go to Auburn.  I was hoping that in the book he would give some Auburn anecdotes, but no.  He mentions Hal Baird and Tim Hudson fondly, but that's it.

Baseball has the greatest connection to the real world.  P. XIX

The book is organized around the day of November 2, 2016 when the Cubs won their first World Series since 1908.  Ross was with his family the morning of the game.  P. 1

Grew up in Tallahassee.  P. 6

Surprisingly, he was not a big baseball fan growing up.  He liked to play baseball, but not necessarily watch it.  P. 8

David Ross made Auburn baseball folklore history when he replaced an injured Casey Dunn and hit a homer in the Tallahassee regional in 1997 to send Auburn into the 1997 College World Series.  P. 13

Baseball is a game of habits.  P. 17

As a backup catcher, he left baseball after the 2016 season on his own terms.  P. 29

Participation in MLB is by invitation only.  Most former players are told when to leave.  Ross left on his own terms in his own time.  P. 29-30

"In the end I think everything happens for a reason."  P. 30

Fifteen years in the big leagues and it blows his mind.  P. 30

When you retire you are quickly gone and forgotten.  P. 31

Baseball is a game of failure,  P. 34

Cub details.  P. 42

Could have played another year.  P. 43

Batting practice is overrated. Some days he didn't take BP.  In 2007 he played in 112 games, his career high.  P. 44

Joe Whedon's laid-back managing style.  P. 48

Influenced by Tim Hudson and Bobby Cox.  P. 49-50

Major league debut 6/29/02 with the L.A. Dodgers.  P. 52

Told  by Theo in 2008 he was not a good teammate in Cincinnati whereupon he dedicated himself to being the best teammate he could be.  P 62

Spent four good years with the Braves.  P. 68

Good words about Bobby Cox.  P. 77

Bobby knew everybody's name.  P. 80.

Atlanta was the turning point in extending his career.  P. 80

He learned how to win in Boston in 2013.  P. 89

Ross makes it sound like Boston was more fun than Chicago.  P. 91

The catcher's life is unique in baseball.  The catcher is the only player who sees the whole field.  P. 102

The "Grandpa Rossy" phenomenon.  P. 120

Close call when he became a Cub rather than a Padre.  P. 128

Jon Lester's personal catcher.  P. 131

Scary talk about concussions.  P. 146

Errors in the 5th followed by his dramatic solo homer in the top of the 6th.  P. 159

A walk in his last at-bat replaced by a pinch runner.  P. 175

The toughest pitcher he faced was Randy Johnson.  P. 180

His favorite away stadium: AT & T in SF in the China Basin.  Home stadium:  Wrigley or Fenway.  Pick one.  P. 182

Will miss the competition the most.  P. 183

From backup catcher to celebrity.  P. 235

The game has changed.  Analytics are important, but character still matters.  P. 237

Talent is important, but talent is not enough.  P. 238

A regular job with a cool job.  P. 238

What I admire about David Ross is that he worked for 15 years in major league baseball as mostly a backup and achieved a respected status as a sort of elder statesman.  Surviving that long without being a consistent starter is remarkable.