Teammate: My Journey in Baseball and a World Series for the Ages
By: David Ross
Published Year: 2017
Publisher: Hachette Books
Pages: 272
Summary (Provided by Goodreads): An inspiring memoir from David Ross, the veteran catcher dubbed "Grandpa Rossy," who became the heart and soul of the Chicago Cubs 2016 World Series championship team.
In 2016 the Cubs snapped a 108-year curse, winning the World Series in a history-making, seven-game series against the Cleveland Indians. Of the many storylines to Chicago's fairytale season, one stood out: the late-career renaissance of David Ross, the 39-year-old catcher who had played back-up for 13 of his 15 pro seasons.
Beyond Ross's remarkably strong play, he became the ultimate positive force in the Cubs locker room, mentoring and motivating his fellow players, some of them nearly twenty years his junior. Thanks to Cubs Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo, "Grandpa Rossy" became a social media sensation. No one, however, could have predicted that Ross's home run in his final career at bat would help seal the Cubs championship.
Now, in Teammate, Ross shares the inspiring story of his life in baseball, framed by the events of that unforgettable November night.
First Impressions
GRANDPA ROSSY IS WRITING A BOOK!??!?!?! I am in!
What I thought
This book was pretty much everything I needed/wanted it to be.
In case you have been living under a rock, the Cubs won the World Series in 2016, breaking a 108 year old curse. As a native Chicagoan and lifelong Cubs fan (I have been attempting to go to at least one game a year for the past 10 years or so), it was a life changing moment. I don’t think I can even describe how big of a deal this was in Chicago. It was such a rollercoaster, through every minute from the playoffs through the final minute of Game 7. Because this was such an event, I am itching to read every book that gives me insider information to this process.
Even if you’re not familiar with the Cubs, you are probably familiar with David Ross aka Grandpa Rossy. He has kind of taken the world by storm and he was even on Dancing With the Stars. 2016 was his final year in baseball and the boys promised him a yearlong retirement party. At the beginning of that retirement year, he mentions that someone told him he should write a book so he spent the year taking in the moment notes on his iPhone throughout the season.
This book shares a lot about Ross that I didn’t know. I had learned a bit about game 7 and the 2016 Cubs team through the book The Cubs Way (which I am obsessed with) so I had heard a few of the stories before regarding that. However, I didn’t know much about Ross or anything about his history before the Cubs other than that he played for the Red Sox and won a World Series with them.
David Ross is a genuine guy. It was so nice to read about him and his values and how he learned how to be the good person that he is/appears to be. I also appreciated how much he emphasizes the importance of being a good teammate. I think that, unfortunately, this is overlooked in sports these days and a lot of athletes consider only themselves and they put “me” before the team. Not only does he talk about how important it is to be a good teammate, but he explains what he believes makes a good teammate and how you can work towards that too.
I mean… come on. It’s a book by David Ross! How am I not going to love this? Besides that, I think this book is so much more. I want every child to read this book and be taught how important it is to be a good teammate and not be selfish. If you’re looking for a book about how the 2016 Cubs team came to be, this is not it. If that’s what you want, you’re looking for The Cubs Way. If you want a book about David Ross with some insider 2016 Cubs team information with a good message, you need this book.