CHICAGO _ Newly hired Cubs managers tend to come in two categories: realists and optimists.
A few weeks into his first spring training in 2007, Lou Piniella declared "this is no push-button operation, I can tell you that." During his opening news conference as Cubs manager in November 2014, Joe Maddon predicted he would be "talking playoffs next year."
Both were right, and despite their yin-and-yang approaches to the job, Piniella and Maddon became the two most successful Cubs managers in several decades.
So where will David Ross fit in?
His stated belief the 2020 Cubs can win the World Series seems to put him in the optimists club. But who knows how he'll feel if the team that collapsed in September comes out of the gate in similar fashion in March and April.
As Piniella said on that March day in 2007: "You never know what to expect when you come in. You come in as positive as you can (be), and rightfully so. Then reality starts hitting you in the face a little bit, and you have to adjust to it accordingly."
Reality hit the Cubs in the face in 2019, opening the door to the Ross era.
As Ross prepared to be introduced to fans at the Cubs Convention on Friday night, one thing appeared obvious: He was the right choice for President Theo Epstein, who is navigating the club through a tenuous time and needs a compadre in the manager's seat.
That doesn't mean Ross will do everything in lockstep with Epstein, and Epstein said one of Ross's strengths is a willingness to tell his bosses they're wrong. But when things get crazy, as they inevitably will with the Cubs, it's comforting for Epstein to know he can count on "Rossy" to keep things in perspective for panicky fans and media wags.
Ross is off to a strong start, showing Thursday he's ready to challenge media assumptions about his team, which won only 84 games last year and returns most of the same players, barring a Kris Bryant trade.
Instead of the usual interview session with reporters at a charity event, Ross turned it into a mini-debate.
One reporter questioned Ross's unwavering faith in this team, mentioning the Cubs' pitching issues.
"You don't think there's enough pitching?" Ross replied, listing off the returning starters and Tyler Chatwood. "We've got a lot of options. What don't you like? What don't you think we've got enough of?"
The bullpen was the obvious response.
"Yeah, there's a lot of turnover in the bullpen," Ross said. "I don't think we're going to win or lose the division out of the bullpen. We've got Brandon Morrow coming back, which is super important if he's able to be an impactful guy like he's been the past. He's healthy ... "
The reporter noted that questions about Morrow remain because of his long-running health issues.
"Of course, but there are questions with everybody," Ross said, laughing. "There are questions with me."
Ross's relationship with the media helps with a smooth transition from Maddon. He already knows the local mob and enjoys the back-and-forth, much like Maddon.
But he also knows he will be under a microscope in Year 1 because he has no managerial experience and because some always will consider him "Theo's guy."
His reputation as fun-loving "Grandpa Rossy" from the 2015-16 Cubs teams, along with his celebrity status from being a "Dancing with the Stars" contestant, puts even more pressure on Ross to prove he was the right choice to replace Maddon.
One thing Ross may need to ditch is the "Grandpa" thing, though that's probably easier said than done.
"I don't want to be 'Grandpa,' right?" Ross replied. " 'Rossy' is good. 'Skip.' Fans can call me whatever they want. I'm sure there will be some names that I'll like 'Grandpa' a lot better."
When a reporter advised Ross to dye his gray-flecked beard to look younger, Ross said that wasn't an option.
"If I 'Just For Men' it, then it's like you're fake, you're not real," he said. "You've got to be real with yourself. This is who I am. I've got the crow's feet from smiling too much. I told (Anthony) Rizzo I'm getting the coaching body; the boiler is starting to poke out a little bit. I realize I'm sitting at a desk too much, looking at a computer.
"But whatever they want to call me (is OK). A bunch of the guys walk by the office and say, 'What's up, Skip.' It makes me smile every time. (Call me) Grandpa Rossy, Skip, David ..."
Ross thought about it for a second. Forget about calling him David.
"I don't think anybody calls me David," he said. "If you call me David, you don't know me."
The Ross era is off and running.
Rest assured, attention will be paid.
