Well, look who suddenly are hotter than a stolen tamale — the Cubs, winners of five of their last six games and seven of their last nine even after losing Sunday to the Orioles in the teams’ series finale at Wrigley Field.
It’s enough to make one wonder if, after all, oft-criticized manager David Ross isn’t, well, it’s hard to know exactly the right way to put it.
‘‘An idiot?’’ Ross offered.
Harsh, but sure. After all the dumping on him that fans have done during this still-under-.500 Cubs season, he might as well go ahead and pick the word.
‘‘I don’t put a whole lot of stock in the fan stuff,’’ Ross said. ‘‘They expect wins, and they deserve that. Trying to do that is what we grind on every day, and you lose sleep as a manager. But, at the end of the day, I’m trying to do right by the guys on this field, this organization, my bosses, my coaching staff, these players. They give me everything they’ve got pretty consistently, and that’s all the feedback I need.’’
A Cubs player who eagerly went to bat for Ross is the one who has been around him the longest, pitcher Kyle Hendricks. ‘‘The Professor’’ used a $10 word — ‘‘catastrophize’’ — to describe the social-media slams of his 2016 World Series teammate as the team went 14-29 from April 22 to June 8.
‘‘It’s totally unfair,’’ Hendricks said. ‘‘That’s for someone who isn’t in here on an everyday basis. We’re doing everything possible. We’re so close to where we need to be. Rossy is an unbelievable person, an unbelievable baseball mind and manager, and everyone in here — me, especially — loves that he’s here.’’
Hendricks scoffed at the idea that Ross, who was lauded for his smarts as a catcher, is out of his element in his current role, habitually pressing the wrong buttons with his lineups and bullpen decisions.
‘‘I can tell you one thing: It’s not brought up at all between these walls,’’ Hendricks said. ‘‘It’s not talked about at all — ever. He’s our leader. He’s our guy. We’ve seen it since Day 1. He has your back; he’s behind you. It’s a tough game, and he’s not the one out there playing. It’s the players who either win or lose the game. He can only do so much.’’
Apprised of Hendricks’ sentiment, Ross warmed over.
‘‘Man, you know me and how I feel about other men sharing their feelings about guys they compete with,’’ he said. ‘‘That tugs on my heartstrings, for sure, because you always feel like you’re doing the best you can, even though the only reward or only real feedback you get is ‘W’s’ in this game. So for a friend and somebody I respect a whole lot to say those nice things, that means a lot.’’
Three-dot dash
Michael Jordan is selling the Hornets, the team he first bought into in 2006, and what a ride it wasn’t. Since ‘‘His Airness’’ became majority owner in 2010, the Hornets have won precisely zero playoff series. Time, indeed, for him to pack up his stapler and three-hole punch and scram.
Jordan will, however, continue to own Patrick Ewing, Charles Barkley, Reggie Miller and Karl Malone. . . .
CBSSports.com is out with its newest list of the NFL’s top 100 players, and you’ll never guess who’s at No. 1: Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. (What, you knew?) The first Bear is . . . hang on, still scrolling . . . quarterback Justin Fields at No. 78. The only other Bear is linebacker Tremaine Edmunds at No. 93. That’s 17 spots after the Ravens’ Roquan Smith. . . .
The latest arrival in my inbox from a sports-betting operation is a list of potential next teams for Bulls guard Zach LaVine. Right at the top, at 3-to-1, are the Heat. Who says you have to choose between LaVine and Jimmy Butler? . . .
The Cubs are playing well, but lots of luck keeping up with dazzling rookie shortstop Elly De La Cruz and the upstart Reds, who’ve been the National League’s best team in the last four weeks. For a weak division, the Central manages to get more compelling all the time. . . .
It boggles the mind what the White Sox’ Zach Remillard did in his major-league debut Saturday against the Mariners, tying the game in the ninth inning before winning it in the 11th. A guy with more of a flair for the dramatic at least would’ve considered retiring right then and there, but Remillard clocked right back in for work Sunday. He must be from the old school.
This you gotta see
Rangers at White Sox (7:10 p.m. Monday, NBCSCH, NBCSCH+): The Sox are back at Guaranteed Rate Field, where they’re practically unbeatable. Fine, so they’re 17-17. In the American League Central, that counts as practically unbeatable.
NBA Draft (7 p.m. Thursday, Ch. 7, ESPN): With the first pick, the Spurs will select 19-year-old Frenchman Victor Wembanyama, who packs all of 209 pounds onto his 7-4 frame. Two words, Wemby: (1) ‘‘Tex’’ and (2) ‘‘Mex.’’
Cubs at Cardinals (12:10 p.m. Saturday, Fox-32): Hopefully, these old rivals won’t be too knackered from all that travel to put on a jolly good show at the utterly uncreatively named London Stadium.
The bottom five
Bob Huggins: There are career flameouts, then there’s blowing a .210 with empties on your car floor six weeks after disparaging gays and Catholics on an imbecilic radio show. Happy trails, Huggy Bear.
Bad bus drivers: Did you hear about the one who was arrested and charged with drunken driving while taking the Pirates from Wrigley Field to their weekend series at the Brewers? Look, we get that nobody wants to have to go to Milwaukee, but that’s a little much.
‘‘El Tri’’: Mexico’s play got so dirty in a 3-0 loss to the U.S. men’s national team in a CONCACAF Nations League semifinal that it’s a miracle no one on the field suffered a major injury to anything but his pride and dignity.
Zion Williamson: According to NBA insider Brian Windhorst, the hefty lefty has ‘‘no relationship’’ with the Pelicans’ organization or his teammates. You know, kind of like the obscene hype while Williamson was at Duke had ‘‘no relationship’’ with reality.
The NRA: We knew its lobbyists stopped at nothing, but only a 25-game suspension for NBA star Ja Morant? OK, now that’s impressive.
