10. Grandpa Rossy Is Born
Just before Thanksgiving of 2015, David Ross announced on XM radio that the 2016 season would probably be his last because it was “time to be a dad.” Ross’ protege, Anthony Rizzo, took to Twitter to share his feelings on this news.
.@D_Ross3 Whoa whoa whoa what's this about retiring? TWO MORE YEARS!!!
— Anthony Rizzo (@ARizzo44) November 17, 2015
Rizzo made it a personal mission to send his mentor out in style. With the help of Kris Bryant, the two young Cubs created the “Grandpa Rossy” persona to mock the 39-year-old Ross’ age. They created an Instagram page on February 21st to highlight Ross’ last season and gave fans great insight into the daily life of the team.
What started out as a joke ended up sticking.
Ross even joked,
“Nobody knows my first name any more.”
Even the Cubs organization got in on the fun.
Here’s a video they created attempting to get Ross to the All-Star game in his final season.
Give Grandpa Rossy credit. He’s trying to #VoteCubs.
Use modern tech for your ballot: https://t.co/wC3poPnfykhttps://t.co/BncvKzuAzc
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) June 8, 2016
I’m sure Ross doesn’t mind the nickname anymore.
