Imrem: Ross' legend with Chicago Cubs grows even larger

The legend of David Ross grew even larger Friday at the Chicago Cubs' victory parade and rally.

In all my years of covering sports, teams and athletes, this guy is one of the most remarkable phenomena.

Ross' name kept coming up in comments by teammates such as Ben Zobrist, Anthony Rizzo and Dexter Fowler.

Zobrist referred to Ross as "the man, the legend," and at one point Rizzo choked back tears over what "grandpa" has meant to him and his career.

Think about it: The guy is a backup catcher, maybe a third-string catcher at that.

Former Cubs manager Leo Durocher is credited with saying "nice guys finish last."

Ross proved Durocher wrong by helping the Cubs win the 2016 World Series in his final season before retiring.

This David Ross thing would be hard to understand if it wasn't so obvious all season and especially during the postseason.

Take the scene at Wrigley Field, Oct. 7, 11:50 p.m., about an hour after the Cubs beat the Giants in Game 1 of their National League division series.

Fans waited for a peek at players as they walked down a screened-in path toward their parking lot.

All of a sudden they hooted and hollered at one of the Cubs.

He was David Ross.

Now, sure, these fans would have welcomed any of the Cubs players who contributed to the night's victory.

But Ross was more like a rock star walking down a red carpet. The cheers were more than courtesy acknowledgments. These weren't football fans longing for the backup quarterback to become the full-time starter.

This was a case of grateful fans cheering a player they learned to appreciate during his mere two seasons in Chicago.

At age 39 and playing the last of his 16 major-league season, Ross was as beloved as anyone on a team that had all-stars all over the field.

"That's a lot of love I feel," Ross said of the way he was embraced. "I don't know why (it's happening)."

Let's take a stab at an explanation: David Ross is a good guy.

You can only guess what any public figure truly is without seeing him in his private life.

The guess here is that, yes, David Ross is a genuinely good guy.

Watch him interact with teammates, with fans, with workers around Wrigley Field, with the media, with anyone and everyone.

The only possible impression is that this guy is a good guy being rewarded for being a good guy.

Ross' teammates celebrated him and celebrated with him as he approached the end of his playing career.

Meanwhile, fans in Wrigley Field lavished him with standing ovations usually reserved for MVPs.

Cubs pitching ace Jon Lester took the mike at the rally and said of his personal catcher, "All I really want to say is one more time for David Ross!"

And the crowd roared.

David Ross arrived at Wrigley Field on Oct. 8 for Game 2 of the NLDS at about 3:15 in the afternoon.

Ross walked over to shake hands with an usher/security guard. He bantered with a sanitation worker, responding with a smile and "even a blind squirrel finds an acorn."

That's how a backup catcher becomes legendary.

More athletes in all sports should give being that kind of good guy a try.

The rewards are great even if they don't include finishing first like David Ross did in the final game of his career.

mimrem@dailyherald.com