Last week I had talked about the Cubs’ journey to picking David Ross as their new skipper. With spring training around the corner, analyses have been made and opinions have been formed. While some are still in doubt over the first-time manager, others are excited to see what the new season will bring.
Ross was very straightforward in his press conference stating what he planned to change, and what he believed was already working well for the team. The media ate this up, they either agreed with Ross and his intentions, or completely thought otherwise.
This week I read over many articles over the announcement, both professionally written and those written on personal blog websites.
I will start with sharing this article written by Jordan Bastian, a Cubs analyst who writes for the MLB. The article was written shortly after Ross was announced as the new manager and includes a few clips from the press conference. I find this article to be a good analysis of Ross and his last year with the cubs as well as what he covered in his first public appearance as manager.
Bastian includes many quotes from Ross’ presser with Theo and Jed, and then goes on to explain Ross’s intentions by referring to him as a former player and ESPN analyst. I find the comparison between Ross as a player and as a manager to be an effective way to describe how he will continue to shows his leadership qualities.
The article is credible, it includes the official press conference video, and is written by a Cubs baseball analyst. It is also found on the official MLB website.
The second article is from the Chicago Sun Times, and is a more factual piece covering Ross and his new adventure. This article is a news item, as it contains no blatant opinions or analyses of the subject. This piece states more facts than the previous article and looks at David Ross from a more personal level as it mentions his stint with Dancing with the Stars and his time with ESPN.
If you want the basics, I would read the Sun Times. You will figure out the who, what, where, when, and why with only a little filler in between. I also find this article to be credible, it is from a Chicago sports columnist written for a popular online and print news site.
The third article is also from the Chicago Sun Times, but this one very much different. If you want to read an opinionated view on the change, then this is the article for you. The columnist who wrote this was obviously hoping for a different outcome. This writer believes Ross is still to close to these players, and that he won’t be able to discipline them when needed. It also seems like he is taking credit away from Ross due to the fact that he previously competed on Dancing with the Stars shortly after retiring.
Now I am no expert, but just because one competed on a game show doesn’t mean that they will be incompetent with coaching baseball. Overall, I was not a fan of this article, but it was a great example of an opinion-based column. It is from the Chicago Sun Times, as was the previous article and also written by a seasoned sports columnist, so I do find it to be credible.
The fourth and final article I will bring up is from Sports Illustrated, which is a popular sports news media site as well as print magazine. This article is short and sweet as it announces Ross’s new position, and is clear from any analysis and opinion, making it a news article.
The article briefly mentions Ross’ tie to the cubs, and what he managed to accomplish as a veteran catcher on the team. It’s free from any bias and simply mentions the coaching change. I do find this article to be credible, Sports Illustrated has been a popular go-to for sports fans for decades, as a magazine and as a website. The one issue I hold is that the author mentions in his biography that he covers marathons and track and field. Why he wrote about the Chicago Cubs… I do not know. Regardless, it is informative in a short and sweet way.
