The sports theme was strong on a dancing show Tuesday night.
Former MLB catcher David Ross -- most known for his last go-round in 2016 with the World Series champion Chicago Cubs -- finished second in ABC's Dancing with the Stars to NFL running back Rashad Jennings, formerly of the New York Giants. The results were announced live on Tuesday.
Jennings is currently an unsigned free agent after rushing for 593 yards and three touchdowns with the Giants last season.
Here's a Jennings routine:
Ross was the underdog coming in, the internet tells me, but he became a Chicago legend last year, so a win wouldn't have surprised since fans vote. Here's Ross doing a baseball-related routine in the finals:
OK, so this show isn't my thing, but that's at least fun with the baseball connection.
The loss to Jennings possibly caps a whirlwind last 12 or so months for Ross, who was mostly a career backup catcher.
Ross spent 15 years in the majors, hitting .229/.316/.423 with 106 home runs. He never made an All-Star team, but he did win the World Series with both the Red Sox and the Cubs.
Most important, along the way Ross developed a reputation as one of the best teammates in baseball. With the help of some close friends like Anthony Rizzo and Jon Lester going out of their way to let everyone know about this, Ross grew into a bit of a folk hero in Chicago last season. He would hit a home run off Andrew Miller in Game 7 of the World Series to great fanfare.
Then Ross hit Saturday Night Live and became a minor celebrity. He came close to being the champion of Dancing with the Stars and has a book coming out this summer.
I've seen people complain about Ross getting so much love, as he wasn't a great player. But I ask you, what's more important in this world? Being a great baseball player or being a great person? Not everyone is blessed with the talent of, say, Mike Trout, but everyone is given the ability to be a great person and great co-worker. Ross is known as one of the best, so good for him for getting this extended run of his true "15 minutes."
As for Jennings, now he'll look to find a job in the NFL and keep his career going. He has rushed for 3,772 yards with 4.1 yards per carry in seven NFL seasons. He's coming off his first playoff appearance, which was a loss to the Packers in the wild-card round.