Chicago Cubs manager David Ross was extremely upset by the Milwaukee Brewers' roof shenanigans on Tuesday.
The Chicago Cubs beat the Milwaukee Brewers 7-6 on the Fourth of July. One would imagine most Chicago fans went about the rest of their evening in a joyous mood. Hot dogs, beer, and a Cubs win — what better way to spend the holiday.
Alas, Cubs manager David Ross had a decidedly less pleasant Independence Day. At least, that's what one has to assume based on the comments he gave after the game.
Despite Chicago pulling out the W in extra innings, Ross was livid with the umpires and, more acutely, with his opponents and whoever was in charge of the retractable roof above American Family Field.
Chicago Cubs manager David Ross goes on NSFW rant over Brewers' roof
The Brewers began Tuesday's game with the roof open. That means sunlight, shadows, and a trickier time for batters looking to locate fast-pitched baseballs moving in and out of light.
Before the bottom of the eighth inning, however, the Brewers decided to close the roof. That makes life easier on the hitters and, perhaps not so coincidentally, it allowed Milwaukee an extra half-inning of shadowless hitting toward the end of the game.
Milwaukee, on the wrong side of a 6-4 scoreboard, notched two runs in that eighth inning to tie the game and eventually force extra innings. It's more than understandable for Ross to have an issue with the decision.
"They're closing the roof to get rid of the shadows late," he told the media (h/t CBS 58 Chicago). "Just a lot of bulls–t that went on today that just was really frustrating." He only disparaged the roof after getting in a few cheap shots at the umps, so it was a full afternoon of the blame game for Ross.
He didn't really need to get upset in the first place considering that Chicago still won, even if the general principle behind the roof being closed at a conveniently pro-Milwaukee time is reasonably infuriating. But, Ross doubled down on his negativity.
When asked if he thought closing the roof was against the rules, Ross replied with… let's call it, candor. "I f–king thought it was horses–t," said Ross. "I don't f–king know."
Passion is absolutely a virtue in the world of MLB head coaching, just ask the Yankee players who watch Aaron Boone get tossed every other week. A coach who stands up for his players and fights for his team tends to hold the room better than a coach who does not.
And, as it turns it, Ross is correct in his anger. Per the major league rulebook, once the roof is closed or open to start the game, it shouldn't change unless the umpire and grounds crew decide it's necessary on the basis of weather. It would appear the Brewers did, at first glance, break the rules.
I guess you could say ball don't lie, or some variation of that, in this instance. The Cubbies still came out on top.