CINCINNATI -- It's the morning of the last regular-season start of his career, but for once in this sentimental season, Chicago Cubs catcher David Ross isn't wearing his emotions on his sleeve.

That's because he's "all out of them."

"It's way more attention than I'm used to," Ross said over coffee Saturday morning at the Cubs' hotel in Cincinnati. "I'm ready for all the background distractions to stop and the playoffs to start."

Ross was relaxed and sitting at a table as Cubs fans roamed the hotel lobby trying to catch a glimpse of -- or an autograph from -- their favorite players. A few hours later, Ross was in game mode trying his best to help his good friend Jon Lester win his 20th game.

Lester came up short, but it didn't diminish the season the left-hander produced -- with the help of his personal catcher.

"I just don't want to be that weak link," Ross said, half-laughing. "I don't want to be the guy that holds everyone up. I want no regrets on my end."

It's the same statement Ross made back in spring training, before he hit 10 home runs and led all catchers in picking off base runners. It's the statement that came after he hit .176 with one home run in 2015, which led him to declare that 2016 would be his last season.

But is it? For sure? He felt like the weak link back then. He is anything but now.

Despite being a backup catcher, David Ross is quite popular among Cubs fans of all ages. Jesse Rogers/ESPN.com

"[The offer] would have to blow my socks off," Ross said, this time fully laughing. "I would probably come back. I would have to talk to my family. My one regret is not getting to play with Kyle Schwarber, so I guess I would be able to do that. At the end of the day, this year could not have gone any better. Do I want to come back and risk it? And after everything the Cubs and the fans did for me, I don't want them thinking, 'Who is this guy? Brett Favre?' 99.9 percent I'm going home."

Ross paused several times to sign autographs or say hello to fans who stopped by. It's been like this all season for him and his teammates, no matter what city they were in. It's still mind-boggling to Ross that a role player can get this much attention. He gives the credit to the organization as well as Cubs fans.

"I'm the backup catcher, and people walk around with Ross jerseys," he said. "People are invested in every aspect of the team. They're wrapped up in it. It's great. And there's so much anxiety. We want to do well for them."

That brings the conversation to a subject Ross would rather talk about than himself: the opportunity to win another World Series. His team has as good a chance as any.

"It'll be the most stressful thing you've ever gone through as a player," Ross said in a hopeful manner. "The mental grind, the ups and downs, the comebacks, the details, even luck. Things have to work out.

"People ask, 'Where does my retirement stuff rank?' Winning a World Series is way better than that. It's an amazing thing to dog pile out there while no one else can do that."

If Ross is going to wear another ring, Lester will be a big part of it. He's the likely NLDS Game 1 starter, despite his suffering the loss Saturday. Before Saturday, Lester had been lights-out dating to the All-Star Game.

"It reminds me of his run in the second half of 2013," Ross said. "I'm hoping we can repeat that mix."

Lester helped lead the Boston Red Sox to a championship that season, while the Cubs were still in the middle of building a contending team. Bringing in the veteran pitcher-catcher combination before the previous season was one of the final pieces of the organization's rebuild.

"It's a big-brother, little-brother thing," Ross said of his relationship with Lester. "The fun thing is he can do exactly what we want to do. He can throw it in any quadrant. He can cut it and sink it, and his changeup is coming on. That's the fun thing to watch: the hitter confused. My favorite part of baseball is the cat-and-mouse with pitcher, hitter and catcher."

What does it take to win it all? The Cubs have a few who have experienced it, but most have not. And none -- of course -- has done so with the Cubs.

"I'm not concerned with the outcome as much as the process," Ross said. "I know that's the cliché from [manager] Joe [Maddon], but it keeps you from worrying about good or bad."

If you thought Ross was emotional during some of the ceremonies honoring his retirement -- the Reds will have one more for him Sunday -- just wait until the Cubs win it all -- if that happens. He says it won't even compare.

"Whenever we score some runs, Tommy La Stella will say, 'Cubbies rake, Cubbies rake' in the dugout, but now every time he says, 'Cubbies rake,' I say, 'Cubbies cry' because there's been so much crying," Ross said.

He laughed thinking about that. He is finished crying for the moment. There's too much work to be done. Ross finished his coffee and excused himself to go catch his final game.

Another home run would be nice, but either way, he has been a much bigger contributor to this playoff team than last year's.

What has been the key to his rebound?

"I've put every ounce of effort into this season, so looking back, maybe the freedom of knowing that it's my last has created all this," he said.

As for the end of it all, there's really only one way it can go.

"In the back of my mind, winning the World Series in my last year against David Ortiz in his last year at Wrigley Field and Fenway Park," Ross said. "It would be the biggest sports event of my lifetime."