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hicago Cubs catcher David Ross is about to retire after appearing in 883 games with seven major league teams over 15 seasons. Since the start of spring training, he has made a conscious effort to periodically step back, take a deep breath and focus on the special moments so that they still resonate when his playing days are history.

"More than memorabilia, I want memories,'' Ross said during an interview in June. "More pictures and videos this year. It's pretty cool. It's been fun.''

Sunday was a particularly chaotic day in Ross' farewell tour. He spent the morning with family and friends, then headed for Wrigley Field to catch Jon Lester in Game 5 of the World Series. Before the night was through, Ross would throw out Cleveland's Francisco Lindor on an attempted steal of second base and deliver a fourth-inning sacrifice fly off Trevor Bauer to drive in what turned out to be the winning run in a 3-2 Chicago victory.

Ross is 39 years old and has more than a touch of gray in his beard, but he still approaches baseball and life with a youthful enthusiasm that's contagious. Late Sunday night, he stood at his locker in the Wrigley Field home clubhouse and reflected upon his goodbye to Chicago -- a "storybook year," as he said Sunday night. -- Jerry Crasnick