CHICAGO -- David Rosner wasn’t exactly happy with the Cubs’ 3-0 loss to the Padres during Wednesday afternoon's Game 2 of the National League Wild Card Series at Wrigley Field.
But his attitude about wins and losses falls well beyond his 8 years of age.
“It doesn’t matter if they win or lose,” David said. “It’s still just a game.”
His approach to the game might come from dealing with some tough times in his young life. His father, Brad, passed away five years ago after a short battle with Stage 4 colon cancer. His mother, Barbie, is in the midst of a fight against breast cancer.
David's love for baseball and losing a parent led to his connection with Cubs left fielder Ian Happ, whose father, Keith, passed away from brain cancer shortly after Happ was drafted by the Cubs in 2015. Happ and David met at one of Happ’s baseball camps, and Happ continued to check in on David from time to time after their encounter.
When the Cubs reached the playoffs, Happ wanted to make sure David was there too. He arranged for two tickets through his foundation, putting David in Section 111, Row 7 with his uncle, Paul, who flew in from Las Vegas to attend the game. Happ even wrote a note to David’s teacher to excuse him from class.
David wore a Cubs hat with autographs from Hall of Famer Andre Dawson, Jake Arrieta and Cliff Floyd. He also had a hot dog and french fries at the ballpark, so it was a good day for all -- aside from the final score.
“He knew what a fan David was,” said Abby Suarez, who works with foundations for Anthony Rizzo, Happ and Dansby Swanson, and whose husband, Alex, is the Cubs' senior director of international scouting and operations. “He wanted to connect and make sure he had a great day here at the ballpark.”