'Just a top-shelf human being': Teammates, opponents remember Ryne Sandberg

Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame 2nd baseman Ryne Sandberg died connected Monday astatine the property 65 aft a agelong conflict with cancer. Sandberg, known for his power, velocity and antiaircraft prowess during his 16 twelvemonth large league vocation was the look of the Chicago Cubs during his 15 seasons with the franchise and a instrumentality favourite passim the sport.

Originally diagnosed with prostate crab successful January of 2024, Sandberg was inactive astir the Cubs arsenic precocious arsenic during outpouring grooming earlier the 2025 play -- and conscionable arsenic helium did successful his playing days, helium ever made his beingness felt with his signature operation of powerfulness and grace.

As the shot satellite mourns the nonaccomplishment of a shot icon, those who cognize Sandberg champion shared their favourite stories astir the Hall of Famer.

'Ryno would beryllium retired determination astatine 9 a.m.'

Sandberg was traded from the Philadelphia Phillies to the Cubs successful January 1982 aft struggling during his archetypal callup successful Philly. A legendarily hard worker, Sandberg was consenting to bash immoderate it took to marque definite his enactment successful Chicago would spell differently.

Larry Bowa, who was dealt on with Sandberg successful the commercialized for seasoned infielder Ivan DeJesus, remembers the hours Sandberg enactment successful arsenic helium transformed from a light-hitting rookie successful Philadelphia to a budding superstar successful Chicago.

"I deliberation astir however helium handled himself erstwhile helium archetypal got called up. He struggled retired of the gate. I watched this feline not fto it impact him. It mightiness person affected him connected the inside, but the mode helium handled himself connected the extracurricular was great."

"Ryno would beryllium retired determination astatine 9 a.m. (Manager) Jim Frey would archer him, deed each shot implicit the tarp and into the seats down the near tract enactment successful foul territory. Hit it with authorization implicit that tarp. Ryno looked astatine him similar helium was crazy. 'I privation each shot with authorization implicit that tarp,' Frey kept telling him. He did it for a week straight. That's however helium learned however to propulsion the ball."

'Just ungodly consistent'

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How Ryne Sandberg volition beryllium remembered successful Chicago

Jesse Rogers reflects connected Ryne Sandberg's vocation successful Chicago aft helium died connected Monday astatine the property of 65.

After his powerfulness changeable clicked, it didn't instrumentality agelong for Sandberg to instrumentality his crippled to the highest level. By the 1984 play helium was named National League MVP aft hitting .314 with 19 location runs and 19 triples, stealing 32 bases and starring the Cubs to their archetypal postseason quality successful 39 years.

Perhaps nary 1 had a amended presumption for Sandberg's ascendant run than his adjacent person and Cubs leadoff hitter Bobby Dernier. The 2 batted 1-2 successful the Chicago lineup and earned the nickname "The Daily Double" arsenic they combined to people 208 runs that season.

"Just ungodly consistent," Dernier said of what made Sandberg truthful great. "And the benignant of crippled backmost past demanded a small spot of baserunning prowess and being susceptible of stealing bases and scoring a batch of runs. And truthful that was our style. He was tremendous."

"Pitchers were ever paying a small much attraction to maine connected the bases than him astatine the sheet and that was a large mistake and he'd instrumentality afloat advantage. He'd astir giggle astir it, is what I retrieve successful the dugout."

Sandberg cemented his bequest during that play with a signature crippled connected June 23, everlastingly known successful Chicago arsenic "The Sandberg Game." He deed 2 game-tying location runs disconnected of Hall of Fame person Bruce Sutter successful the ninth and 10^th innings earlier the Cubs won the crippled successful the 11^th -- successful beforehand of a nationalist TV audience.

"After helium tied it up, I ended up hitting the shot disconnected the wall, but if excavation goes out, it's astir apt ne'er called the Sandberg game," outfielder Gary Matthews said with a laugh. "He was large astatine everything that helium did. I deed down him and helium was always on-base."

'He had a cleanable plaything for his location ballpark'

Sandberg deed 282 vocation location runs during an epoch of shot wherever 2nd baseman weren't known for that benignant of power, but helium was much than conscionable a agelong shot threat. Six of Sandberg's 282 vocation location runs -- the 2nd astir disconnected an opposing pitcher -- were deed disconnected Hall of Famer John Smoltz, who recalled 1 memorable day for Sandberg.

"I gave up 2 location runs to him successful a crippled and I had a (autograph) paper amusement aft the crippled and everyone successful the satellite knew I gave up 2 location runs to Ryne Sandberg," Smoltz said. "One was an wrong the parkland location run. Those fans astatine the paper amusement reminded maine of that.

"He had a cleanable plaything for his location ballpark. He had a flatter plaything that worked large for the angles astatine Wrigley Field, particularly erstwhile the upwind was blowing in."

Sandberg was much than conscionable an violative threat; helium besides won 9 consecutive Gold Glove awards during his clip with the Cubs and posted a 123-game errorless streak.

"I utilized to archer Joe Morgan, 'This feline doesn't person to instrumentality a 2nd spot to anybody connected defense," Matthews said. "Morgan would accidental Ryne's azygous was ever clean. I said, 'Well, you person to dive due to the fact that you can't get successful beforehand of it! Don't get connected him for perfecting the backhand.' In the extremity Joe said, 'You're right.'"

'He's successful a people by himself'

For each of his accomplishments connected the field, the mode helium handled himself arsenic a rival and distant from the crippled is what galore who knew Sandberg champion volition retrieve astir him.

"He's an outstanding quality being," Bowa said. "That's what I deliberation of. Such a bully household guy. His intelligence toughness is disconnected the charts. Don't fto radical deceive you by that small laughter helium has each the time. He wanted to triumph arsenic overmuch arsenic anybody. I've been astir Pete Rose and Ryno is close there."

Smoltz added: "He's successful a people by himself. You would ne'er cognize helium was 1 of the top players ever, conscionable by the mode helium carried himself and the 'aw, shucks' benignant attitude.

"I emotion competing against greatness that has integrity and quality similar Ryne Sandberg had," helium said. "The mode helium carried himself, the mode helium was arsenic a idiosyncratic is what I deliberation about. It definite was bully to spot him correspond the athletics and the metropolis helium played for."

"Joy," Dernier said. "That's the archetypal thing, and mode truthful galore much happiness types of stories. And it's a grin connected my look to deliberation astir him. And yeah, close present it's melancholy that we cognize he's gotten called up to the existent large leagues. But I'm gladsome I knew him and I loved him being underestimated."

'Oh, man, I loved Ryno but he's fortunate helium was that bully astatine baseball'

Of course, determination were a fewer moments successful Sandberg's vocation wherever helium wasn't arsenic gracious. In the Cubs clubhouse, teammates saw a antithetic broadside of the Hall of Famer -- a playful troublemaker and prankster.

"We had those chairs directors they usage making movies, held unneurotic by sticks," Matthews said. "Ryno would ever instrumentality the sticks out, enactment the spot backmost in, and regular I'd autumn to the ground. He'd beryllium implicit determination snickering oregon walking away.

"Or helium would load your cigaret up and marque it detonate successful a non-harmful way. Then erstwhile you figured it out, helium would enactment 2 of those successful the pack. He thought that was the funniest thing."

Despite that benignant of backmost and forth, Mathews and Sandberg often golfed together.

"I would inquire for a fewer strokes," Matthews said. "He would politely say, 'no strokes, play better.' He would deed immoderate balls you couldn't believe. Ball aft ball. He would deed 1 and cognize it's a bully 1 but he'd inquire 'do you deliberation that was immoderate good?' And conscionable grin astatine me.

"Oh, man, I loved Ryno but he's fortunate helium was that bully astatine baseball," Matthews said with a laugh.

"He'd disturbance the cookware and past locomotion distant and look implicit his shoulder," Bowa added. "He'd beryllium cracking up aft getting america going. He was truthful quiescent outwardly with you guys (media) but not with us."

'He made specified an interaction connected maine '

After his playing days, Sandberg served arsenic the manager of the Philadelphia Phillies from 2013-2015 earlier returning to Chicago, often putting connected a azygous arsenic a outpouring teacher and imparted the lessons from his Hall of Fame vocation connected a caller procreation of Cubs.

"I conscionable deliberation it's chill that he's idiosyncratic that has benignant of done everything successful our athletics but inactive doesn't attack the crippled with immoderate benignant of ego," existent Chicago 2nd baseman Nico Hoerner said. "He doesn't speech similar helium has the answers to everything oregon the speech is ne'er astir him.

"He's benignant of softspoken but past if you got him going connected thing helium truly cared about, it's truly chill to perceive him unfastened up, whether it's routines helium had oregon however helium took attraction of his assemblage oregon conscionable amusive memories with teammates oregon playing astatine Wrigley."

Shortstop Dansby Swanson added: "Just specified a apical support quality being. He made specified an interaction connected maine adjacent successful my abbreviated clip of being capable to beryllium astir him. Just an unbelievable quality being and idiosyncratic that I'm very, precise grateful to person met and spent clip with, whether it's talking astir beingness oregon talking astir ball."

It's those attributes, the ones the shot satellite got to spot connected the tract and the ones lone his teammates were capable to witnesser that were missed successful retirement. But his cognition astir beingness stands retired for everyone.

"We talked astir a batch of things, astir defence and offense, but we talked astir beingness too," rookie 3rd baseman Matt Shaw said. "When helium archetypal came up, helium struggled a small spot aboriginal connected and helium was like, 'no substance what happens, you conscionable got to support believing successful yourself and support going.' And I decidedly instrumentality that to heart, and that's thing that I decidedly deliberation astir a batch -- is that content to conscionable to support going."