“Heroes get remembered,” Babe Ruth told Scotty Smalls in the movie The Sandlot, “but legends never die.”
A hero transitioned to legend July 28 when Chicago Cub Ryne Sandberg died of cancer. He was 65, but he’ll remain forever young as a Hall of Fame defender with a powerful bat that left balls bouncing down the streets of Wrigleyville.
WGN’s Harry Carey and Steve Stone delivered Cubs baseball to millions of us across the country in the 1980s and 90s. We became Cubs fans because of WGN, and we became Sandberg fans because he was the second baseman and a player who could do everything.
Over 16 major league seasons, all but the first handful of games as a Cub, Sandberg became one of baseball’s most prominent infielders. He hit for power, ran like the wind and was the most reliable second baseman in baseball. A flawless fielder, he was clutch at the plate and the bat you wanted with the game on the line.
“Sandberg to Dunston to Grace,” ended innings with double plays as he racked up nine straight Gold Gloves and was selected to 10 consecutive All-Star Games.
The highest paid player in 1992, his $7 million salary led the league. We watched the best second baseman in the history of the game dominate baseball for a decade.
Named the National League’s Most Valuable Player in 1984, his 40 home runs in 1990 led the league. He was the first second baseman to belt 30 homers in two consecutive seasons. His lifetime batting average of .285 included 2,386 hits and 282 home runs. He drove in 1,061 runs and stole 344 bases. He led N.L. second basemen in assists seven times and in fielding percentage four times.
All of this while demonstrating one of the most professional, soft-spoken demeanors in the major leagues.
Sandberg was everything good baseball has to offer.
To his grandchildren, he was “Pappy,” the rest of us will always remember him as the powerful and agile Ryno.
When I set my debut novel among the Chicago Cubs I referenced Sandberg as the team ambassador he had become. I mailed him a copy of the book, but never heard from him. I hope he had the opportunity to read it and appreciate what little I could offer in exchange for the years of enjoyment we had watching him become a legend.
Find my novel Faith, Hope, and Baseball, available on Amazon, or Bookshop.org, or follow this link to order an autographed copy.
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For more from Jim, follow these links:
Notes from a Sermon: How Do We Respond to the Current Culture?
The Clark Doll Study Documenting the Damage of Segregation
Do Christians Need to be Reminded that Racism is Immoral?
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Pastor Jim Meisner, Jr. is the author of the novel Faith, Hope, and Baseball, available on Amazon, or follow this link to order an autographed copy. He created and manages the Facebook page Faith on the Fringe.
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Invite me to speak with your group or church in person or online.
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