You’ve likely seen it by now on SportsCenter, your local news or on your favorite sports blogs: the infamous minor league fight between the Cubs single A affiliate, the Peoria Chiefs and the Cincinnati Reds’ affiliate, the Dayton Dragons. The video is being forwarded to millions of inboxes everyday. These same Chiefs take on the Kane County Cougars at Wrigley Field on Tuesday night at 7:05 PM. The Chiefs are currently managed by Ryne Sandberg, an iconic figure for a whole generation of Chicago Cubs fans. The 2005 Major League Baseball Hall of Fame inductee is considered to be one of the greatest second baseman in history. Sandberg had no part in this infamous brawl though because he was away in Cooperstown for Hall of Fame weekend ceremonies. Sandberg’s fill-in, as well as the Dragons’ manager, were both ejected.
Ryno’s .989 career fielding percentage is the highest ever for a second baseman. His #23 is just the fourth number ever retired by the Cubs organization. He retired in 1997, after spending nearly his entire career as a Cub. Highlights of his Major League service include:Â
-Ten All-Star Appearances
-Nine Gold Gloves
-Seven Silver sluggers.
-1984 MVP awardÂ
Large crowds of that “bleed Cubbie blue†follow him wherever he manages. Goose Island even brewed a special beer in honor of Sandberg, “the Ryno 23†during the year he was enshrined in Cooperstown. I caught up to him right before his Chiefs visited the Chicago area to start a three game set with the Kane County Cougars. The two teams will meet again on July 29th for the first minor league game in the park’s storied history.
On using his own experiences as a minor leaguer to relate to his current players…
Â
RS: I try and relate to that a little bit, I try and think back about what it was like when I was in A ball and anything I can share, any messages I can give back to these players that would help with that. I talk to them everyday so there is a lot of time to share my experiences on the bench. I consider that because at one time I was in their shoes. I was a guy who hit .268 or .262 at A ball and made 30 errors at shortstop, so I can relate and have no problem looking back. It’s a great opportunity for them to enjoy not only right now what they’re doing, but also hopefully move up the ladder enjoy this for a lot of years and someday be a major leaguer.
The surprises that he’s seen in his 2nd season doing this…
RS: How much I enjoy coming to the ballpark every day. How much I enjoy getting the wheels turning and focusing on what we need to do to help these guys as individuals and as a team to be successful on the field. Putting things in action and watching the team improve like it has since April. We were near the bottom of the pack in April and part of May. We’ve improved and it’s very gratifying to me, to see the stats and players improve.
On all the fans that swoon around him at every minor league game…
RS: I sign autos for about 20-30 minutes every single day whether we’re at home or on the road. Since its Opening Day last year the routine hasn’t stopped. I hear all the stories about grandparents and great-grandparents. Everyone’s a fan of mine and the Cubs so I see all the pictures of me posing with these kids when they were three or four years old and now they’re in the 20s and 30s standing there in line for autographs. It takes me back looking at the old stuff, seeing what these people collected and bring out of the closet. Some days I’m amazed, other days it’s the same stories repeated, it’s all good stuff.
On his current managerial position and future potential…
RS: I’m doing what these players are doing. I’m looking at this as an opportunity. I’ve been given an opportunity to create a style for myself and if an opportunity came along at the major league level, this is what it’s all about
On the success of the parent club (2008 Chicago Cubs) filtering down to the single A affiliate Peoria Chiefs…
RS: Oh yeah it definitely it starts form the top. When the big club is playing like the Cubs are playing right now we get a feel of that because it’s fun to watch them win. Whether you watch ‘em win on TV in the Saturday game of the week or read about them winning in the newspaper we go out and try to play like those guys and do the same thing, winning it has a big effect on the whole organization.
Â
Great writeup again Ryno is a legend and the more we can share or be shared the better
Can’t wait to see Ryno again.
Thanks man. He was the nicest guy in the world too. I’m really looking forward to pressers at Wrigley tommorrow!