Ryne "Ryno" Sandberg played virtually his entire career with the Chicago Cubs where he was a 10-time All Star. Sandberg was the Cubs' most dangerous hitter for most of his time in the league, but his reputation is based heavily on his defense. He was a nine-time Gold Glove winner, and he has the record for the highest career fielding percentage for a second baseman. He is widely considered one of the best second baseman of all time, as well as one of the finest Cubs to ever appear before the faithful at Wrigley field. He won an MVP trophy in 1984, and led the national league in home runs in 1990. Sandberg retired shortly into the 1994 season, though he came back in 1996 and 1997. His final retirement came following the 1997 season, at which point he held the record for career home runs by a second baseman.http://www.biographybase.com/biography/Sandberg_Ryne.html Sandberg was inducted into the hall of fame in July of 2005, and his number, 23, was retired by the Cubs the following month. http://www.cubsnet.com/node/526
Sandberg was one of the many unlucky Cubs greats to never play in a World Series. His closest opportunity came in 1984, when the Cubs blew a 2-0 lead over the San Diego Padres and wound up being eliminated in the National League Championship Series (NLCS). The Cubs also made the playoffs in 1989, but were again defeated in the NLCS.
As of 2010, Sandberg is still involved as a minor league manager in the Cubs farm system, presently with the triple-A Iowa Cubs.http://www.chicagobreakingsports.com/2010/01/ryne-sandberg-introduced-as-iowa-cubs-manager.html He has said that his dream job is to manage the Cubs at the major league level.
Ryne Sandberg 1984 Season
After a quiet but respectable first two seasons in the majors, Sandberg landed on the baseball map in 1984. His batting average jumped from .261 to .314, while he also hit 19 home runs, scored 114 runs, led the league with 19 triples, and stole 32 bases. He also continued his virtually flawless play at second base, winning his second straight Gold Glove, part of a streak that eventually extended to nine seasons. To top it off, Sandberg led his team to a division title and to the postseason for the first time in almost 40 years (though the Cubs were to fall in five games to the San Diego Padres. As a reward for his efforts, Sandberg was voted the most valuable player after the season was finished, becoming the first Cub to win the MVP since Ernie Banks in 1959. Sandberg had some other fantastic seasons, but he was never again to win the MVP.
Ryne Sandberg on His Future
In this video, Sandberg talks about his dream job managing the Chicago Cubs, as well as his 2009 job managing the Tennessee Smokies. He also deals with the issue that has bedeviled Chicago sports fans for a generation: who was the better number 23 in the 1980s and 1990s, Sandberg or Michael Jordan?
