2 4 SEE A DIFFERENT GAME 05/24/2010

• Wrigley Field is like asecond home

tome'Sporting News Conversation:

Ryne SandbergAfter 15 Hall of Fame seasons in a Cubs uniform, the team'sClass AAA manager is teaching a new generation to play theright way. So what's next? it just might be Lou Piniella's job.

Sandberg the player neverbrought a World Series

to title-starved Cubsfans. Sandberg the

manager may soon gethis chance to try.

Photo by Jay Drowns/SN

F or 15 seasons, they were afascinating juxtaposition: RyneSandberg, as earnest and antiseptica superstar as the game of baseball

could ever conjure, and the indulgent, ever-hopeful denizens of Wrigley Field who wentwild for him even in defeat. "Believe me, Iloved them as much as they loved me," saysthe 10-time All-Star and nine-time Gold Glovewinner whose career .989 fielding percentageat second base is among the best ever. "I onlywish we coiild've given them a World Series."

Now SO and the manager of the Class AAAIowa Cubs, Sandberg longs for the chance todo something about it. The Hall of Famer—one of only three big leaguers to have both a40-homer and a SO-steal season—hopes tosomeday succeed Lou Piniella in the Wrigleydugout. With Piniella in the final year of hiscontract and once-doting Cubs fans becomingexasperated en masse, Sandberg could bejust what the organization's new ownershipdesires as a link to a more pleasant (if notexactly successful) past.

Regardless of whether he lands his dreamjob, Sandberg will dream of the day the Cubswin their first World Series since 1908."Maybe it'll happen as a surprise," he says."Just kind of sneak up on people." Much asa little-known second baseman did afterarriving in Chicago in 1982. He spoke withSporting News ' Steve Greenberg.

SANDBfRG (!N5nl:X)HN SW*BI ZAP

SN: You look like you could stillplay. Aren't you 50 years old?

SANDBERG: 1 could probably get outthere fora couple of innings—as long asthere wasn't any action coming my way.But what I'm doing now, being 50 and slillat the ballpark, keeps me in good shape.I've never really taken a year off from beingat the ballpark. Even the years that I wasn'tmanaging in the minor leagues, 1 wascoming out to Cubs spring trainingandhelping out with the team in the prégame.

SN: Even for a guy who retired(at 34) then made a comeback(at 36), it seemed you could'veplayed longer than you did.Why didn't you?

SANDBERG: I retired at 38 after 16years in the major leagues. When I feltlike I could no longer play my position,which was second base, for 158 games,which was the norm for me, I didn't havemuch interest in sticking around andplaying a different position or playing acouple times a week or against lefthandedpitching. Because playing every day waswhat I 'd lieen doing since I was 18 yearsold. Plus, I wanted to play this game ata high level. Once I felt like I couldn't dothat, it was time to shut it down.

SPORT1NGNEWS.COM 05/24/2010 2 5

Ryne Sandberg

SN: You're still early in your coachingcareer. For the record, do you hopeto become manager of the Cubs?

SANDBERG: Well, you know, I've been aCub my whole major league career. WrigleyField is like a second home to me. And nowthat I'm managing in the minor leagueswith the Cuhs' affiliates, obviously theanswer is the ideal place for me would be inChicago—if that opportunity ever came. Butthen again, the other goal is to do this at themajor league level. To me, that door is open;it's really for somebody to believe in me andwant me to manage their club.

SN: What made you want to becomea manager?

SANDBERG: After I retired, I stayed inspring training for eight years. I was involvedwith the coaches meetings. I worked undermanagers Don Baylor and Dusty Baker. Igot to see that side of it, and I enjoyed beingwith the guys on the staff and working withthe players. And I felt I was pretty good at ittîecause a lot of players were coming up andasking me questions, I was giving advice andtips, and then I'd see these guys smile withthe answer and actually try to apply it to theirgame. So I saw there was something for me tooffer the game of basebal 1.

SN: Did you let Cubs G.M. JimHendry know of your desire tomanage before or after he hiredLou Piniella in October 2006?

SANDBER6:1 did go to Jim Hendry andask about the job that was open before LouPiniella was hired, just to show interest init. I met with jim, and obviously my lackof any type of coaching at the major leaguelevel was a concern, and rightfully so. Butwhat happened was that winter going intothe 2007 season, there was still one job openat the minor league level, in Peoria, III. Thatjob was offered to me. I didn't think twiceabout it. I checked with my wife, and all thekids were out of the house at the time, so thetiming was perfect.

SN: What have you learned aboutyourself as a manager?

SANDBERG: The first thing that comesto mind is I feel tike I'm a pretty goodcommunicator, which I was not as a player.As a player, I was focused on what I had todo (and) the teammates I needed to workwith—the shortstop, the first baseman—andit almost stopped there.... Pretty muchas anything comes into my head, if it'sconstructive, I'm not afraid to pull a guy asideand talk to him about whatever it is. or havea team meeting and talk about things that'llhelp them and make for a good season. Ithink that part of it has kind of surprised me.

2 6 SEE A DIFFERENT GAME 05/24/2010

SN: Do you see yourself now as theright choice to succeed Piniella,whenever that may be?

SANDBERG: I have confidence that I'd beready. That's the important thing for me,being ready—which does make me a wisechoice. If the opportunity would come, and ifit would come in Chicago, my first thoughtswould be to be ready and to have someexperience and, ultimately, to do a good job.I approach it just like I did as a player, whereI wanted to be prepared and ready for everysingle game that i played and have a goodgame. To be one of the better players—one ofthe best players—to have done that, I'd wantto do the same thing in this role.

SN: So your expectation would be tobecome one of the best managersin the game?

SANDBERG: I could do that. I havethe confidence that I could do that. See,what I like is challenges. I think I've beenchallenged since I was 18 years old. It wouldbe another challenge to go to the ballpark andleam something every day to be better andthen to never stop that attitude. I don't thinkI 'd ever stop learning something out on thefield. That's what made me be the player thatI was, and as far as managing I'd have thesame approach and the same results.

SN: Across sports—take TedWilliams, for example—it has beenhard for great former players tocoach or manage. Maybe they justcan't relate, even as much as theywant to, to players of average ability?

SANDBERG: I don't have a reason whythat might be. But forme. I think I have anappreciation of how tough this game was. Youknow, I remember how hard the game was asa young player trying to break into the majorleagues, I remember being a player that hadbeen around a little while and had good yearsand wanted to have a better year the next year.I think I have some patience in me to give aplayer a chance and to be a positive influence,i've raised five kids—all are out of the housenow—and I look at that experience very similarto being with the players, whether it's daily

Sandberg admitshe wasn't a greatcommunicator as a player,but he has taken to thatrole nicely as a manager.

Sandberg had Hall ofFame talent, but hebelieves he can get themost out of players whodon't have the tools tomake it to Cooperstown,

communications with them about personalproblems or if it's about getting the liest out ofthem and how to go about that, because eachplayer's different. I think raising the five kidswas a real nice lesson on how to help youngpeople grow and be the l̂ est they can be.

SN: The values you espoused in yourstirring 2005 Hall of Fame speech-fundamentals, selflessness,respect—can you teach those thingsto today's major leaguer?

SANDBERG: Oh yeah, 1 do that. That's whoI am. Those are the conversations {hat theplayers around me hear on a daily basis. It'sabout good work ethic. It's about practicinglike it's a game so that the game becomesfun and second nature. Everything that 1talked about in that speech. 1 in.still all thosethoughts and ideas into the teams that I'vehad up to this point, and I'll continue doingthat because that's who I am.

SN: What'U happen when youinherit an established playerwho's already a star but doesn'tnecessarily approach the game asyou feel be should?

SANDBERG: I haven't had that experienceyet, but 1 think the main thing is to geteverybody on Ixiard with what the programis. That's the communication part of it. Ido believe that the manager is in charge,and I think the team is a reflection of themanager. So in gettinga new player, it'sabout communicating to that player what I'mexpecting and what I exjiect from the team.Get him on Ixjard for that and strive for thatand demand that.

SN: When you look around themajor leagues today, do you see alot of talent being unfulfilled?

SANDBERG: I think until the playerhas approached each game like it was hislast game and worked on his weaknessesto make him more of the all-around bestplayer that he can be with the talent hehas, then he hasn't fulfilled his talent. Thattakes dedication. It takes work, it's hard.The players around me hear about takingadvantage of being at the ballpark, takingadvantage of the prégame work that theydo, not doing things halfway. It kind of goesback to the days when I broke into the majorleagues and being around Pete Rose andMike Schmidt, that era of players in the early'80s. That's what I observed the first coupleof major league camps that I went to for thePhillies. That's how guys went about theirbusiness. [ felt very fortunate and lucky tocome up to the major leagues when I did. Ifind myself kind of an old school guy, but I'malso a young guy.

You don't know Ryne Sandberglike I know Ryne Sandberg

i was the hitting coach whenRyno first came to the Cubs in'82. isaid, "You should be a star aroundhere with that name. You know, CarlSandburg," i don't think he knew whoCarl Sandburg was.

Ryno had some tough times as ayoung player making his way, it wastough getting him to pull the ball downthe line; he always hit to right andright-centei. That was good, but heneeded to hit to all fields-teams werestacking the right side against him.We worked numbers of hours, and hefinally got it. It was a beautiful thing.

He was like an old school guy everyday of his career. All he wanted wasto uphold what had happened in thegame of baseball.

With Ryno-that quietness-alot of people thought for so long hewasn't a warm guy. but i knew better.We could talk; we could laugh at andwith each other, i guess with a lot ofpeople he clammed up. but we reallybonded.

His wife, Margaret, and my wife,Shirley, are good friends. The four ofus have gone to dinner many times.There's an age gap between Ryno andme. but i can go back younger andhe can come up older. We meet eachother halfway.

Williams coached Sandberg.then watched him play out

a career that ended withSandberg's number retired

alongside Williams'.

By Billy WtUiams,Hall of Fame left fielderfor the Cubs from 1959-74

1 think highly of him asa teacherand a manager. He often says heplayed the game the right way. Well, Ithink he manages the game the rightway. too. He'd make a very good bigleague manager. He's one of the all-time great second basemen, but tiedoesn't need any recognition from hisplayers. He just wants their respect,

- A5 told to Steve Greenberg

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Ryne Sandberg

SN: A lot of longtime fans wouldsay Cubs teams have, more oftenthan not, struggled with thefundamentals—compared with,for example, the Cardinals. Doyou agree?

SANDBERG: You know what? My way oflooking at that is they just haven't had theright group of guys together to accomplishall those things and to take them into thepostseason a number of years and ultimatelyget into the World Series. It takes a specialbunch of guys to accomplish that. Just goingback to my years, it always seemed we wereone or two players short.

SN: Have the Cubs, through theyears, built teams the right way?

SANDBERG: It's hard to generalize.

SN:This is the way Cubs fans think.SANDBERG: Well, we have Wrigley Field,

which sometimes gets a little blown outof proportion as being a home r u n hit tersballpark. If that was the case, wouldn' tthe home run leader in the NationalLeague always play at Wrigley Field? Forme, I th ink there's a formula: power atthe corners , first and third; power in theoutfield and good a rms in left and right;good speed and defense up the middleturn ing those double plays; a catcher whothrows behind the plate. That kind of goesback to where pieces have been missingthroughout the years and not having theright group of guys together.

SN: Is that Ryne Sandberg's theoryon why the Cubs haven't won it allsince 1908?

SANDBERG: In '84 , we had about asgood a chance as any Cubs team. I thoughtwe had everything in place, but we cameup short; then we didn' t put it togetherthe years after that, i really think it's atough thing to get to the World Series, andnot everybody gets to get there, and nowit seems like there's such a magnifyingglass over the Chicago Cubs that there is apressure there now that 's more than when 1was there playing.

SN: Have Cubs fans changed?Gotten edgier, angrier, less patient?

SANDBERG: Less patient, yeah. You cansee that. You kind of unders tand that whenyou see expansion teams that have been inthe league four or five years put together ateam and go to the World Series and win it.and here the Cubs have been over 100 yearsof coming up short. I can unders tand thefrustration. But the Boston Red Sox werevery much like that. The White Sox werelike that. So I think that it can happen, and Ith ink that it will happen.

SN; Would Cubs fans still love you ifyou managed the team and didn'twin?

SANDBERG: Maybe not. I think it would be achallenge, for sure. I don't mind the challenge.As a manager, ifyou don't win, you often loseyour job. That's not something that'll hold meback from pursuing a di^am job like that.

SN: Let's say you're managingSammy Sosa at the height of hispopularity. He's having fun,hopping at home plate, blowingkisses to the camera, and fans—andMajor League Baseball—are lovingit. What are you saying to him?

SANDBERG: That's such a hypotheticalthing. Tliat's not going to happen because he'snot going to be playing and I'm not going to bemanaging him.... (But) I do like to see a playerthink about his teammates and think aboutthe opponent. The celebrations and the wavingto the cameras and all that after a win is OKwith me. Afler a win. I would say. "Play as hai das you can, think about your teammates, andplay for the name on the front of the uniform,not the back. And after the game, ifyou bit awalkoffhome run, I mean that's the greatestthing ever. Pump your fist, whatever—theteam won." That's how I'd want my players torepresent their team and their or^nizat ion.

SN: Do you think Sosa should be inthe Hall of Fame?

SANDBERG: Once again, I'm not talkingabout Sammy Sosa. But I would say thatany player that is under the suspicion ofperformance-enhancing drugs or testedpositive does not deserve to be in the Hallof Fame. 1 think those numbers are tainted.I don't think it fits with the integrity of theplayers who are in the Hall of Fame, and Ithink integrity is a big par t of being a Hallof Famer. Integrity, playing the right way,playing the game fair—those are big for me.

SN: How much do you want to bepart ofthat moment when theCubs win the World Series? Youhave said that not winning one isyour one regret.

SANDBERG: That 's one more reason why

Sandberg's 198« Cubsmade it all the way tothe NLCS but fell one winshort of the World Series.

Sandberg won't discussSosa specifically but isclear about his stance onplayers who used steroidsnot being allowed in theHalt of Fame.

I'm doing what I'm doing now. to have thechance to possibly do that as manager orin the capacity of managing in the minorleagues and grooming some of those playersto go up and help the organization win aWorld Series. 1 think that 's why I'm stillwear ing a Cubs uniform and the thing thatbr ings me to the ballpark here at 5 0 yearsold. I do think about that. I see other teamsplaying every year in October and th inkabout it. I th ink about it in spr ing training,hoping the chance is right a round thecorner—and ifnot this year, that wlien theCubs do get there that I'm a pa r t of it.

SN: Just imagine walking aroundWrigley, your cap held high—thecurse finally reversed.

SANDBERG: 1 have a picture that 's prettybig on what it would be like. Either I'vegot it totally blown way out of proport ionbecause 1 think it would be the greatestthing, or I'm not even close. Maybesomewhere in between. It would be thegreatest thing in sports . If the Cubs winthe World Series, in that decade that wouldprobably be the biggest story. That ' s howbig it would be. And with all the Cubs fansall across the United States, it wouldn' t onlybe a celebration there in Chicago. It wouldbe a bigger thing than that for sure. SN

JUST ONE QUESTIONFor Jim Frey, former Cubs manager {1984-86) and G.M. (1988-91):

Would Ryne Sandberg be a good big league manager?"Oh, yes. First of all, i would hope that it would be with the Chicago Cubs. Ryno is so admired there,

and his heart and soul are with that team, that city and those fans, i think he would make a terrificf M manager. He grew up a very modest, introverted personality, but he has opened up a great deal and

isa very intelligent guy. Nothing against Lou Piniella, but—at the right time—Ryne Sandberg would be^ perfect fit to manage the Cubs, i can't think of anything that would make me happier."

— Sieve Greenberg

2 8 SEEADIFFERENTGAME 05/24/2010

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