MESA, Ariz. \u2013 On the flight to Arizona, Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg calculated the number of spring training camps he\u2019d attended in uniform, from the time he was 18 years old until now.<\/p>\n
His count included his rise through the Phillies\u2019 system, drafted in 1978 and debuted in 1981. It then picked up with the Cubs and the 15 seasons he played for Chicago. After hanging up his cleats, Sandberg kept coming back \u2013 as a guest, coach, Phillies manager and Cubs ambassador.<\/p>\n
There were two notable exceptions. In 2021, COVID-19 restrictions limited spring training access. And last year, Sandberg was undergoing cancer treatment.<\/p>\n
\u201cI even have my spring training dreams of being late on the field or late to the ballpark,\u201d Sandberg said Sunday, standing on the edge of the agility field at the Cubs\u2019 spring training complex. \u201cWhich has been going on for 40-some years.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the dream, he shows up at the ballpark, and the team\u2019s already taking the field. He tries to pull his socks on, and they just won\u2019t go. He looks up to check that the first pitch hasn\u2019t happened yet \u2013 he could still make it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis goes on for hours of the whole night,\u201d Sandberg said. \u201cAnd there\u2019s never a conclusion there. But I know the feeling of being late, and that was one of my No. 1 pet peeves as a player, so I was always hours early to the ballpark. And so I still have those dreams today, which is funny. And that\u2019s how I know that it\u2019s spring training and it\u2019s baseball season again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sandberg is back in spring training despite resuming intensive treatment after announcing in December that his prostate cancer had returned and spread. He said Sunday that it\u2019s a \u201cconsistent battle,\u201d but he\u2019s doing well.<\/p>\n
\u201cLike I told the players, people like Ryno and Hall of Famers, they make an impact like when they step in the room,\u201d manager Craig Counsell said over the weekend. \u201cAnd that\u2019s what Ryno has done for us already.\u201d<\/p>\n
Second baseman Nico Hoerner has appreciated over the years that even after all Sandberg accomplished in his career, he\u2019s remained curious.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe doesn\u2019t talk like he has all the answers to everything,\u201d Hoerner told the Sun-Times, \u201cand he\u2019s still interested in the game and learning about what we\u2019re doing, and differences in training between then and now, or similarities.\u201d<\/p>\n
The feeling is mutual. Word got around to Sandberg that Hoerner was curious about the gloves the nine-time Gold Glove second baseman played with. So, Sandberg brought his gloves from 1984 and 1989 \u2013 both playoff years and Gold Glove seasons \u2013 with him to spring training this year.<\/p>\n
Sandberg has been impressed over the past decade or so at how comfortable Cubs players have been approaching him to seek his expertise.<\/p>\n
He met Matt Shaw, now the Cubs\u2019 top prospect and the favorite to win the third base job out of camp, during the 2023 first-round picks\u2019 Wrigley Field visit a year and a half ago. Then Shaw initiated a conversation with Sandberg at Cubs Convention.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy impression: very, very sharp,\u201d Sandberg said. \u201cI\u2019d call him a ball player; he knows the game, knows how to play the game. \u2026 I\u2019m impressed with his headsiness, as far as baseball goes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sandberg\u2019s return to spring training has made a significant impact on the team, and his presence continues to energize the Hall of Famer. His stories, wisdom, and expertise have made a lasting impression on the current players, and his legacy lives on through the game of baseball.<\/p>\n
* What is Ryne Sandberg\u2019s current health status?
\nRyne Sandberg is currently undergoing treatment for prostate cancer, but he is doing well.
\n* How long has Sandberg been coming back to Cubs spring training?
\nSandberg has been attending Cubs spring training camps for over 40 years, starting from his early 20s.
\n* What is Sandberg\u2019s current role with the Cubs?
\nSandberg is a guest and ambassador for the Chicago Cubs, and he attends spring training to share his expertise and provide guidance to the current players.
\n* How has Sandberg been able to stay connected with the game despite his health challenges?
\nSandberg remains curious and interested in the game, and he continues to seek out opportunities to stay involved with the Cubs and other players.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ryne Sandberg’s Return to Cubs Camp Makes an Impact, Energizes Hall of Famer A Trip Down Memory Lane MESA, Ariz. \u2013 On the flight to Arizona, Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg calculated the number of spring training camps he\u2019d attended in uniform, from the time he was 18 years old until now. His count included […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":13907,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-13906","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/cst.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/6d7cbf5\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/4200x2398+0+0\/resize\/1461x834!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F58%2F87%2Fe7d474a540a7a15841cf1f6b29c3%2Fsandberg-03-st25-8x12-350.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13906"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13906"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13906\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13908,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13906\/revisions\/13908"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13907"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13906"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13906"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13906"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}