Ryno

Just to hit the ball
And touch them all
A moment in the sun
It's gone and you can tell that one goodbye
--John Fogerty

Watching some recent highlights that featured Phillies manager Ryne Sanderge brought back memories of the Hall of Fame second baseman's stellar career as a player.

As I played out my baseball dream in the woods of Wisconsin in the 1980s, there was no player I admired more than Sandberg. His numbers, of course, spoke for themselves. But it was his approach that caught my eye. Quiet, unassuming. He played the game on the field rather than in the press. Consummate professional.

My best memory of Ryno was Memorial Day weekend, 1990. I had met up with my brother in Chicago, and a good friend who worked for Ameritech (remember them?) at the time scored corporate box seats at Wrigley.

There we sat, behind the first base dugout, on a glorious early summer afternoon at the Wrig as the Cubs played the Astros. Sandberg went 4 for 5 that day with two HRs. He went on to hit a career high 40 round trippers that year while batting .306.

Ryno modeled the game.