Remembering Ryne Sandberg's Powerful Words About The Importance Of Faith, Family, And Friends
Rest in peace to a sports icon.
The sports world as a whole lost a true legend on Monday night with the passing of Ryne Sandberg. While the statistics, plethora of accolades, and countless highlights of Sandberg protecting second base for the Chicago Cubs hold a place in the minds of most baseball fans who grew up in the 1980s, the way he carried himself off the diamond can not be overlooked.
Sandberg was honored with a statue on Gallagher Way just outside of Wrigley Field in June 2024. At that time, he was still in a battle with metastatic prostate cancer before being declared cancer-free that August, but Sandberg took to the stage during the ceremony and gave a brief, yet memorable speech, thanking the many people who helped him along his journey.
There is one moment in particular from Sandberg's speech on that June afternoon that particularly stands out.
"Commitment, work ethic, and dreams. Those are all good words. Faith, family, friends, and love. These are also very good words. They are probably the best words for me. I am not here without all of those words," Sandberg stated.
Nothing about Sandberg's statement was necessarily profound, but the words seem to perfectly represent the man he was and strived to be throughout his playing career, and those priorities remained the same as he took on his fight with cancer.
As someone born in 1992, I do not have any memories of Sandberg playing baseball, as he retired from the game in 1997. However, as tributes continue to pour out for the legendary infielder, it's clear that he had an immeasurable impact not only on baseball and the city of Chicago, but on millions of kids who picked up a glove and a bat who grew up in his heyday.
While those kids dreamed of being the next Ryne Sandberg, only a select few managed to get a taste of professional baseball, but each and every one of them can take a page out of his playbook and be thankful for family, friends, faith, and love as they continue to navigate life.