Chicago Cubs: The Heroes of Wrigley Series presents Ryne Sandberg

Impossible to stay away from the game he loved, Ryno suits up once again but solely from the view of the dugout.

Sandberg tried his hat managing in 2006, leading the Cubs’ Class A affiliate, the Peoria Chiefs, to the championship game.  In rapid succession, the organization promoted him to Double-A manager in 2008 then Triple-A the following year in 2009.

After winning the 2010 Manager of the Year for the Pacific Coast League, Sandberg campaigned to be the next manager of the Chicago Cubs after the team’s former manager, Lou Pinella, retired.

The Cubs eventually passed up on Sandberg and caused a bit of the strain between the organization and himself.  He opted for better opportunities, returning to the organization that drafted him, the Philadelphia Phillies.  After a few years managing in the minors, he became manager of the Phillies in 2013.

Sandberg and the Phillies eventually went their separate ways and he returned to the Cubs as a goodwill ambassador in 2016.  A great year to do so, as the team ended their 108-year drought, finally capturing a long-awaited World Series title.

Ryne Sandberg, Wrigley Field, and second base are all synonymous with each other, and all is right within the vines with No. 23 back home where he belongs.

Sandberg is the epitome of what Chicago Cubs baseball is all about, and we need to thank the Phillies organization every day for making one of the worst trades in baseball history.

With the arrival of the legend, it made up for the 1963 Lou Brock trade and the murmurs and laughter about Ernie Broglio all blew away in the Wrigley wind every afternoon when we witnessed this Hero of Wrigley man his position at second base.