Second Chance For Baseball’s Best At Second Sandberg Flashes Similar Skills Despite His Self-Imposed Respite

Hard one-hoppers. Tricky high-bouncers. Slow rollers. One after another, they find the pocket of Ryne Sandberg’s glove.

No drops. No juggles. No “snow cones.” When the baseball hits the glove, there is no loud “thwack.” Just the muffled “pffft” of a ball softly settling into a leather cocoon.

“Like he never left,” Chicago Cubs manager Jim Riggleman said.

When he retired after 13 major-league seasons on June 13, 1994, Ryne Sandberg was the best-fielding second baseman in baseball history. Of every 100 chances to come his way, he handled 99 without error.

Now Sandberg is back, still looking fit at age 36, and he’s brought his golden glove with him.

Revitalized by a new marriage and encouraged by the Cubs’ new management group, Sandberg worked out for four months before spring training began. By the time the exhibition season started, the 10-time All-Star said, “I knew what I was doing - and that was a good feeling.”

“I felt very natural, very comfortable,” he said. “I’m happy. I’m happy playing baseball again.”

Sandberg is just one of several high-profile players hoping to make successful comebacks this season.

Dwight Gooden has joined the New York Yankees 1-1/2 years after a drug-related suspension. Jimmy Key, Bryan Harvey, Eric Davis, John Hudek and Aaron Sele are trying to return from serious injuries. Pete Incaviglia, Kevin Mitchell and Julio Franco are back from Japan.

But Sandberg is a special case. When he retired 21 months ago because his marriage was on the rocks and the Cubs were going nowhere, Sandberg walked away from what was then baseball’s richest contract.

In giving up some $7 million a year, Sandberg also gave up a slice of his reputation as a hard-working, never-stop-trying ballplayer.

Suddenly, Ryne Sandberg, a native of Spokane, was a quitter.

“I was upset, because we really needed him and he just walked away on us,” first baseman Mark Grace said. “But only Ryno really knows what was going on in his head. I knew he wasn’t having fun. He didn’t like the front office. He didn’t like the losing. He didn’t like the things in his personal life. It all just came to a head and he had to get out. I understand now.”

Said Sandberg, who will make $2 million plus incentives this season: “That was something I had to do. I couldn’t worry about what the public thought.”

Publicly, Sandberg said he left mostly because he felt then-Cubs general manager Larry Himes was incompetent. His failing marriage and his dispute over the custody of his two children, however, were bigger factors.

Cindy Sandberg filed for divorce a week after Ryne retired. A few days before the divorce was final, Sandberg became engaged to Margaret Koehnemann, a neighborhood friend. They married last August. Earlier this month, a judge ruled that Sandberg’s children could spend much of the baseball season with him.

Sandberg made his decision to return to baseball last September. He was in the stands at Wrigley Field and watched with amazement - and envy - as Chicago surged down the stretch and almost stole a wild-card playoff spot.

It became evident to Sandberg that the new management team of president Andy MacPhail, G.M. Ed Lynch and Riggleman could produce a winning team. To Sandberg, the driving force of the Cubs’ 1984 and 1989 N.L. East championship teams, that was imperative.

With his new wife and his new outlook on baseball, the change in Sandberg has been obvious to those who know him.

“He was the most tense human being I’d ever seen just before he retired,” Grace said. “It’s nice to see him having fun, joking and relaxing. It’s nice to see him enjoying the game of baseball again.”

For the Cubs, it’s also nice to see Sandberg in the No. 2 spot in the batting order. Though his nine Gold Gloves dominate his trophy case, Sandberg was baseball’s best-hitting second baseman for a decade.

He retired with a .289 average, 245 home runs, 905 RBIs and 325 stolen bases. In his last four full seasons, he averaged 31 homers and 91 RBIs. A broken hand curtailed his power numbers in 1993. The distracted, disturbed Sandberg was batting 238 when he retired in ‘94.

While Sandberg hasn’t displayed much power this spring, he has shown a live bat and a willingness to make adjustments that should help avoid slumps.

But it’s his flawless work at second base that has been most impressive.

“Watching Ryne work, I’m just amazed that I’ve never seen him get a bad hop,” Riggleman said. “His hands, his technique, his fundamentals at catching ground balls are textbook.

“I mean, you take that many ground balls, and one’s going to hit you on the wrist now and then. Or jump up and get the bad part of the glove. Or the shoulder. I don’t know if I’ve seen that once with him.”

Sandberg’s return let the Cubs move Rey Sanchez, who had replaced Sandberg at second base, to shortstop. With Sanchez back at his natural position, Chicago didn’t need to pay big money to Shawon Dunston.

Dunston, who signed with the San Francisco Giants, said he was happy for Sandberg. But he also took a few shots at his longtime double-play partner.

“I hope he’s not coming back just because he’s jealous that we won without him last year,” Dunston said. “He taught me a lot about how to play hard and go about your business. I respect him, and I don’t respect many players. The only thing I wish is that he would have dove for ground balls. Maybe that’s why he never got hurt.”

Even in his best years, Sandberg didn’t have the fielding range and dive-for-a-grounder style of flashier second basemen.

Sandberg’s game was outworking and outthinking his opponents, always getting in perfect position, never missing a grounder hit near him.

“The amount of work he’s put in over the years,” Riggleman said, “he’s just got a great feel for it.”

At the press conference announcing his return, Sandberg was asked if he’d move to third base, since the Cubs reportedly were interested in free-agent second baseman Craig Biggio.

“No,” Sandberg said, without hesitation. “I want to play second base. That’s what I know. That’s what I want to do. I’m very confident that I can help the Cubs win.”

Graphic: Age of the comeback