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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Sandberg”s all smiles


Former Chicago Cubs second baseman Ryne Sandberg points to a plaque adorning the wall at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., on Tuesday. 
 (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
Craig Muder Utica (N.Y.) Observer-Dispatch

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. – Ryne Sandberg said his Hall of Fame election still hasn’t sunk in. But his actions betrayed his words.

All through his latest visit to Cooperstown, Sandberg never stopped smiling.

The North Central High graduate made his first visit to the Baseball Hall of Fame on Tuesday, admiring artifacts and chatting with media in a relaxed setting. In a little more than three months, Sandberg will return to Cooperstown – this time with thousands of Cubs fans as they watch Sandberg and Wade Boggs become the newest members of the Hall.

“To actually feel like I’m going to be a part of this is incredible,” said Sandberg, who was elected to the Hall in January during his third year on the Baseball Writers Association of America ballot. “The tour was actually a little bit too fast. I could have looked for hours.”

Sandberg and Boggs will be enshrined July 31. For Sandberg, it marks the end of a three-year saga that saw him quickly gain momentum after receiving just 49.2 percent of the vote in his first year on the ballot in 2003.

At the time, Sandberg had a record 277 homers as a second baseman and was recognized as one of the best fielding players at the position.

“I started hearing talk about the Hall of Fame in 1989 or 1990, but I knew better than to think about the Hall when I was still active,” said Sandberg, who played 16 big league seasons – 15 for the Cubs – from 1981-94 and 1997. “I’ve really gotten a lot of support the last three years while I was waiting.

“This is definitely a reality check. You feel that you’re getting closer to (the induction).”

Sandberg received 76.2 percent of the writers’ vote this winter – getting six more votes than he needed for induction. In addition to his 282 career homers, 1,318 runs scored and 344 stolen bases, Sandberg holds major league records for career fielding percentage for a second baseman (.989) and consecutive-game errorless streak (123).

Sandberg arrived in Cooperstown on Monday night and had dinner with fellow Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith, who was in town to participate in an electronic field trip with an estimated 15 million students across the nation. Smith, the former San Diego and St. Louis shortstop who is generally regarded as the best-fielding middle infielder in baseball history, has a healthy respect for his former National League East rival.

“There were a lot of battles between the Cardinals and the Cubs, but they were all clean,” said Smith, who serves as the Hall’s educational ambassador. “Ryne and I talked about how it was when we played. He’s one of the great people in the game of baseball, and he was a gentleman of the game.”

Sandberg, dressed casually in a blue sweater and khaki pants, toured the Hall with a childlike demeanor that seemed in contrast to his thinning and graying hair. The 45-year-old former All-Star, however, still looks as if he could play today.

But instead of taking infield and batting practice, Sandberg spends his days preparing for his Hall of Fame induction speech.

“I’m a big guy about being prepared, but there’s none of that here,” Sandberg said. “How do you get ready for that? My playing career – counting the minors – was over a 20-year period, and to wrap that up is tough.

“I remember the first time I was asked to give an artifact to the Hall. I was really honored. Now, I’m here.”