[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 132 (Thursday, July 31, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4962-S4963]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                       Remembering Ryne Sandberg

  Mr. RICKETTS. Mr. President, I rise today to talk about the loss of a 
man who had a great impact on the city of Chicago, the Chicago Cubs, 
and my family.
  Ryne Sandberg was the greatest second baseman to ever play for the 
Cubs. He came to the Cubs in 1981 as part of a trade where the Phillies 
sent Larry Bowa to the Cubs, and Dallas Green insisted on Ryne Sandberg 
being a part of that trade because he had seen him play.
  From the get-go, Ryne Sandberg made an impact on the Chicago Cubs. 
Just a couple of short years later, in 1984, Ryne Sandberg led the Cubs 
to their first playoff appearance since the 1945 series. It was an MVP 
season for him. He had 19 home runs, and that was just the beginning of 
a fantastic career.
  I was just getting to Chicago around that time, and that season is 
what made me a Cubs fan. I recall going to many games and watching Ryne 
Sandberg play. He was one of the best second basemen in the game. He 
set

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records for home runs by a second baseman, for fielding percentage--96 
consecutive games without an error. The man could do it all.
  Throughout his tenure at the Cubs, he did a fantastic job. In fact, 
in 1984, who can forget the game--with all due respect to my colleagues 
from Missouri--in 1984, he hit a home run in the 9th inning to make 
sure that we had extra innings in that game against the St. Louis 
Cardinals and then again in the 10th to beat them. That was the kind of 
competitor that Ryne Sandberg was.
  Throughout his career, he got a lot of hardware. He went to the All-
Star game 10 times, 9 Golden Gloves, 7 Silver Slugger Awards. All of 
these accolades reflected the kind of person he was and are one of the 
reasons why Ryne Sandberg is a Hall of Famer. There was a statue of him 
in Wrigley Field for his contributions to the Cubs and to the game of 
baseball. Ryne was just synonymous with the Cubs while he was playing, 
and he was the kind of baseball player you were proud of. He didn't say 
much, but when he did, people listened.
  But as great a baseball player as he was, the man was even better. 
Ryne Sandberg was the type of player you were proud to have on your 
team. He was a man of integrity. He did what he said he was going to 
do, worked hard, was tenacious, was great in the clubhouse. He was a 
player, a coach, an ambassador for us. He gave back to the community, 
whether it was through Cubs charities or his own Ryno kids foundation, 
where he helped sick kids stand up to cancer. All of those things he 
did to give back to the community.
  He was one of those people that was just a pleasure to be around.
  Somebody who understood the importance of the game but also knew the 
people were more important.
  So, now, Ryne Sandberg is playing that eternal baseball game up in 
the sky, but his legacy will live on here. Countless fans will go to 
Cooperstown, read about his baseball exploits.
  But his family--his wife Margaret, 5 kids, 11 grandkids--and all the 
folks in the Cubs organization know how Ryne Sandberg was a man that 
was more than just a baseball player. He was the kind of man that was 
an example for all of us in this country, who played America's pastime 
but knew the values of America meant taking care of our fellow 
citizens.
  Ryne will be missed, and I hope we can all reflect upon what he meant 
to the game, to the Cubs, and this country as an example of how we 
should all be.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Connecticut.