MILWAUKEE -- Ian Happ was navigating his way through a difficult April earlier in his career and went to the batting cage to get some work done before a game. Once there, he ran into Cubs icon and Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg, who happened to be at Wrigley Field that day.
Sandberg pulled Happ aside between rounds and offered the Cubs outfielder some advice. He told Happ how April often gave him trouble, too, but he always found his way out of those early-season slumps. That plaque hanging in the hallowed halls of Cooperstown, N.Y., lists records, feats and awards. It does not display the hard times.
“It was just cool,” Happ said. “It was cool to have somebody who’s played forever and been through moments to take the time, and to be paying that much attention and to be watching that closely and to know how much weight his words carry.”
A legend on the field and by all accounts a class act away from the diamond, Sandberg passed on Monday following a battle with cancer. He was 65. Cubs manager Craig Counsell learned of Sandberg’s death shortly before Monday’s 8-4 loss to the Brewers, and he informed the team in the clubhouse immediately following the game.
For Happ and second baseman Nico Hoerner -- two of the longest-tenured players in the organization -- the news was difficult. Whether in camp during Spring Training or around the team in Chicago, Sandberg was always available for conversation. He was soft-spoken, but he loved to talk about the game and offer any insight he could from his decorated career.
“He's kind of the blueprint for what it means to be an amazing Cub,” Hoerner said, “as far as the way he carried himself, obviously through his career and everything he achieved, but just how selfless he was in his time with us, too. It was never about him, ever. It was just true love for the game of baseball.
“And I think that was particularly clear this spring in all the effort that he made to be there throughout even more than, I'm sure, what we can even imagine.”
Sandberg and his family announced in December that the former second baseman had experienced a relapse of the metastatic prostate cancer he had been battling for nearly a year at that point. Even so, Sandberg made it to Cubs Convention in January and then made a point to join the team in Arizona in February for Spring Training.
Former Cubs Mark Grace and Shawon Dunston surprised Sandberg with a visit to the team’s spring site, while former team greats Fergie Jenkins and Rick Sutcliffe were also in Arizona. At one point, they pulled rookie infielder Matt Shaw into their circle as they told stories, shared laughs and gave advice.
“We were lucky as a group this year to have Ryno in Spring Training,” Counsell said. “And it was an honor to be around a man battling for his life, but wanting to come to the baseball park and spend his day with us. And I know it meant a lot to everybody in there.”
Back in a Cubs uniform and in his element, Sandberg said that morning, “It feels good to be out here, fresh air, sunshine, around the guys. I mean, it feels really good.”
Over the course of his career, Sandberg amassed seven Silver Slugger trophies, picked up nine Gold Glove Awards and was named to 10 All-Star teams. He set the career record (at the time) for homers by a second baseman and won the National League MVP in 1984, when he set a single-season club record with 13 triples at Wrigley Field.
“He was kind of just really good at everything,” Counsell said. “He was fast. He was a great defender. Loved triples. He talked about getting triples in Wrigley. And we still to this day, like once a week, we’ll talk about, ‘How did he hit [so many] triples in Wrigley?’”
On June 23, 2024, which marked the 40th anniversary of “The Ryne Sandberg Game” -- his legendary two-homer, five-hit, seven-RBI performance against the rival Cardinals -- the Cubs unveiled a statue honoring Sandberg outside Wrigley Field.
Counsell and the entire Cubs team watched from the ramps at the top of the ballpark, while fans filled Gallagher Way and lined up and down Clark St. to hear the Hall of Famer’s speech. Happ called that day one of his “most special memories” since joining the Cubs. Counsell said it was a testament to how a player can connect generations of players and impact a city and fan base.
“There’s a whole generation of Cubs fans that just absolutely adored Ryno,” Happ said. “And you could feel it. You could feel it when he was around.”
Counsell has said multiple times over the past two years that Sandberg had the kind of presence that could immediately be felt when he walked into a room.
“What we do for a living is about competing,” Counsell said. “But his presence was almost due to kindness. And that’s such a rare [trait]. He was probably living at a higher level than the rest of us. I think that’s what he was known for. That’s what made him special. People like that make you better. They make you better people.”