Bleacher Bunch Network: A Chicago Cubs Podcast

This one’s from the heart.

In this episode, I take time to reflect on the passing of my childhood hero, Ryne Sandberg — and the impact he had not just on the Cubs, but on me personally. Ryno wasn’t just a great player. He was my player. And this week hit hard.

🧢 Here’s what I talked about:

• How an 8-year-old kid in 1982 found his way to baseball — and to Ryne Sandberg

• The Sandberg Game: June 23, 1984, when everything changed

• Why Ryno’s quiet intensity, consistency, and love for the game shaped how I see baseball

• The countless hours I spent in my backyard trying to be him — and how that defined the way I played and now coach

• My trip to Cooperstown for his Hall of Fame induction, a moment I’ll never forget

• What it meant to have my own son meet Ryno at Cubs Convention last year

• Why I passed on one last autograph — and why I’m at peace with that decision

Ryne Sandberg didn’t just play the game — he respected it, lived it, and taught us how to do the same. He was always there, in some form, throughout my life in baseball. And now that he’s gone, I feel that absence deeply.

Thank you, Ryno. You’ll always be my favorite player.

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