I’m sorry I didn't tell Ryne Sandberg that I named my daughter after him
If you ask me who my all-time favorite baseball players are, my answer comes easily. They’re Mickey Mantle, Sandy Koufax and Ryne Sandberg. The first two were my favorites from my childhood; when I first fell in love with the game. Sandberg fandom came along later.
I remember when the Cubs first acquired him from the Phillies. It was a trade where the Cubs sent their shortstop Ivan DeJesus to Philadelphia for their shortstop Larry Bowa. Ryne Sandberg came along, too.
The first time I saw him was in spring training before the 1982 season. There was no question he would make the team, but what position would he play? He could have played shortstop but Bowa was there. Maybe center field? He played third base to begin his Cub career before moving to second base.
What I loved was the versatility to do that. That was enough to move him onto my favorite list, long before he grew into a Hall of Fame player.
Fast forward to 1992. My youngest daughter is born. We gave her the name Kimberly RYAN. Yeah, the middle name is after Ryno, but we spelled it the traditional way to keep her from having to explain it to every kid and teacher.
A few years ago, I was at a concert in Chicago. After the opening act, I went into the bathroom. Standing next to me at a urinal was Ryne Sandberg. Not a word was spoken between us. I didn’t even look over or downward. When I told my daughter about the meeting she asked “Did you tell him your daughter is named after him?” I responded, “I was going to but decided a sixty-five-year-old man didn’t need to do that.” I regret not doing that today.
Yesterday, it was announced that Ryne Sandberg has metastatic prostate cancer. That means the disease has spread and is classified as stage 4. It doesn't sound good, but the treatment has begun. We wish him the best. He's in all of our thoughts.
But, the announcement brings back the baseball memories going back more than forty years ago. It also reminds me of that concert night from about six years ago. Damn, I wish I had told him I named my daughter after him. Hopefully, I'll get another chance.