The Chicago Cubs unveiled a new statue of Ryne Sandberg outside Wrigley Field.
The Hall of Famer, 64, was honored by the Cubs on Sunday before their game against the New York Mets.
3
This came on the 40th anniversary of “The Ryne Sandberg Game,” which saw its namesake score two home runs off fellow MLB Hall of Famer Bruce Sutter.
Sandberg, also known as “Ryno,” would be named MVP that season.
The statue was unveiled in a grand ceremony attended by names such as Hall of Famer Bill Murray, Fergie Jenkins, Billy Williams, Andre Dawson and Jim Thone, among others.
Cubs players also took time in their preparation for the upcoming game to go out on the porch and watch the ceremony.
Applause and cheers rang out from the huge crowd as the curtains were drawn and Sandberg’s new statue was unveiled.
The bronze statue shows Sandberg in the outfield awaiting the ball, with his sunglasses turned up and a gold patch on his glove — representing the nine Gold Glove awards he has won, according to the Puppies.
Sandberg’s statue is now immortalized forever and will feature prominently alongside team legends Williams, Jenkins, Ron Santo and Erie Banks.
Snaps and videos from the event quickly reached X, formerly known as Twitter, where fans wasted no time in giving their opinion on the work.
“Yeah, not sure about the eyes guys,” said one fan.
“I hope they didn’t pay for it?” she asked for a second.
In comparison, a third commented, “They made the statue correctly.”
“The sunglasses. The defensive stance. The uniform with the Mad Cubs logo on the sleeve. This is the vision of my childhood. I loved it.”
While another simply added: “So amazing!”
Addressing the vast crowd in attendance, Sandberg reflected on his career as well as his recent battle with cancer.
“My life changed a lot in 1984, but that’s nothing compared to what happened six months ago,” he said.
“So my thoughts today are about love, life, family and friends. My teammates fall into all of these categories.
“But until my cancer diagnosis, I don’t think I ever fully understood that.
In January, Sandberg was diagnosed with prostate cancer, for which he immediately began treatment, as per the MLB.
Fortunately, no cancer was detected when tested on May 20, although he continues to undergo regular screenings.
“The number of people in baseball who have reached out to me this year is surprising,” the 10-time All-Star added.
“I feel that love now. He was always there.
“But I was too busy bowling 60 extra balls every morning to know what was going on.
“We are who we are, and it was me. I love you.”
After thanking his former teammates, family and fans, Sandberg took the opportunity to give credit to all those he worked with throughout his career.
“You can’t get a statue alone,” he said.
“Every single one of my teammates and coaches is right there with me.”
3
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
