Hall of Fame Ryno takes shot at Roids/Guys not playing hard

Stone193

Did anyone watch the HOF inductees today?

Ryno's speech was very interesting. I found a nice 93L insert of him - "Heading for the Hall" - and commented on his speech a bit.

Ryno would never be accused of being a top flite speaker but he did get in some "shots."

mike

kuhlmann

Mike

i heard a tidbit on my way back from the braves game today. sounded like he took a shot at roids? and again congrats to your darn braves!

Stone193

<< <i>Mike

i heard a tidbit on my way back from the braves game today. sounded like he took a shot at roids? and again congrats to your darn braves! >>


I'll be looking to see if some think he used his day, not to be in the limelight but rather as a pulpit.

His speech....no one would accuse him of being a charismatic speaker but he did get "into" it a bit.
He referenced the accomplishments of Andre Dawson as relating to himself - "we did it the natural way. He took his shot at players that don't feel the need to play a "complete game" - that even if you are a power hitter - know how to bunt. Work hard everyday! He also let the Cub fans know there's another "pro" Santo voter now! He put a plug in for Andre for the HOF also.


mike

DeutscherGeist

I don't mind him taking shots at steroid users. Someone has to speak up because there are a number of clean players that will be overlooked because they dont have those steroid induced numbers. Both Boggs and Sandberg also figure to be pro-Mattingly voters even though they did not say it out right. They are his contemporaries and one was a teammate of his, so they know exactly what Mattingly represents.

Stone193

<< <i>I don't mind him taking shots at steroid users. Someone has to speak up because there are a number of clean players that will be overlooked because they dont have those steroid induced numbers. Both Boggs and Sandberg also figure to be pro-Mattingly voters even though they did not say it out right. They are his contemporaries and one was a teammate of his, so they know exactly what Mattingly represents. >>


DG
Boggs was relatively sedate next to Ryno. BTW, I think it takes moral courage to stand up there and state one's views. I would not be surprised if some veterans would feel that the HOF induction is not the place for that kind of talk.

I found it interesting. And, I can see Boggs pushing for Matty also. A great ballplayer - a fan favorite of mine!

mike

megatron

Slammin' Sammy?

Published August 1, 2005 Chicago Tribune


COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. -- Like Voldemort, the personification of evil in the Harry Potter series, mostly called He Who Must Not Be Named, Sammy Sosa's name wasn't voiced on Sunday, at least not by Ryne Sandberg.

But Sandberg, Sosa's teammate for five years with the Cubs, nevertheless gave the greatest slugger in Cubs history a merciless beating in the speech he gave as he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Quiet throughout his 16 big-leagues seasons, Sandberg delivered a powerful, impassioned speech built around the theme of respect. He sounded a lot older than 45 when he castigated modern players for being selfish in both their style of play and posturing. He sounded so old he might as well have been Bob Feller, not a guy only eight years removed from the playing field.

But when Sandberg wrapped up his speech after about 23 minutes, he was bathed in waves of approval. He had struck a chord as much with his fellow Hall of Famers and club executives in attendance as with the blue-clad Cubs fans, who made up more than half of the estimated 28,000 gathered on a country hillside.

"What a great message," said Roland Hemond, a special assistant to White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf. "We've got to take that tape and show it to minor-leaguers every spring. It's the best thing I've heard about having respect for the game, for your teammates, in a long time."

Sandberg spoke about learning how to be a complete player, not a one-dimensional slugger.

"When did it become OK for someone to hit home runs and forget how to play the rest of the game?" he asked.

Sandberg spoke about playing the game "right because that's what you're supposed to do" and said if his election into the Hall validates anything it's that "learning how to bunt, hit-and-run and turning two is more important than knowing where to find the little red light [on] the dugout camera."

Sandberg talked about being warned to avoid lifting weights in the winter because it would cost you flexibility and hurt your all-around ability. "In my day," he said, "if you came to spring training 20 pounds heavier, you would have been in a lot of trouble."

Sandberg said he weighed 185 pounds as a high school quarterback, shortstop and small forward in Spokane, Wash., and 182 throughout his big-league career. He called Andre Dawson's MVP season with the Cubs in 1987 the most remarkable thing he has seen.

"He did it the right way, the natural way," Sandberg said.

Sandberg mentioned nine of his former Cubs teammates during his speech. Sosa, who was on the rise in 1997, Sandberg's final season, wasn't among them. It's fair to say he's not a big fan of heart taps and blown kisses.

"You hit a home run, you drop the bat, put your head down and run around the bases because the name on the front of your uniform is a lot more important than the name on the back," Sandberg said. "That's respect."

Asked afterward if he had been speaking about any players in particular, Sandberg flashed a quick smile. "Who did you have in mind?" he answered.

Sandberg knew the obvious answer was Sosa, he of the 587 career home runs and 2,176

career strikeouts, but wouldn't make his criticism personal when reporters tried to pin him down.

"In general you just see a lot of that," he said. "I watch these guys now and the players are self-promoting. They hit a home run, their team is behind four or five runs, and they get to the dugout and tip their cap because they hit a home run. It drives me nuts. I say hit a game-winning homer, circle the bases and then tip your hat. That's what I did. That's what I was taught."

Sosa was mentioned by name during the ceremonies. In a video introducing Wade Boggs, ESPN's excellent reporter, Tim Kurkjian, pointed out Boggs had 745 strikeouts in his 18-year career, saying "Sammy

Sosa had more than that in a four-and-a-half year stretch."

Here's a question: Had Sandberg been elected in 2003, his first year on the Hall of Fame ballot, would he have given the same speech?

In the last few years the tide has turned against the body-building sluggers like Sosa, Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds, who were celebrated as they turned Roger Maris' 61 home runs in 1961 into Roger Bannister's 4-minute mile.

Between the BALCO investigation, Congressional hearings and tell-all books, one of the few questions left about the prevalence of steroids and human growth hormone in baseball is when usage became commonplace.

Sandberg says he didn't see it in clubhouses. "I retired in '97, and I hadn't heard about any of it," he said. "If it was [around], players would have been talking about it and I never heard about it."

The time is fast approaching when voting members of the Baseball Writers Association of America will have to decide what to do with McGwire, who appeared a lock for the Hall before he ducked Congress' questioning about steroid use in March. If McGwire is denied a place in the Hall, what about Bonds and Sosa?

Frank Robinson recently told HBO interviewer Bob

Costas that if there's ever any proof that a player used steroids, he should be "expunged" from the record books.

Bonds, whose personal trainer was indicted in the BALCO case, walks a fine line in that regard. Sosa fits the steroids profile just as much as Bonds but has never been even indirectly implicated.

Sandberg says Ron Santo has gained a vote from the Veterans Committee with him being added to the electorate. It doesn't sound like Sosa should count on similar support.

progers@tribune.com

Other than the weight lifing issue, I thought his speech was good and not over the line. He earned his right to bash others.

IrishMike

Guess he knew what he was saying, right Raffy.

RedHeart54

<< <i>And, I can see Boggs pushing for Matty also. >>



Mmmm, I'm all of a sudden reminiscent for the circa-1987-88 question of wondering what the better card was: an '83 Topps Boggs or an '84 Topps Mattingly?

ctsoxfan

That was a great Ryno article. He made a lot of great, and unfortunately timely points. Well done!

Stone193

It was interesting to listen to Ryno - if you look at the printed word, he could come off as self righteous or something.

But, in person, he was not a slick speaker - seemed to be speaking from the heart about how he felt about the "privilege" of being a baseball player which has somewhere along the line translated, with many players recently, to entitlement!

Timing was spot on in light of the news.

mike

zef204

Awesome article! And I agree Stone, he was honored to play ball and he played it right.