Second to Home: Ryne Sandberg Opens Up [Hardcover]

Ryne Sandberg (Author), Barry Rozner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1995

For the first time, Ryne tells his story. Why he left the Chicago Cubs. The details of a weekend that shocked the sports world. As he reviews his 17 year career, this reticent man now discloses what he never felt comfortable discussing as an active player. Here are the contract details. Here, at length, are discussions of players, coaches, managers, and general managers with whom he spent 17 years of professional baseball. Here are the betting tips that converted him from a singles hitter to a feared home-run slugger.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Among the biggest baseball news of 1994 was the retirement in midseason of Sandberg, who had been the Chicago Cubs second baseman since 1982. In his exceptional career, he was named the league's MVP in 1984, played in 10 All-Star games and won nine Gold Gloves. A star on the field, he was also admired as an individual. Movie-star handsome, shy and self-effacing, he stresses in his memoir that he concentrated on becoming a better player, with the goal of contributing to his team's success rather than compiling impressive personal statistics or squeezing more money out of management, although he made lots. He is a kindly judge of all with whom he came in contact-except Larry Himes, the management figure who, in his view, wrecked the Cubs in the early 1990s with injudicious firings and trades. With Rozner, a reporter for the Arlington Heights, Ill., Daily Herald, he explains that he quit-and passed up $15 million-because he no longer had any competitive fire. An interesting look at an admirable player of a major sport. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Ryne Sandberg, the Chicago Cub second baseman who retired in midseason last year, is certain to be elected to baseball's Hall of Fame as soon as he's eligible. For all his talent afield, though, Sandberg had no ability to self-promote and no visible personality. In fact, he was so quiet and shy, he was almost invisible. Now, in this standard sports autobiography, he "tells all." It's a routine then-we-played account until we get to the last few years of Sandberg's career, when Larry Himes took over as the Cubs' general manager. Sandberg goes to great lengths to catalog Himes' gaffes, from dumb player acquisitions and strange trades through miscommunications, deliberate and otherwise. Each incident played a role in triggering Sandberg's unexpected retirement. The game wasn't fun, the Cubs were losing, and Sandberg didn't care anymore. End of story. Like Sandberg himself, this is a sincere if bland tale of sports success and disenchantment. For collections where baseball interest is high. Wes Lukowsky

Product Details

• Hardcover: 313 pages
• Publisher: Bonus Books; 1ST edition (April 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566250404
• ISBN-13: 978-1566250405
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,007,970 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Greatest Second Baseman of All Time Has Written a ..., October 20, 2000

By 

George (Dayton, Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Second to Home: Ryne Sandberg Opens Up (Hardcover)

terrific account of his playing days. In his heydey, Ryno! was the smoothest fielding, power-hitting, speed-demon ballplayer A-Rod dreams he could become. No question, Ryno was the best ever. Now, read about what inspired him and how he went from a throw-in in the DeJesus-Bowa deal to MVP, HR Champ, and god of all infielders. When Joe Morgan rants about how good we was, I think he thinks we was Ryno!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SANDBERG IS A GOD AMONG MEN!!!!!, April 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Second to Home: Ryne Sandberg Opens Up (Hardcover)

Sandberg does a great job of telling his side of the story of the Cubs downfall. In 1988 the cubs were a force to be reckoned with and just a few short years later they were in shambles. This account of Larry Himes ruining the Cubs is very true. A terrific read. WE MISS YOU RYNO!!!!

5.0 out of 5 stars RYNO RULES, January 6, 2008

By 

COOL JEWEL (MACEDONIA, OHIO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Second to Home: Ryne Sandberg Opens Up (Hardcover)

THIS IS THE STORY OF RYNE SANDBERG FORMER CUBS GREAT. RYNO DOES A GREAT JOB TELLING HIS STORY, HIGHLIGHTED WITH THE REASON HE RETIRED EARLY. WHEN THE TRIBUNE DECIDED TO PUT AN IDIOT LIKE LARRY HIMES IN CHARGE, RYNO HAD ENOUGH OF THE EGO, CHEAPNESS AND HORRENDOUS MISTAKES HIMES MADE WITH THR CUBS. RYNO WAS TRULY ONE OF THE BEST 2ND BASEMAN OF ALL TIME. I REALLY ENJOYED THIS AND RECOMMEND IT FOR ALL CUBS FANS.