Rising To Ray's Bait Regarding Ryne Sandberg

Lynne Kiesling

So Ray Gifford thinks I'm going to defend Ryne Sandberg's election to the Hall of Fame because "he's dreamy." Instead, here's how I'll defend it:

Average fielding percentage over 16 seasons of 0.989

Selection for the All-Star Game 10 years in a row, 1984-1993

NL Gold Glove second baseman every year for nine years, 1983-1991

NL MVP 1984

A top-10 batting average in 4 of his 16 seasons, even though he was never a superlative hitter

(Stats courtesy of baseball-reference.com)

I would've voted for him, even though contra Ray's speculation, Ryno's not my type. Too pretty. Plus I have more of a thing for cyclists and runners.

Congratulations to Ryne Sandberg! Go Cubs!