When did it - When did it become okay for someone to hit home runs and forget how to play the rest of the game?
Any time you're in the coaching business or managing in the minor leagues, when you see a player who has made it to the major leagues, you get a thrill out of that.
The Phillies liked the work I had done with the Cubs, and really wanted me there. They were on the phone as soon as my contract was up in Chicago, and it was just a great feeling to be wanted, to be appreciated for the work you do.
My Hall of Fame speech was about respect for the game.
Football, I thought, would be a tough sport to make a living in. There is no minor league. You either make it to the NFL or you don't.
I never forgot the four years I spent with the Phillies, my September call-ups and my big league Spring Trainings. I never forgot that.
You want to see energy, and you want to see guys on the same page. You want guys to work together and have that energy come out onto the field. That's a good place to start.
I'm not interested in on-the-job learning or on-the-job training.
I'm optimistic about the future.
I thought I was a pretty good shortstop, but I also wanted to play in the major leagues.
It was everyone going up there to swing for the fences, because the home runs were what would get them on 'SportsCenter.' That really changed the mindset of the players.
I was a hard worker.
No player in baseball history worked harder, suffered more, or did it better than Andre Dawson. He's the best I've ever seen.
If you played the game the right way, played the game for the team, good things would happen.
There's nothing I would do differently, no wishing I had done this or done that.
When I was a minor league player, my goal was to be a major leaguer. It's no different as a minor league manager.
I knew nothing about managing when I started.
I have great memories of being a Cub, and I'm happy building new ones with the Phillies.
In other ways, one way to be in a lineup or stay in a lineup or stay in a spot is to produce.
I defend my players and coaches.
I don't expect any red carpet to the big leagues. If the opportunity comes, then it comes. But I don't think I'm owed anything.
Baseball is all about relationships, and in some ways, what know you and who knows you.
It didn't happen, but I feel fortunate for the two chances we had and it's just a shame we didn't go to a World Series for Cub fans.
The reason I am here, they tell me, is that I played the game a certain way, that I played the game the way it was supposed to be played.
It's an elite group. And once you're in the Hall, you're in the Hall. Up until now, I think the voting system has handled things very well. And like I said before, there are no suspicions in the Hall of Fame.
All it takes to play baseball is a strong arm, good speed, and the coordination to hit the ball. That's it.
Tainted numbers, I believe, do not belong in the Hall of Fame.
I think sometimes Hall of Famers might get labeled as guys who aren't suited for a coaching job or to be back at the Major League level.
I got into pro ball at 18 and played until I was almost 39, non-stop.
I was taught you never, ever disrespect your opponent or your teammates or your organization or your manager and never, ever your uniform.
Even if we're in fifth place in September, I get butterflies before a game. I'm nervous.
I've always had that attitude that things happen for a reason.
When we went home every winter, they warned us not to lift heavy weights because they didn't want us to lose flexibility. They wanted us to be baseball players, not only home run hitters.
You never forget the feeling of not getting to the World Series. Yes, it sticks with you.
I talk to the players, either individually or as a group, what I'm feeling, and I think the players appreciate that. And I think they respond to that.
If this validates anything, it's that learning how to bunt and hit and run and turning two is more important than knowing where to find the little red light at the dug out camera.
I'm not a sportswriter. I don't get to vote. I don't get the ballot in the mail, so it's out of my hands either way. I can say that in the history of the Hall of Fame, there are no suspicions about guys who are in the Hall of Fame.
My style is I work hard at it. I feel like I'm prepared every day.
There were a lot of players who worked just as hard as I did, and if you didn't, you didn't stay in the big leagues.
I'm not thinking about records. Just winning the pennant would be exciting.
I'd rather play a double-header than speak at a banquet, and if I went to Wrigley Field knowing I had to be somewhere two hours after the game, it would bother me all day.
A lot of people say this honor validates my career, but I didn't work hard for validation.
I've been in baseball my whole life, so I understand there's a lot in baseball that is out of your control, and you have to focus on the things you can control.
I played high school football at a hundred and eighty-five pounds and played big league baseball at a hundred and eighty-two. I'd get up to maybe 188 in the off-season because every summer I'd lose eight to ten pounds.
I've spent 34 years associated with the Cubs, and part of the reason I've stayed in baseball is because I want to be part of a World Series winner.
'The Sandberg Game' comes up all the time. Fans tell me where they were. They were driving down the highway, they were in the bleachers, they were downtown listening on the radio, they were on the farm on a tractor. I've heard all the stories where people have been. They're just amazed by the ending of the game and the thrill of it.
One of the first benchmarks in a season are far as at-bats is 100.
It's hard for me to answer questions I haven't thought about.
If you're in the minor leagues, you want to get to the majors.
