Cubs cut Ryne Sandberg’s No. 23 into Wrigley Field grass before statue unveiling originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The Cubs traded their lawn mowers for paint brushes on Friday and carved Ryne Sandberg’s No. 23 into the center field grass of Wrigley Field ahead of their weekend series against the Mets.
The Cubs’ gesture marks an important weekend for Sandberg. The North Side will unveil Sandberg’s statue at Wrigley Field on Sunday at 3:00 PM (CT).
Sandberg has already had his classic No. 23 retired by the Cubs. Along with Sandberg, Ron Santo, Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, Greg Maddux and Ferguson Jenkins have also retired.
Now Sandberg will join a limited cast and have a statue at Wrigley Field. There is one in honor of legendary broadcaster Harry Caray and another three in honor of Hall of Fame trio Ernie Banks, Ron Santo and Billy Williams.
Sandberg said Friday on 670 The Score that he didn’t pay as much attention to his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame as he did to earning a statue at Wrigley Field. But he’s more excited about the memories it will hold for Cubs fans.
“The way I look at this, what a tremendous honor and gift from the Cubs and Tom Ricketts to myself, my family and my friends,” Sandberg said. But in the end, what a great gift for the Cubs fans and the baseball fans who will be attending the Wrigley Field games starting Sunday. And to have a statue there, in a way that’s how I look at it. This is for the fans for me. It’s something for the fans to watch and maybe look back on the 80s and 90s.”
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