Chicago — On a quiet afternoon at Wrigley Field, the home of many fiery summers and unforgettable home runs, the legendary Andre Dawson appeared with red eyes. In front of hundreds of silent Cubs fans, “The Hawk” could not hold back his tears as he said goodbye to his great teammate and longtime friend: Ryne Sandberg, who recently passed away at the age of 65 after a long battle with prostate cancer.
“I never thought I would be standing here saying goodbye to Ryno,” Dawson began, his voice trembling. “We were the pillars of the team, the brothers who stuck together during the years when the Cubs lived out their championship dreams. And now… a part of me is gone with him.”
Dawson and Sandberg were the irreplaceable pillars of the Cubs in 1987–1992. On a roster that wasn’t always among the best in MLB, they were two quiet lights—one in the middle of the field (Sandberg), one in the outfield (Dawson). But above all, they were brothers on and off the field.
“Ryno was a man of few words, but of big heart. He inspired not with words, but with actions—every diving save, every run in the ninth inning, every quiet standup after a loss.”
Andre Dawson recalls the afternoons after games when the two would sit by the locker room window overlooking the city of Chicago—a place they both chose as their home, not for the fame, but because the people there loved baseball like family.
“We were more than teammates. He was the friend I could call at 2 a.m., the person who held me when my mom died, the only person I could count on when my career was going down. With Ryno, I never felt alone.”
In recent years, though both have stepped away from the spotlight, Dawson and Sandberg have been a regular at Cubs events—from young player honors to fan meetings. They often sit next to each other in the front row of Cubs season openers.
“Even when cancer started to take his health, Ryno didn’t complain. He just smiled, said, ‘I’ll be fine, like always.’ … But this time, he was gone.”
Dawson paused, wiping away tears with a handkerchief embroidered with the number 23—Sandberg’s jersey number—before quietly walking away from the memorial. In the stands, an elderly fan held a handwritten sign:
“Thank you, Ryno — you made Cubs baseball beautiful.”
And underneath that line, Sandberg’s old signature — written in a shaky yet steady hand, just like the man himself.
Goodbye Ryno. In the hearts of Andre Dawson — and all Cubs fans — he will forever be a symbol of dignity, virtue, and loyalty.