Ryne Sandberg remembered for how he played the game and treated people on way to Hall of Fame

FILE — Former Chicago Cubs player Ryne Sandberg speaks before the team unveils a statue of him before a baseball game against the New York Mets in Chicago, Sunday, June 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File) AP

ANAHEIM, Calif. — The public and private elements of Ryne Sandberg’s life came together during Friday’s memorial service at Old St. Patrick’s Church, a building that withstood the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 and landed on the National Register of Historic Places.

That classical setting was a fitting way to remember the stoic Sandberg, whose name is forever etched into the city’s history as an iconic figure for the Chicago Cubs. The Hall of Fame second baseman, who died last month at the age of 65 after a battle with cancer, connected generations of baseball fans and nurtured an ext