Respect for Ryne Sandberg, the newest MLB Hall of Fame member.

I am feeling sentimental because Ryne Sandberg, my idol in the world of baseball, was inducted into the Hall of Fame today. Not only was he inducted, he gave a speech that was so pure and solid and right--just like him--that it made me nod my head in agreement. During his speech, I shed tears of joy for his moment and tears of sadness because I miss seeing him play every day. Showing how well he rolls with the punches and the sincerity of his appreciation for the fans, in response to a fan who yelled, "We love you, Ryne," he said without missing a beat, "I love you, too!"

Just as Ryne did not waste opportunities as a baseball player, he did not waste a great opportunity as a Hall of Fame inductee. The opportunity he seized was the chance to make a statement bigger than the moment. While appreciative of the honor, Ryne reminded us, humbly, of why he received it. In a word: respect. His respect for the great game of baseball, and for his managers, his teammates and Cubs fans. Ryne said he was astounded throughout his career when people expressed admiration for the things he did, such as showing up at the ballpark regularly and on time, the Gold Glove defense, the full-scope offense that included the long ball as well as the ability to bunt and otherwise get on base. He was astounded because in his view, that was just his job and he owed nothing less to the sport, his team or himself.

This is a message as foreign as the Greek language to players like Gary Sheffield, who threatened any team that receive him in trade from the Yankees that he would dog it if he was acquired involuntarily. Likewise, the message of respect is totally foreign to a player like Kenny Rogers who, despite making millions of dollars every year to play the game he supposedly loves, is an angry, violent bully who threatens and try to intimidate news cameramen who are merely doing their jobs, for much less money. It is foreign to players like Sammy Sosa, who was poised to become the "next Ryne Sandberg" in Chicago Cubs history, but instead corked his bat and , when the team was eliminated from playoff contention on the next-to-last day of the 2004 season, refused to play, left Wrigley Field early and lied about leaving. Ryne knows about these guys, too. He spoke not very subtly about how the players of this great game are different today, asking when it became enough to hit home runs without contributing to the offense in other way, or caring more about spotting "the little red light on the dugout camera" than turning a double play.

The question is, will the Sheffields or the Sosas or the Rogers of the world hear about Ryne's speech and take it to heart? So far, I haven't been able to find a single story online about that aspect of his speech, other than perhaps a Jerry Crasnick story on ESPN.com. I don't know if Crasnick wrote about this because his story is only available to "insiders" who pay extra (how appropriate). Nonetheless, I hope Ryne's message gets out and that players take it to heart. Because the respect that Ryne exemplifies, and of which he spoke so eloquently today, is what will preserve the game for years to come. Without it, baseball will become nothing more than the NBA or the WWF, despite the feeling one gets when emerging into the sunshine on a beautiful day at the ballpark and the devotion the game inspires in generations of fans who love nothing more than to watch their favorite players chase that little white ball with 108 stitches.

Update: It took a little while, but here is a pretty good story by Barry Bloom of MLB.com that at least mentions this aspect of Ryne's speech. Looks like Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune got it, too.