Ryne Sandberg

CLEARWATER, Fla. - There is a Hall of Fame second baseman in camp with the Phillies, and Chase Utley is well aware of the man's presence. "I'd be dumb not to pick his brain," Utley said. So Utley and Ryne Sandberg will talk often, Utley promised. Outside observers would say there are plenty of similarities between the players. They hadn't met before this spring, but Sandberg's hiring as the franchise's triple-A manager created an opportunity. During spring training, Sandberg will work with the major-leaguers in camp before heading off to Allentown.

Even Curt Schilling tipped his cap. Cubs second baseman Ryne Sandberg had just singled to left in the fifth inning yesterday at Wrigley Field. Manager Jim Riggleman, sensing a perfect opportunity to give Sandberg a proper send-off during the last home game of his stellar career, prepared to send Miguel Cairo in as a pinch-runner. Sandberg trotted slowly across the infield and to the dugout on the third-base side. The haunting theme from "The Natural" played in the warm fall air. The crowd of 29,922 accorded him a standing ovation and demanded a curtain call.

Through the first 19 games, Atlanta's new centerfielder, Kenny Lofton, ranked first in the NL in hits (38), second in batting (.437), second in runs (21), second in stolen bases (nine) and third in total bases (50). Through the first three weeks of last season, the Braves hit 22 homers and scored 88 runs while going 11-10. This year, the club hit 15 homers over the same period, but scored 102 runs and won 14 of 19 games. Lofton's 21 runs has him on pace to break Hugh Duffy's franchise record of 160, set in 1894.

All-Star second baseman Ryne Sandberg, one of baseball's highest-paid players, will be in town this weekend when the Phillies meet the Chicago Cubs at Veterans Stadium. Sandberg, who was in the last year of his contract, signed a four-year, $28.4 million extension before the season. In addition to Sandberg, the Cubs feature first baseman Mark Grace and outfielder Andre Dawson, and their pitching includes two ex-Phillies: Bob Scanlon and Chuck McElroy. Game time tonight is 7:35; Saturday, "Camera Night," 7:05; and Sunday, "Nostalgia Day," 1:35 p.m. Fans are invited to bring their cameras and come out early for Saturday's game.

The Phillies have given permission to the St. Louis Cardinals to interview Triple A manager Ryne Sandberg for their vacant managerial position, according to reports. FoxSports.com first reported that permission was requested. The Cardinals are looking for a replacement for Tony La Russa, who retired after St. Louis won the World Series. The Cubs have a managerial opening, too, after Mike Quade was told yesterday that he would not be brought back. Cubs president Theo Epstein has said previous big-league experience is a prerequisite for the job. Epstein called Sandberg yesterday to tell him that he was not being considered.

Nearly 1,000 people went to DeSales University in Center Valley, near Allentown, on Thursday for the latest stop on the Phillies' winter banquet tour, and there was Ryne Sandberg. He is still a minor-league manager, facing the sixth straight season he will spend with the goal of one day reaching the majors again. So there he was, alongside Phillies manager Charlie Manuel, posing for photos with VIP guests and schmoozing with fans. Another fruitless winter left Sandberg answering the same questions he has fielded for years: Are you disappointed?

Well, as Bobby Bonilla always said, if you don't like the highest-paid player in baseball, just wait a few days. It will change. Only 94 days ago, it was Bonilla whose Mets contract (five years, $29.5 million) was supposed to be threatening the very survival of baseball, if not the entire universe. Now it is Ryne Sandberg who has taken over Bonilla's title as owner of baseball's most outrageous paycheck. Now it is Sandberg who has gotten the contract - a new four-year, $28.4 million extension from the Cubs - that's most guaranteed to cause baseball commissioner Fay Vincent to predict the end of the world.

The organization that had given up on Ryne Sandberg nearly 29 years ago came calling when the place where he prospered as a Hall of Fame second baseman and popular player-turned-manager turned its back. There was no job with the Phillies in Philadelphia for him, which meant Sandberg's ultimate goal needed to be delayed yet again. But after his hopes of becoming a major-league manager in Chicago were dashed, this was a way for him to return where it all began. "In a lot of ways," Sandberg said Monday, "I feel like a young kid again with this opportunity.

Orioles place Sosa on 15-day disabled list Sammy Sosa was placed on the 15-day disabled list yesterday by the Baltimore Orioles, who decided against taking a wait-and-see stance on the toe injury that has sidelined the slumping slugger since Thursday. Sosa had a lesion removed from underneath the nail of his right big toe on Friday. It's similar to an injury that forced him out of action in 2003, when he was with the Chicago Cubs. Two years ago, Sosa was on the DL after surgery to remove the nail from the same toe. To replace Sosa on the roster, Baltimore recalled first baseman Alejandro Freire from triple-A Ottawa.

About a month ago, a few of the younger Phillies were sitting on the bench at Veterans Stadium, watching the Chicago Cubs take early batting practice. Ryne Sandberg was hitting. They watched with rapt attention. "Wow," one of them finally said, breaking the silence. "He really is good. " Yeah, observed a guy sitting nearby, and it's kind of a shame, too. Sandberg was sort of a miscalculation that plunged the Phillies headfirst into the rebuilding process that continues to this day. The kid looked up, incredulous.

Nearly 1,000 people went to DeSales University in Center Valley, near Allentown, on Thursday for the latest stop on the Phillies' winter banquet tour, and there was Ryne Sandberg. He is still a minor-league manager, facing the sixth straight season he will spend with the goal of one day reaching the majors again. So there he was, alongside Phillies manager Charlie Manuel, posing for photos with VIP guests and schmoozing with fans. Another fruitless winter left Sandberg answering the same questions he has fielded for years: Are you disappointed?

AT HIS Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 2005, Ryne Sandberg gravitated toward his people. Ozzie Smith, Cal Ripken, Joe Morgan, Robin Yount. Second baseman, shortstops, guys who could play their position well and hit for average and hit it out of the park. Two summers later, Sandberg naturally gravitated toward his people again at the annual ceremony. Only this time the names were guys like Tommy Lasorda and Earl Weaver - ham-and-eggers as players, world champions as managers.

The Phillies have given permission to the St. Louis Cardinals to interview Triple A manager Ryne Sandberg for their vacant managerial position, according to reports. FoxSports.com first reported that permission was requested. The Cardinals are looking for a replacement for Tony La Russa, who retired after St. Louis won the World Series. The Cubs have a managerial opening, too, after Mike Quade was told yesterday that he would not be brought back. Cubs president Theo Epstein has said previous big-league experience is a prerequisite for the job. Epstein called Sandberg yesterday to tell him that he was not being considered.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - There is a Hall of Fame second baseman in camp with the Phillies, and Chase Utley is well aware of the man's presence. "I'd be dumb not to pick his brain," Utley said. So Utley and Ryne Sandberg will talk often, Utley promised. Outside observers would say there are plenty of similarities between the players. They hadn't met before this spring, but Sandberg's hiring as the franchise's triple-A manager created an opportunity. During spring training, Sandberg will work with the major-leaguers in camp before heading off to Allentown.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Even from a half a continent away, where Ryne Sandberg's exposure to Phillies baseball was limited to the television he watched, he recognized the traits. The determination. The work ethic. The discipline. What he saw in Chase Utley wasn't just an All-Star second baseman, but a reflection of himself. "Really," the Hall of Fame second baseman said, "he is cut out of the same mold. " So it should come as no surprise that when Sandberg reported for duty with the Phillies after 5 years managing in the Chicago Cubs system, one of the first things he did was strike up a conversation with Utley.

The organization that had given up on Ryne Sandberg nearly 29 years ago came calling when the place where he prospered as a Hall of Fame second baseman and popular player-turned-manager turned its back. There was no job with the Phillies in Philadelphia for him, which meant Sandberg's ultimate goal needed to be delayed yet again. But after his hopes of becoming a major-league manager in Chicago were dashed, this was a way for him to return where it all began. "In a lot of ways," Sandberg said Monday, "I feel like a young kid again with this opportunity.

It took nearly 30 years, but the Phillies finally got Ryne Sandberg back. Yesterday the Phillies named Sandberg - a Hall of Fame player they traded away as a youngster and now a rising star on the minor league managerial circuit - as the skipper for their Triple A affiliate at Lehigh Valley. "In a lot of ways, I feel like a young kid again with this opportunity," said Sandberg, 51. "Reliving the days of almost 35 years ago when I was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies, 20th round, signed that June, reported to Helena, Montana, and got started in professional baseball . . . I couldn't be happier about the situation.

The man involved in perhaps the most infamous trade in Phillies history could finally be returning to the organization that always regretted losing him. Hall of Fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg is among the candidates for the Phillies' managerial vacancy at triple-A Lehigh Valley, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. Chuck LaMar, the Phillies' assistant general manager in charge of player development, said the team has just started the process of interviewing.

Orioles place Sosa on 15-day disabled list Sammy Sosa was placed on the 15-day disabled list yesterday by the Baltimore Orioles, who decided against taking a wait-and-see stance on the toe injury that has sidelined the slumping slugger since Thursday. Sosa had a lesion removed from underneath the nail of his right big toe on Friday. It's similar to an injury that forced him out of action in 2003, when he was with the Chicago Cubs. Two years ago, Sosa was on the DL after surgery to remove the nail from the same toe. To replace Sosa on the roster, Baltimore recalled first baseman Alejandro Freire from triple-A Ottawa.

The past is everywhere, and yesterday they talked about the future. The Chicago Cubs and the World Series? "You don't think this kind of stuff will happen," former Cubs outfielder and Hall of Famer Billy Williams said yesterday afternoon at Pro Player Stadium. "I pinch myself every now and then. " The Cubs need just one more victory in the National League Championship Series to advance to the World Series for the first time since 1945. The series returns to Wrigley Field tomorrow night for Game 6 after the Florida Marlins beat the Cubs in Game 5 yesterday, 4-0. The Cubs have a three-games-to-two lead in the best-of-seven series, with Mark Prior on the mound tomorrow and Kerry Wood ready to pitch Wednesday in Game 7 if necessary.