So let me get this straight

Ryne Sandberg was inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame yesterday. Ryne was a great 2nd baseman, particularly when you consider his numbers were earned in the pre-juice days. But he was as bland as you could get. In recent years, he got a gig at a local sports radio station, and went out of his way not to criticize the players.

Normally, the HOF speeches are loaded with cute little stories about former players and managers, and thank you's to the people who beleived in them seemingly against all odds. The last person I would have figured to use this opportunity to fire on current players is Ryno. But he did:

"They tell me I played the game the way it was meant to be played," Sandberg said. "I don't know about that. I just know I had too much respect for the game to play it any other way. If this validates anything, it's that learning how to bunt and hit-and-run and turning [double plays] is more important than knowing where to find the little red light [on] the dugout camera."

He was firing on Sammy Sosa, and could not have picked a better target. But I'm a little concerned that people outside of Chicago might get the impression that Ryno has an actual personality.

OT: Why is it that every other HOF speech contains the element of: "No one believed I could do it but me?" Maybe it's that chip on their collective shoulders that drives them to be great.