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To date, the Tigers had yet to host a themed event for the LGBT community, either in a designated “Pride Night” or a special event ticket package. Baseball embraces everyone and Comerica Park stands as a gathering place that brings our communities together.” “The Tigers have historically partnered with diverse organizations and groups, and the Pride Pack ticket package is an opportunity for fans to support the fundraising efforts of the Detroit LGBT Chamber. “We salute the ongoing work of the Detroit LGBT Chamber and their commitment to business educational programming,” Ron Colangelo, Tigers vice president of communications, said. It also represents a big step for the organization by publicly showing their support for the LGBT community. Two decades later, here was one of the faces of that era of baseball posting photos on his own social media feed standing among parade-goers wearing shirts reading “Cubs Pride.The event is consistent with those of local universities and cultural groups which have become annual events at Comerica Park. It was also a time when MLB essentially fired umpire Dave Pallone for being gay. This was the era where Billy Bean went to agonizing lengths to remain closeted because of his fear of how teammates would respond to a gay player.
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Keep in mind, Sandberg was a star in the 1980s and mid-90s. And you are welcomed and accepted as a fan for everything that makes you who you are.” In that moment, it was as if the guy I chose as my favorite player was saying “You are welcome as a fan of this game and this team. And as a Team Ambassador, it was natural for them to ask Sandberg to be part of that outreach.īut seeing that picture cut through all the marketing and branding. After all, between their presence at Pride and the annual Out at Wrigley game, the Cubs have long sought to establish ties with Chicago’s LGBTQ community. Louisans armed with replays of The Bartman Game couldn’t have wiped the smile off my face. Which meant that in late June, I saw this post on Sandberg’s Instagram feed:Ĭhicago Gay Pride Parade!! Cubs float rocks! #letsgocubs #W ⚾️Ī post shared by Ryne Sandberg on at 10:26am PDTĪn army of 100 thousand St. While I was living in New York at the time, I was keeping my eye on everything Cubs. Meanwhile, I was still getting used to living a more honest and open life after coming out two years prior. After a short-lived managerial stint with the Phillies, Sandberg rejoined the Cubs organization and was settling into a comfortable post-retirement life as an Instagram Grandpa. In the midst of those celebrations, I couldn’t help but notice that it seemed like he had crossed off just about everything he could on my “favorite player makes you proud” bingo card and there wasn’t anything left to accomplish.įlash forward to 2016. Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty ImagesĪfter his playing career finished, Sandberg was inducted into the Hall of Fame and had his number retired in 2005.
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Ten year old me still can’t believe I just typed those words. Ryne Sandberg throws out the first pitch at the World Series. But just as importantly, through all of the lean years of mediocre teams in between, he was the one constant I could point to and say, “He makes me proud to be a Cub fan.” Which, before 2016, seemed like it was the most difficult feat in the entire sports universe. Sandberg was the focal point of my baseball childhood as the biggest star on two Cub playoff teams. I was fortunate to watch Sandberg throughout my baseball-obsessed childhood and paid tribute to him on the newest episode (number 23, naturally) of the 3 Strikes, You’re Out podcast with fellow Ryno fans and Cuppa Cubbie Blue podcast co-hosts Sara Sanchez and Andi Cruz Vanecek. As the Cubs clinched a postseason berth for the first time in 39 years that year, Sandberg led the way, won an MVP award, and established himself as a genuine superstar who would go on to a Cooperstown-worthy career. Which means it was inevitable that my favorite player would be Ryne Sandberg. My first memories of baseball go back to when I was five years old during that magical season. “I can’t wait to read that,” I thought to myself, “The Cubs won the Division that year!” Like almost everything involving the Cubs of my youth, I was in for a rude awakening. Back when I was an eight year old bookworm, I took a wander through my local library and saw a display copy of George Orwell’s 1984.