The Classsic
The swinging pose is a classic one. And Sandberg was a very solid hitter with a career slash line of:
During his MVP season in 1984 he had a career high of .314/.367/.520 with 19 triples and 19 homers. And in 1990 he hit a league leading 40 bombs. Solid hitter...could see this realistically being the pose they go with.
The Elite Defender
One of the main reasons Sandberg was inducted into the Hall Of Fame with ease was because of his elite level of defense. The guy won 9 consecutive Gold Gloves at 2nd base which is a record at that position. He was smooth, steady, and confident out there and rarely made an error only commiting on average 1 error every 158 innings played...
The "Hey Urlacher Tackle This"
To the younger generation, Sandberg is starting to be known as that other guy on the billboards near O'hair (see what I did there). I'm envisioning this statue as the first of it's kind. A real trailblazer for statues to come. It's a normal bronze looking statue but he has a chia pet kind of feature on top that shows slow hair growth over the course of the season. Get this thing sponsored by Restore and I just created another revenue stream for Ricketts to invest into Chelsea FC. You're welcome.
The Nickname
Ryno...such a great nickname. Let's embrace it. Toss a big ass Rhino up there on a bronze cube with maybe a Cubs 23 jersey on him. Maybe a collaboration with Lincoln Park or Brookfield Zoo creating another revenue stream for the Ricketts to invest into Chelsea FC.
The Artistic Interpretation
Ryan Sand Berg. Get it? This might not blend in well with the other statues that are very clearly just players but it's an interesting approach. Really make people think and decipher what's going on here. Why is a 10 year old YouTuber who opens toys on a statue with a washed up quarterback and some actors? It's art. Could also be one of those instances where you go sooooo far the wrong way that you get a ton of press and it becomes an attraction because of how bad it is. Another revenue stream for the Ricketts to invest into Chelsea FC.
The 2016 World Series Champions
So this is an interesting one due to the fact that it has nothing to do with Ryne Sandberg. But this is what the new statue should be. A celebration of the greatest moment and greatest team the Cubs have ever had. Think Iwo Jima flag raising statue for this one. Slightly larger footprint for the physical statue but this would be iconic.
The Man Who Saved Baseball
The craziest thing to think about is that I really believe there would be a greater chance of The Cubs/Ricketts putting up a statue of a sandy iceberg with various Ryans around it than putting up this one. Did he do some questionable things? Arguable. But Sammy Sosa was the Cubs. He was bigger than the logo on the front of the jersey for multiple years. He was an attraction. He should be celebrated at the friendly confines in one way or another. Bring this man back.