The Chiefs open the season Thursday night in Burlington...
The home opener is next Monday.
Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg is back for a second season as skipper.

Last season Ryne Sandberg started from ground zero.

Chiefs manager Ryne Sandberg said, "Just how to manage at the minor league level, there's a lot to it. Coaching 3rd base, running the defense with the catchers, really just another way for me to watch a baseball game."

But this year, Sandberg was ready when spring training started.

Sandberg said, "Just being able to sleep at night because I wasn't so nervous about the next day's events from throwing BP to what I'm supposed to organize for the group to do each day."

Chiefs catcher Blake Lalli said, "Maybe he'd tell you he's more comfortable cause it's just like anything else the more you do it the more comfortable you become."

The Chiefs roster includes pitchers from both Korea and Taiwan neither of which speaks very much English, so it's a chance for Sandberg who spent last season learning to be a manager to keep on learning.

Sandberg said, "I picked up a lot of Spanish last year and the guys enjoyed that so I might be leaving here with three languages by the time I'm done here."

And he might be leaving with a sore hand from signing autographs. Last season he signed every day and he says if there's interest he'll do it again.

Sandberg said, "We'll see if anyone shows up and lines up. If they do maybe I'll sign a couple autographs. I think every fan in the league got an autograph last year so I think they should be happy but we'll see if they happen to line up, we'll see.