Mark Grace still remembers playing a spring training game across the field from Shawon Dunston, against a Seattle team headlined by players the likes of Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez, Jay Buhner and Randy Johnson. The Mariners were walloping the Cubs. 

“I yell over to Shawon,” Grace recounted Friday. “I say, ‘Shawn! They got any players like us?’”

Earlier Friday evening, Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts had announced on the Cubs Convention stage at the Sheraton Grand Chicago that Grace and Dunston would be inducted into the Cubs Hall of Fame this year. Grace and Dunston, former teammates, then addressed the media side by side, self-deprecating stories and all.

“It’s kind of nice that a couple players like us got in,” Dunston said, wrapping up Grace’s story with a bow. 

The two were being modest, of course. Both were multiple-year All-Stars with the Cubs and played for the club for over a decade. In 1986, Dunston led National League shortstops in putouts in putouts (320), assists (465) and double plays (tied at 96). Grace was a four-time Gold Glover and led the league in doubles in 1995.

“That’s a quarter of my life in a Cubs uniform,” Grace said. “I love the fact that most of his career, I was his first baseman. … Shawn and I, the reason we’re friends is not because, I could catch his throws – and I challenge any other goddamn person to do that.” 

That drew a laugh.

“Shawon and I, we talked to each other on the bench,” Grace continued. “We talked to each other about, ‘hey, what are you going to try to do against this guy?’ And what that meant is, I knew after about just a few weeks in the big leagues that he cared about me. He cared about me being successful. And I think it didn’t take long for him to feel like I cared about him and wanted him to be successful.”

Dunston quipped: “I cared about Mark, but I knew right away he was a good hitter.”

That’s how their nearly 15-minute news conference went, one building off the other. After only a few questions, they took off, telling stories like the time Grace referenced the movie ‘White Men Can’t jump,’ to get across that if Dunston was going to miss throwing to first, he had to miss low.

“I’m telling you,” Grace said, “for as long as Shawon was still with the Cubs, every throw was right on the money.”

Said Dunston: “If there was one shortstop who didn’t like Mark Grace, it was Rey Sanchez, because whenI left, Grace couldn’t catch him because Grace said Rey wasn’t throwing hard enough.”

Signings

The Cubs signed left fielder Mike Tauchman and right handed pitcher Nick Neidert to minor-league deals with spring training invites, the team announced Friday.

Quotable

“Even with the extra money that was flying around this offseason, we still got the guys we wanted at prices we thought were reasonable and fair,” Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts told the Sun-times when asked about how an owner like Steve Cohen changes the landscape. “You’ve just got to stick to your plan and not let too much of the noise get to you.”