Sunday, July 22, 2012

Santo Inducted Today

 

It will be a bittersweet moment in Cooperstown today as Ron Santo is posthumously inducted into baseball's Hall of Fame. Something that should have happened years ago is taking place a year and a half after his passing.


The Cubs media guides lists a few of his career highlights including...


  • During the 15 years of his playing career, he was one of only four players to have 2,000 hits, 300 homers, and 1,300 RBIs. The other three are already in the Hall
  • He is one of only two third baseman to have 300 homers and five Gold Gloves. HOFer Mike Schmidt was the other
  • He led the NL in assists for seven straight seasons
  • Nine All Star appearances
Santo was the dominant National League third baseman during his playing time. His career numbers were lessened since he played only 15 seasons. His diabetes certainly had an effect on his longevity. Illness may have cut short his playing career, but it never affected his love of the game, or his love of the Cubs.


More fans today knew Santo as a broadcaster (though I must use that term loosely) than as a player. He wasn't the most articulate man, but you didn't need fancy words to tell how the game was going; you could just tell by the tone of his voice.


As of today, there are 47 players in the Hall that wore Cubbie blue. Few if any of them bled and died Cubbie blue like Ron Santo.










 

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5 comments:

  1. hpwardJuly 22, 2012 at 10:46 AM

    Much too long overdue. Can't watch the induction because he isn't with us. Mr. Santo was a great player and probably the greatest Cub fan of all.

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  2. unclemoeJuly 22, 2012 at 11:09 AM

    I'll be watching. Go Cubs!

    moe.

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  3. UnknownJuly 22, 2012 at 1:15 PM

    I'm not watching either. I think it's a f*****g crime that he wasn't voted in while he was alive.

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  4. Jim from DowningtownJuly 22, 2012 at 9:15 PM

    I watched the Santo part because I wanted to. (Boycotting the TV program isn't going to hurt the HOF higher-ups, it only deprives you of a good moment.) Unfortunately, I had to sit through a half-hour of Tim McCarver thanking every broadcaster he ever met during his droning speech.

    I also liked seeing the introductions of the living members in attendance. There are 64 living members besides Barry Larkiin. 44 were there today. 20 (more than 1/3) were absent. Five of them are over age 90, and Willie McCovey is disabled, but I'd like to know why these others couldn't take time out of their busy schedules for 1 day, out of respect to the Santo family, and for Barry Larkin:

    Cal Ripken, Goose Gossage, Mike Schmidt, Nolan Ryan, Don Sutton, Reggie Jackson, Rod Carew, Tom Seaver, Carl Yastrzemski, Orlando Cepeda, Bill Mazeroski, Hank Aaron, Earl Weaver, and Tommy Lasorda.

    I mean, Yogi Berra and Willie Mays are in their eighties, and had to be helped to their seat on stage, but they were there. All 14 of those guys can't possibly be too ill to travel.

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  5. jacobmrleyJuly 24, 2012 at 2:13 PM

    It is a travesty that Santo wasn't elected earlier. Doubly so that they couldn't get around to it while he was still alive.

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