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Former Cubs 3rd baseman Ron Santo has died and a part of my youth has died with him. He accomplished great things on the diamond, yet somehow has been denied entry into the Hall of Fame. Baseball guru Bill James rates him the 6th best 3rd baseman of all time and among the 100 greatest players of all time. James says it's a disgrace that Ronnie isn't in the Hall, that Santo was better than most 3rd basemen in the Hall. And he's right. Perhaps now the Hall will do the right thing. James draws an analogy (which I'll paraphrase): Santo not in the Hall of Fame is like a zoo with poodles, ponies and kittens on display, while lions roam the streets.
Most of us are probably too young to remember Santo as a player. And most of us who do remember him as a player probably weren't aware that he was a type I diabetic. In those days we didn't have insulin pumps and the other medical advances we now take for granted. Ron kept it hidden for many years and then realized he could lend his name to the fight and help raise awareness and money. Santo lost both legs below the knee because of diabetes.
I have two memories of Santo the player not related to his hitting or fielding. On one occasion in Wrigley Field he was sliding into 2nd and because it had been raining, wound up not ever making it to the base. Just sort of stuck in the mud, like a beached whale, about two feet from the bag.
In the late 60's the Cubs had a temperamental outfielder named Adlofo Pillips, one of those guys with "unlimited" potential who never gets there. The legend is that one time Phillips walked after a ball in the outfield. And between innings Santo had him down on his back in the dugout, explaining how this was the big leagues and we don't do that sh*t here. Cubs manager Leo Durocher (starting shortstop on the '27 Yankees and '34 Cardinals) didn't intervene because he figured his captain was getting the message across with no help from him.
As a broadcaster he was hardly Hall of Fame material. He wore his Cubs loyalty like a badge of honor and didn't care who objected. And he was always willing to laugh at himself, including the time a ceiling heater in Shea Stadium set his toupe on fire!
This was a special man and a great player. A player deserving of admission to the Hall of Fame. Let's hope now the electors will correct this injustice and give Ronnie the recognition he so richly deserves.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports...ll/cubs/santo/
Most of us are probably too young to remember Santo as a player. And most of us who do remember him as a player probably weren't aware that he was a type I diabetic. In those days we didn't have insulin pumps and the other medical advances we now take for granted. Ron kept it hidden for many years and then realized he could lend his name to the fight and help raise awareness and money. Santo lost both legs below the knee because of diabetes.
I have two memories of Santo the player not related to his hitting or fielding. On one occasion in Wrigley Field he was sliding into 2nd and because it had been raining, wound up not ever making it to the base. Just sort of stuck in the mud, like a beached whale, about two feet from the bag.
In the late 60's the Cubs had a temperamental outfielder named Adlofo Pillips, one of those guys with "unlimited" potential who never gets there. The legend is that one time Phillips walked after a ball in the outfield. And between innings Santo had him down on his back in the dugout, explaining how this was the big leagues and we don't do that sh*t here. Cubs manager Leo Durocher (starting shortstop on the '27 Yankees and '34 Cardinals) didn't intervene because he figured his captain was getting the message across with no help from him.
As a broadcaster he was hardly Hall of Fame material. He wore his Cubs loyalty like a badge of honor and didn't care who objected. And he was always willing to laugh at himself, including the time a ceiling heater in Shea Stadium set his toupe on fire!
This was a special man and a great player. A player deserving of admission to the Hall of Fame. Let's hope now the electors will correct this injustice and give Ronnie the recognition he so richly deserves.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports...ll/cubs/santo/
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