On December 5, 2011, a long-overdue judgement was handed down by the Veterans Committee of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Ron Santo was to be inducted into the 2012 Hall of Fame class. This was an honor which was long overdue, and unfortunately it came one year too late...
Ronald Edward Santo was born in Seattle, Washington on February 25, 1940. Growing up, he always showed a passion for baseball, and the Chicago Cubs in particular. He was signed as a free agent by the team in 1959, before making his debut the next season. He would go on to have an above average career, leading the NL in assists seven times.
Three of Santo's most infamous moments came in the 1969 season. The first occurrence came on June 22, 1969 after a Cubs victory. It was during his exuberant celebration of the moment that he ran down the third base line and clicked his heels three times. It was a tradition that he would continue all the way up until the team started their historic collapse in September of that year. The next moment came on July 8 of that year, when a young center fielder named Don Young made two critical errors that cost the team a game against the Mets. After the game, Santo harshly criticized Young, so much so that it made the papers, bringing considerable criticism to Santo, who apologized the next day. The final moment of his 1969 season would come in September, where he was playing at Wrigley Field in a game against the Mets. As Santo was in the on-deck circle, a black cat ran past him. Many people considered this a jinx on the team, who indeed would soon take a nose-dive in the standings.
After the collapse of '69 was complete, the team would go on to have another close-call in 1970, but to avail. After the 1973 season, the Cubs had a deal lined up to send Santo to the Angels. However, Santo did not want to leave Chicago, so he took advantage of a new clause in the Collective Bargaining Agreement(in fact, he was the first one to do so) allowing players who've been in the majors for 10 years, and the last 5 with the same team to veto any trade. Ultimately, Santo was sent to the White Sox, where he played one final year before retiring after the 1974 season.
16 years after retiring, Santo rejoined the Cubs family as part of the WGN Cubs Radio team. He joined with Pat Hughes to make the Pat and Ron show, though he also would work with Harry Caray, Thom Brennaman, Bob Brenley, and Steve Stone(who he was traded to the Sox for back in '73). Santo's calling card was his passion, which made its presence especially known on September 23, 1998, when Santo was calling a game in which Brant Brown made a crucial error. Santo's reaction was so distraught that afterwards Jim Riggleman(the manager of the Cubs) had to console Santo in the clubhouse. Another important facet of Santo was the fact that he was a diabetic. He played through the grand majority of his career suffering from type 1 diabetes. He finally revealed his condition on August 28, 1971, as part of "Ron Santo Day". Ultimately the disease would cost him both of his legs, one is 2001, and the other one a year later. He was quite active in the fundraising efforts of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, even being named their Person of the Year for 2002.
Ron Santo passed away at 12:40 AM on December 3, 2010 due to complications from bladder cancer. He was memorialized and remembered all over Chicago, and his funeral was held at Holy Name Cathedral on December 10(in a slightly related story, this occasion provided the catalyst for Kerry Wood to return to the team). Santo's ashes were spread over Wrigley Field. On August 10, 2011, Santo was memorialized with a statue outside of the ball park, just 4 months before he would be voted into the Hall of Fame. On July 22, 2012, Ron Santo was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. During that day's Cubs game, the team ran out to the field and clicked their heels in honor of Santo. Ron Santo stands as one of the all-time greats to ever put on a Cubs uniform, and his legacy is enduring.
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