In Memorium: Ron Santo

Ron Santo (age 70) died Thursday, December 2, 2010 in a Arizona hospital, due to complications from bladder cancer and diabetes.

Wrigley Field was a mere mile from my childhood home at Addison and Paulina Streets, and we kids often walked to the field after classes at Hamilton Elementary School.  Wrigley Field's double doors on Waveland Avenue were opened during the seventh inning to allow exit from the park, and we kids were allowed free entrance then, and since attendance was so low, we could often get front row seats in the left field bleachers. Over those childhood and teen years, my favorite players were Hank Sauer, Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, Fergie Jenkins, and of course, Ron Santo.  At that time, only his roommate knew he was a Type 1 diabetic, information he kept secret because he feared repercussions if ownership knew.

Career highlights include:

-- debut on June 26, 1960;
-- led the National League in putouts every year from 1962 through 1967 and again in 1969;
-- nine-time National League All-Star;
-- led the league in walks four times, in on base percentage twice, and in triples once;
-- hit for a .300 average and hit 30 home runs four times each;
-- only the third baseman in major league history to post eight consecutive seasons with 90 RBIs (1963-1970)
-- winner of five consecutive Gold Glove Awards for fielding excellence (1964-1968);
-- set or tied National League records by leading the league's third basemen in total chances eight times, in games, putouts and assists seven times each, and in double plays six times;
-- from 1966 to 1974 he held the National League record for assists in a single seasons;
-- set National League records for career assists (4,532), total chances (6,777) and double plays (389) at third base;
-- his National League total of 2,102 games at third base fell 52 short of Eddie Mathews' league record;

-- his 164 games at third base in 1965 remain the major league record.
-- establishing a league record with 364 consecutive games at 3rd base
 -- career batting average -- .277
-- career home runs -- 342
-- career Runs Batted In -- 1,331
-- 1973 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award

And yet he was denied entrance to baseball's  Hall Of Fame! 

(Perhaps he'll make it as a broadcaster)

Santo joined the Cubs' broadcast booth in 1990 as the WGN radio color commentator and he worked with play-by-play announcer Pat Hughes, and these radio broadcasts are also known as the Pat and Ron Show. (Photo below) He has also worked with Harry Caray, Thom Brennaman, Steve Stone and Bob Brenly. Santo also briefly worked with Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers commentator Wayne Larrivee. He also did commercials for Seattle Sutton's Healthy Eating, which he endorses, and for years plugged his Ron Santo restaurant and his Ron Santo Pizza.  In Chicago, Santo is known for his unabashed broadcast enthusiasm, including groans and cheers during the game. As excitable as Santo is when a great play for the Cubs occurs, he is equally as vocal in his displeasure.  Fans regularly heard "Oh, no!" when errors were made, and "Oh, boy!" when he was truly disappointed in their performance.  He was truly the voice of Cubs fans.

Santo became the first player in major league history to wear a batting helmet with protective ear flaps, when in 1966, in the midst of trying to break the Cubs' modern consecutive-game hitting streak record of 27 games (set by Hack Wilson in 1929), Santo was sidelined for nearly two weeks following a pitch thrown by the Mets' Jack Fisher (beaning) that fractured his cheekbone and ended his consecutive playing streak. When he returned (and broke the hitting record with a 28-game streak he was wearing an improvised ear flap on his batting helmet in order to protect the injury; ear flaps have since become standard equipment on batting helmets.

On September 28, 2003, Santo's jersey #10 was retired by the Cubs organization, making him the third player so honored behind his teammates Ernie Banks (#14) and Billy Williams (#26.)

As part of the publicity surrounding "Ron Santo Day" at Wrigley Field on August 28, 1971, he revealed his struggle with diabetes. He was diagnosed with this disease at the age of 18 and was given a life expectancy of 25 years. Santo has had both his legs amputated below the knee as a result of his diabetes: the right in 2001 and the left in 2002.  In 2004, Santo and his battle against diabetes was the subject of a documentary, This Old Cub. The film was written, co-produced and directed by Santo's son Jeff.  In later years, serious heart surgeries and bladder cancer slowed him down but didn't end his broadcasting career or diminish his effervescent optimism and joy for life and for his beloved Cubs.  Rather, he joked about his legs, his cancer, his heart ailments, and his toupee. 

Santo has been endorsing the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's annual Ron Santo Walk to Cure Diabetes in Chicago since 1974, and has raised over $50 million for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). In 2002, Santo was named the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's "Person of the Year". He also sponsored an annual golf outing to raise money for JDRF.  Santo also inspired Bill Holden to walk 2,100 miles from Arizona to Chicago, to raise $250,000 for diabetes research.

(Information from Wikipedia)