Chicago Cub legendary 3rd baseman, and longtime Cubs radio announcer, Ron Santo died today at the age of 70, from complications from bladder cancer...Santo battled health issues most of his life, including losing both legs to his battle with diabetes...
During his playing days, Santo was a fan favorite, playing along side greats like Ernie Banks, Ferguson Jenkins, and Billy Williams...All 3 are Hall of Famers...Hall of Famers who wonder why Santo isn't in there with them...They aren't the only ones...I know I've mentioned the Hall's lack of credibility in the past...Yes, I said lack of credibility...Santo not being in the Hall is a disgrace...
Santo played 2243 games, scored 1138 runs, had 2,254 hits, 365 doubles, 67 triples, 342 home runs, 1331 RBI, with a .277 batting average...He wasn't a slouch in the field either, winning 4 Gold Gloves...He had 9 All-Star appearances...
Now growing up, when it came to 3rd baseman, my father compared everyone to his favorite, Hall of Famer, Brooks Robinson...Here's his stats...2,896 games, 1,232 runs scored, 2,848 hits, 482 doubles, 68 triples, 268 home runs, 1,357 RBI, with a .267 batting average...Of course, Robinson, a god with the glove, has 16 Gold Gloves...Other than Gold Gloves, the numbers are pretty damn even, and both these guys played in the same era...
Later, 3rd baseman started being compared to Mike Schmidt...So lets do it...2,404 games, 1,506 runs, 2,234 hits, 408 doubles, 59 triples, 548 home runs, 1,595 RBI, with a .267 batting average...9 Gold gloves...Other than the Home runs, Schmidt's numbers don't tower over Santo either...And Santo carried a better average then both Robinson and Schmidt...
And if all that isn't good enough, Santo had a Hall of Fame worthy career in the broadcast booth...Many people didn't like how he showed his emotions and his loyalty to the Cubs when he called their games...But he was honest, and he was good...
Baseball...The Baseball Writers...The Hall of Fame and it's stupid committee should all be ashamed of themselves...One of the game's greats should have been enshrined in the Hall of Fame years ago, and now he is gone...He was cheated out of what he deserved...And Baseball fans who visit the Hall of Fame have been cheated as well...
Rest In Peace Ron Santo.
The Beeze.
1 comment:
With Santo, baseball lost one of the good guys. It's hard to believe that the Cubs during his playing years didn't win! But times were different then.
He was playing during my youth, so seeing this happen is just another reminder that we all age.
Good tribute!
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