Ron Santo, the best 3rd baseman in the National League for most of the 1960's, has passed away at the age of 70.
As a life long baseball fan, it was sad to hear of Santo's passing. He was a true baseball fan, and someone I loved to watch play as a kid.
Growing up in south western Michigan was a baseball fans delight.
I got to listen to big league baseball on the radio from both the American League, through the Detroit Tigers, and the National League, with the Chicago Cubs.
I also got to watch the Cubs on a daily basis on cable, Superstation WGN, and I loved those day games @ Wrigley.
Don Kessinger @ shortstop, , Glenn Beckert @ second base, Jim Hickman @ first base, and Ron Santo @ third base. A terrific infield.
Ron Santo played throughout his big league career loving the Cubs, and the city of Chicago.
Those lovable losers on the North Side of Chicago, the Cubbies, 102 years and counting since their last World Series win.
No one epitomized the Cubs like Santo, who became as popular a broadcaster as any city in baseball as ever know, wearing his love of the team, and the city that was his life for 50 years.
Santo came up to the Cubs in 1960, @ the age of 20, and for the next 15 years he played the "hot corner" like a Hall of Fame player.
Ron Santo isn't in the HOF, but he should be, and the BBWAA should put him in this year.
2,243 games
.277 average
342 Home Runs
1,331 RBIs
5 Gold Gloves
9 All-Star games
Ron Santo also played baseball while battling Type 1 diabetes, something baseball fans never knew, because Santo never let it stop him from playing the game he loved.
As a diabetic myself, I look at the courage of a man like Ron Santo, who lost both of his legs to diabetes, and I know how blessed I am.
I hope I will have the same courage to face my disease as Ron Santo did, in fact, if I'm half the man of Santo, then that would be a blessing.
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