Ron Santo died yesterday after falling into a coma on Wednesday. He recently suffered from bladder cancer along with the effects of his lifelong case of Type I diabetes. Waxing America has been arguing Santo's case for the Hall of Fame for years, along with that of Minnie Minoso.
It should go without saying that the true tragedy is the death of Ron Santo at the age of 70 after a brave and inspirational fight against diabetes and the amputations of both legs it necessitated.
Bleed Cubbie Blue proprietor Al Yelon reflects the thoughts of many of us:
...I say with no hesitation that I admired Ron Santo for his play when I was young, and then again for the way he faced life's adversities. The Yiddish word for this kind of person is "mensch." Ron Santo was, without a doubt, a mensch, a wonderful human being.
...There is absolutely no question that Ron Santo should have been inducted into the Hall of Fame a very long time ago. He is one of the five or six best third basemen in baseball history. Santo mentioned many times that he did not want to go into the Hall posthumously, and I hope the Hall voters now respect his wishes.
They ought to be ashamed, every one of them, for not giving this good man and great player this honor while he was still among us.
May Ron Santo's memory be for a blessing to his family, friends and many many fans. He was a mensch.
- Barry Orton
According to everyone I know who ever met the man, he was the most gracious person you would ever want to meet. My Irish-Catholic friend, my Polish-Catholic friend, my boring Protestant friend, and my "sometimes" Puerto Rican friend: they all said the same thing. With confused looks on their faces, they all said, "The man is a mensch."
Services for Mr. Santo will be the highlight of next week's media coverage in Chicago. So be it. He was old-time baseball. He made people feel like they were on the team. A Mensch.
Posted by: Ty O'Mara | December 05, 2010 at 02:21 PM
As far as Ronnie goes, it's the Hall of Shame. Shame on THEM for never doing the right thing. Rest in peace, #10.
Posted by: Tim M. | December 06, 2010 at 07:19 AM
There was a good piece yesterday on Santo and broadcasters of his generation.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/05/sports/baseball/05sandomir.html?scp=1&sq=ron%20santo&st=cse
And yes, the Hall should be ashamed. Goes without saying.
Posted by: anon | December 06, 2010 at 03:53 PM