Ron Santo And The Hall Of Fame Class Of 2011

Ron Santo And The Hall Of Fame Class Of 2011

Ron Santo Is A Hall Of Famer!!! FINALLY!!!

Legendary Cubs third baseman and broadcaster Ron Santo was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame by a 16-member Golden Era Committee, which revealed the results of its balloting on Monday at the Winter Meetings.

Santo and Gil Hodges, for many years two of the most-debated candidates for Cooperstown, were once again up for induction on a 10-person ballot, representing players and executives who participated from 1947-72.

Needing 12 votes (75 percent) to be elected, Santo — who died last year from the complications of diabetes and cancer — received 15 of the 16 votes. Pitcher Jim Kaat finished second with 10 votes, followed by Hodges and Minnie Minoso with nine each and Tony Oliva with eight.

Buzzie Bavasi, Ken Boyer, Charlie Finley, Allie Reynolds and Luis Tiant each received fewer than three votes.

Santo becomes the fourth member of the Cubs teams from the 1960s and ’70s to enter the Hall, joining teammates Billy Williams, Ernie Banks and Ferguson Jenkins. Williams was a member of the committee that elected Santo.

Santo will be inducted during next year’s ceremony on July 22.

Also to be announced during the Winter Meetings are the winners of the 2012 J.G. Taylor Spink Award on Tuesday and the Ford C. Frick Award on Wednesday. The Spink is awarded by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America to a baseball writer for long and meritorious service from that group. The Frick Award annually honors a baseball broadcaster for his excellence.

The annual BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot was sent out this past week and includes Reds shortstop Barry Larkin, Tigers, Twins and Blue Jays pitcher Jack Morris and a host of players whose names are appearing on it for the first time. Larkin is on the ballot for the third time and seemingly has the best shot at being elected. Last year, he garnered 62.1 percent of the vote.

The BBWAA ballot winners will be announced on Jan. 9 by Hall president Jeff Idelson. MLB.com will simulcast MLB Network’s coverage of the announcement at 2 p.m. ET.

The Golden Era Committee gathered on Sunday to discuss the candidates and voted early Monday morning prior to the announcement.

The Golden Era Committee took its first crack at it this year with a pre-integration, pre-1946 committee to hold its first election next year. The post-expansion committee voted in general manager Pat Gillick last year. The trio of smaller committees cycle every three years. Finalists each year are selected by a BBWAA-appointed Historical Overview Committee. To be eligible this year, candidates must have played at least 10 Major League seasons, not appear on MLB’s ineligible list and have been retired for 21 or more seasons.

Managers, umpires and executives must have spent at least 10 years in baseball and be retired for consideration.

Members of the Golden Era Committee were Hall of Famers Hank Aaron, Al Kaline, Ralph Kiner, Tommy Lasorda, Juan Marichal, Brooks Robinson, Don Sutton and Williams; Major League executives Paul Beeston, Bill DeWitt, Roland Hemond, Gene Michael and Al Rosen; and veteran media members Dick Kaegel, Jack O’Connell and Dave Van Dyck.

Ron Santo And His Glorious 1961 Topps Rookie Card!!!

Ron Santo And His Glorious 1961 Topps Rookie Card!!!

I had drooled over this card way before I declared myself as a Ron Santo player collector.

I have always enjoyed the 1961 set and its basic design.  The Santo card offers us a nice, large photo with Wrigley Field and the visiting team’s dugout in the background.

And then there is the Topps ‘All-Star Rookie’ logo.  Santo played in just 95 games during the 1960 season, but his efforts were solid enough to earn him a 4th place finish for the NL Rookie of the Year award and a spot on the Topps ‘All-Star Rookie Team’.

It’s not too often that a player’s first major brand issue features such a nice achievement!!!

I’m beyond thrilled to have one of these beauties in my collection!!!

Chicago Cubs Unveil Ron Santo Statue To Honor His Cubs Career

Chicago Cubs Unveil Ron Santo Statue To Honor His Cubs Career

CHICAGO (AP)—The Chicago Cubs unveiled a statue of Ron Santo during a pregame ceremony outside of Wrigley Field on Wednesday, honoring the beloved player and broadcaster who died last winter.

The sculpture depicts Santo in his playing days, getting ready to make a throw. It was placed near the stature of longtime Santo teammate Billy Williams on the plaza directly southeast of the venerable ballpark, an appropriate setting for the Cub legend.

“Wrigley Field was his favorite place on Earth,” said Pat Hughes, Santo’s longtime partner on Cubs radio broadcasts.  Santo died at the age of 70 last Dec. 3 of complications from bladder cancer and diabetes.

The scene around the ceremony was hectic. Fans numbering in the hundreds swarmed around the gated-off area set aside for the service, blocking Sheffield Avenue and two lanes of Addison Street, forcing westbound buses to veer off into oncoming traffic. Other fans watched from the crowded concourses inside the park and from the upper levels of a multistory bar across the street.

At one point during the ceremony, a fire truck, alarm blaring, had to ease through the crowd along Sheffield. At least two people collapsed during the speeches and had to be carted away on stretchers.

Santo was a member of the Cubs organization for the better part of five decades as a player (1960-74) and broadcaster (1990-2010). He hit 337 of his 342 career homers in a Cubs uniform, fourth most in franchise history, despite a decades-long battle with diabetes.

Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts focused on how Santo touched the lives of many who suffered from juvenile diabetes through his fundraising efforts, which Ricketts estimated at $60 million during his lifetime.

“He connected with all of us because he was our fan,” Ricketts said. “He was the beating heart of Chicago Cubs fans everywhere and we’ll miss him dearly.”

As a broadcaster, Santo was known for unabashedly rooting on his beloved Cubs, a trait that endeared him to thousands who never saw him play.

“I don’t think I’ve met anybody that had the passion Ronnie did,” said Cubs manager Mike Quade. “And it was as sincere as the day was long.”

Hughes touched upon a long-running gag by joking that the statue would be“One of three things. Batting. Ronnie fielding. Or Ronnie with his hairpiece on fire.

“It’s going to be a beautiful statue, though.”

Santo’s widow, Vicki, sat with the rest of the family in the front row for the service and said that he knew that he was going to be honored with the statue, having been informed so by the Cubs last summer. She said he was thrilled.

“Vicki, do you know what a big deal that is?” she remembered him saying.

Santo’s son Jeff said his hustling style on the field as depicted by the statue was the perfect metaphor for his life.

“That’s how he lived his life,” Jeff Santo said. “He never stayed back on the ball. He was always moving forward.”

Santo’s statue, the fourth commemorative artwork outside Wrigley Field, was unveiled by former teammates Randy Hundley and Glenn Beckert to the sounds of trumpets and loud cheers from the throng gathered at Sheffield and Addison.

“We thank the Chicago Cubs and the Ricketts family for giving him a home forever,” Jeff Santo said. “And for giving all of us, everyone, a place to have to come and visit.”

Williams, Ernie Banks and broadcaster Harry Caray also have been honored with statues outside the ballpark.

Hall of Famers Williams, Banks and Ferguson Jenkins were n attendance, as were the widows of Caray and former Cubs broadcaster Jack Brickhouse. Most of the current Cubs came out for the service, wearing special No. 10 blue ballcaps, as did Quade and most of the club’s front office staff.

“He was a remarkable person,” Banks said. “Ron Santo did not have an enemy. He loved everybody.”

Ron Santo Has A Beautiful Signature!!

Ron Santo Has A Beautiful Signature!!

Penmanship counts.  In elementary school we were graded on our ability to write clearly.  And while we all would/could do well if we took our time, being rushed and sloppy is not going to help your cause.

It really looks like Ron Santo takes time with each signature he provides.  Personally, I have 3 autographs of his – a book, a ball, and a card.  And all 3 look great!!

Here is an example of what I am talking about.  Anytime you can read out the name clearly, it is a good thing!!

Ron Santo – From The Field To The Booth

Ron Santo – From The Field To The Booth

After an incredible 15-year baseball career, Ron Santo retired from the sport he loved as a kid and played professionally as an adult.

After retiring, he kept busy with other business ventures in and around the Chicago-land area.

And in 1990, the Cubs came calling.  This time they wanted him to be part of their broadcast team.  Santo has a undenyable love for the game, the Cubs, and the sport’s history.  His enthusiasm and passion were evident from his very first broadcast.

Ron Santo’s Jersey Waves High Above Wrigley Field

Ron Santo’s Jersey Waves High Above Wrigley Field

On September 28, 2003, the Chicago Cubs retired Ron Santo’s #10.  He was the third player in Cubs’ history to receive that honor – behind Ernie Banks and Billy Williams.  Since then, Ryne Sandberg, Fergie Jenkins, and Greg Maddux have all had their jerseys retired by the Cubs as well.

Not bad company at all.  Nope, not too shabby…

Ron Santo And That Damn Black Cat…

Ron Santo And That Damn Black Cat…

I don’t believe in hexes or hoaxes or jinxes.  But if you ask any of the players on the 1969 Cubs or Ron Santo about the night that a black cat crossed his path as he stood in the on-deck circle and you may get a different reaction.

What resulted next was one of the biggest flops in major league history – a heart breaking tale for all Cubs’ fans!  The hated Mets, who were down close to 10 games, put it into over-drive and slowly pushed past the Cubs all the way to the World Series title.

Ron Santo Delivered 342 ‘Longballs’

Ron Santo Delivered 342 ‘Longballs’

When you’re on a team that features one of the greatest power-hitting infielders of all-time in Ernie Banks and one of the sweetest lefty strokes in the game’s history of Billy Williams, it is tough to stand out as an offensive threat!

But that is just what Ron Santo did.

He crushed 342 home runs during his 15-years in the big leagues.  While he never hit more than 33 in any single year, Santo reached double figures in 13 consecutive years while also eclipsing the 25 HR mark 8 times.

Ron Santo Has 5 Gold Gloves!!!

Ron Santo Has 5 Gold Gloves!!!

Ron Santo was an elite defender during his playing days in Chicago.  Whether at home or on the road, Santo put his body on the line each and every time a play needed to be made at third base.

From 1964-68, Santo won 5 National League Gold Glove awards.  And when you talk about the greatest defensive third basemen of all-time, Santo has to be in the discussion right behind Brooks Robinson and Mike Schmidt.

Ron Santo Is A 9-Time National League All-Star

Ron Santo Is A 9-Time National League All-Star

During his 15-year big league career, Ron Santo was named as an All-Star nine times.  He made the team from 1963-66, 1968-69, and 1971-73.

A fixture at the mid-season classic for the better part of a decade, Santo was center stage with the great players from the 1960’s and 1970’s.  And he was on par with them.  A consistent All-Star teammate of players like Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente, Johnny Bench, and other National League stars, Santo was a great face for the sport.