Veterans Committee Keeps Hall Exclusive Club
My first real, memorable exposure to Ron Santo came on August 30, 1968 when I attended my first major league baseball game at the tender age of 7. Ron Santo had two home runs and five RBIs to lead the Cubs to a 5-3 victory over the Houston Astros. I wasn't even a Cub fan and I was impressed with number 10. In fact, that was my number of preference in little league.
In 1969, when the Cubs were fighting the Mets for the National League East, I remember how Santo would click his heels after a Cub win. I thought it was really cool that a big shot baseball player could be hainving so much fun. Unfortunately for Cub fans, he didn't do much of that in September.
Most of what I remember about Santo as a players is an intense competitor with a great glove and good home run power. I also remember him as one of the slowest runners in baseball history. When I think of players who are like him today, the names A.J. Pierzynski, Jeff Bagwell and Jeff Kent come to mind.
Yesterday, the baseball veterans committee snubbed Santo along with players like Gil Hodges, Jim Kaat and Maury Wills to keep their club exclusive for two more years. Santo was so distraught about not being chosen, he couldn't even address the media. Why is it that the veterans continue to keep the best National League third baseman of his era out of the hall?
First, Santo, as I mentioned was a tough, fearless, competitor who rubbed several of the athletes in his era the wrong way. In fact, Santo probably was as prickly as Barry Bonds is today. He had the same attitude as players like Don Drysdale and Bob Gibson: "I'm not here to make friends, I'm here to win." His teammates loved him and his opponents loathed him. Santo, I have read, was a notorious bench jockey during his day.
Second, his career numbers while not great ,were above average in an era where all offensive numbers were down, the pitching mound was a lot higher and power pitchers were all the rage. In addition, Santo played the majority of his entire career while hiding the fact that he was a diabetic. There were times, according to Santo, he would be at bat and see three baseballs because his blood sugar got so low. He had to secretly stash candy bars in the dugout and take his shots early in the day at the hotel. Like it or not, it did play a factor in his success on the field.
Today, being a diabetic in professional sports is no big deal. Your diet is monitored. You can take shots in the clubhouse. You are medically supervised by highly trained personnel. Jason Johnson, a pitcher for several teams in the majors was the first Major League Baseball player to get permission to wear an insulin pump on the field.
In the 1960's, being a diabetic and an athlete made you a liability to a society and ownership that thought athletes should be healthy. There wasn't near the technology to monitor your blood glucose let alone during a professional sporting event. And Santo, despite his secrecy, had a great career for a guy who was fighting it every day and had no choice but to keep his disease on the down low.
Defensively, he was at Brooks Robinson good. Do you think Robinson would have made the hall of fame had it not been for the highlight reels he put together in the 1969 and 1970 world series? Probably not. And don't forget, in the 1960's there were no super stations, no Internet and no (gasp) ESPN so other players could follow Santo's "web gems." They saw what happened live a few times a year when they played against the Cubs. American League players never saw him.
The argument that Santo never won a ring or played in a world series is moot because his great teammate Ernie Banks never did and his other teammate Billy Williams never did despite going to the playoffs with the Oakland Athletics. But Banks hit 512 homers (which made it automatic) and Williams had the second longest consecutive game streak (and longest in NL history at the time).
The bottom line is in his era, between the time that Eddie Matthews left the league and Mike Schmidt entered it, Ron Santo was the best at his position in the National League.
Why is it the living hall of fame members don't elect anyone? Ever hear Joe Morgan talk? Ever been to a Bob Feller card signing? These guys have an arrogance and an elitism second to none and like the members of an exclusive country club, rabble like Santo is not welcome. It isn't enough that a lot of the living hall of famers never saw Santo play (either too young or too old) and the ones that did probably comprised the 69% of the vote he got yesterday. Baseball needs to look at this problem and balance the committee so guys like Santo, Hodges, Kaat, Burt Blylevin and Jim Rice have a chance. All are worthy of hall consideration but will never make it as long as the committee is run by snobs.
For a generation of Cubs fans, Ron Santo is the loud guy with the bad toupee who works with Pat Hughes during Cubs games on WGN Radio. To me, the guy was a great payer who did not deserve the slap in the face that he got yesterday.
In 1969, when the Cubs were fighting the Mets for the National League East, I remember how Santo would click his heels after a Cub win. I thought it was really cool that a big shot baseball player could be hainving so much fun. Unfortunately for Cub fans, he didn't do much of that in September.
Most of what I remember about Santo as a players is an intense competitor with a great glove and good home run power. I also remember him as one of the slowest runners in baseball history. When I think of players who are like him today, the names A.J. Pierzynski, Jeff Bagwell and Jeff Kent come to mind.
Yesterday, the baseball veterans committee snubbed Santo along with players like Gil Hodges, Jim Kaat and Maury Wills to keep their club exclusive for two more years. Santo was so distraught about not being chosen, he couldn't even address the media. Why is it that the veterans continue to keep the best National League third baseman of his era out of the hall?
First, Santo, as I mentioned was a tough, fearless, competitor who rubbed several of the athletes in his era the wrong way. In fact, Santo probably was as prickly as Barry Bonds is today. He had the same attitude as players like Don Drysdale and Bob Gibson: "I'm not here to make friends, I'm here to win." His teammates loved him and his opponents loathed him. Santo, I have read, was a notorious bench jockey during his day.
Second, his career numbers while not great ,were above average in an era where all offensive numbers were down, the pitching mound was a lot higher and power pitchers were all the rage. In addition, Santo played the majority of his entire career while hiding the fact that he was a diabetic. There were times, according to Santo, he would be at bat and see three baseballs because his blood sugar got so low. He had to secretly stash candy bars in the dugout and take his shots early in the day at the hotel. Like it or not, it did play a factor in his success on the field.
Today, being a diabetic in professional sports is no big deal. Your diet is monitored. You can take shots in the clubhouse. You are medically supervised by highly trained personnel. Jason Johnson, a pitcher for several teams in the majors was the first Major League Baseball player to get permission to wear an insulin pump on the field.
In the 1960's, being a diabetic and an athlete made you a liability to a society and ownership that thought athletes should be healthy. There wasn't near the technology to monitor your blood glucose let alone during a professional sporting event. And Santo, despite his secrecy, had a great career for a guy who was fighting it every day and had no choice but to keep his disease on the down low.
Defensively, he was at Brooks Robinson good. Do you think Robinson would have made the hall of fame had it not been for the highlight reels he put together in the 1969 and 1970 world series? Probably not. And don't forget, in the 1960's there were no super stations, no Internet and no (gasp) ESPN so other players could follow Santo's "web gems." They saw what happened live a few times a year when they played against the Cubs. American League players never saw him.
The argument that Santo never won a ring or played in a world series is moot because his great teammate Ernie Banks never did and his other teammate Billy Williams never did despite going to the playoffs with the Oakland Athletics. But Banks hit 512 homers (which made it automatic) and Williams had the second longest consecutive game streak (and longest in NL history at the time).
The bottom line is in his era, between the time that Eddie Matthews left the league and Mike Schmidt entered it, Ron Santo was the best at his position in the National League.
Why is it the living hall of fame members don't elect anyone? Ever hear Joe Morgan talk? Ever been to a Bob Feller card signing? These guys have an arrogance and an elitism second to none and like the members of an exclusive country club, rabble like Santo is not welcome. It isn't enough that a lot of the living hall of famers never saw Santo play (either too young or too old) and the ones that did probably comprised the 69% of the vote he got yesterday. Baseball needs to look at this problem and balance the committee so guys like Santo, Hodges, Kaat, Burt Blylevin and Jim Rice have a chance. All are worthy of hall consideration but will never make it as long as the committee is run by snobs.
For a generation of Cubs fans, Ron Santo is the loud guy with the bad toupee who works with Pat Hughes during Cubs games on WGN Radio. To me, the guy was a great payer who did not deserve the slap in the face that he got yesterday.
Comments