Last week I popped in the DVD of This Old Cub. I know that it has been written about over and over again. But ladies and gents, it's time for Ron Santo to take his place in Cooperstown next to Fergie, Ernie, & Billy. When you look at third sackers only Mike Schmidt is clearly above Santo. Santo's numbers compare favorably with the numbers of HOF third baseman Brooks Robinson and Eddie Matthews (players who played in Santo's era).
What keeps Santo out of the Hall? There are a bunch of theories:
- The Cubs of the late 60's already have three players in Cooperstown, even though they never won.
- Santo was loved in Chicago, but nationally he was virtually unknown.
- Many of Santo's NL peers hated his antics on the field. His clicking of the heals in 1969 was considered show boating -- an absolute no-no in those days.
- The Don Young incident.
- Many don't like that Santo and Tribune owned WGN TV & Radio have been campaigning for his induction for years.
Everything listed above is crap.
Santo deserves his day in Cooperstown. He's not being voted on by snot nosed writers who only know Santo as the Cub fan broadcasting games on 'GN Radio. With Santo's peers making the call he should be in. Hell, when you watch This Old Cub every veteran in the HOF claims to have voted for Ronnie.
It would be great to see Ronnie finally get the call on Wednesday. History tells us that it won't come that easy for #10. It's a shame. One day Ronnie will get the call. I hope the Veterans do it soon enough so Ronnie can answer the call and enjoy his moment in upstate New York.
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