Ron Santo
A great tragedy befell the Chicago Cubs and Cubs fans everywhere. Former third baseman, and WGN Radio voice of the Cubs, Ron Santo, passed away. I am stricken with great sorrow and loss. I feel like I have lost a good friend, though I did not know him personally. Today, in tribute of this great man I will tell a story of my favorite memory of Ron Santo.
It was at the Cubs Convention, an event he enjoyed so much because he got to meet the fans. Ron Santo had a booth in one of the halls for the Junior Diabetes Research Foundation. A rumor began circulating that he was going to appear at his booth to sign autographs. A line began forming even though there had been no confirmation that he was going to show up. Apparently it really was a rumor, and an autograph session had not been scheduled, however, the rumor actually made it all the way to Ron Santo himself and he decided he would show up anyway. He walked through the hall to his booth with huge applause. I expressed to him how much I enjoyed This Ole Cub and he said that meant a lot to him, he was very proud of that movie. The most amusing part of the this brief encounter with a great man was when he autographed the prosthetic leg of the gentleman in the booth next to JDRF. A booth that represented prosthesis for disabled Americans and Americans dealing with diabetes.
While we will miss you greatly here on Earth, I find some comfort, and humor, of the image of you and Harry, sharing a Bud, rooting on the Cubbies from your own cloud-shapped sofa in the sky.
Yes, baseball has lost an icon and the Chicago Cubs have lost their biggest fan. It is a tragedy among tragedies that he was never inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown but he will be forever enshrined in the Hall of Fame in our hearts.
R.I.P. Ron Santo
1940-2010