Ron Santo passed away
BREAKING: Cubs Legend Ron Santo Dies
December 3, 2010 5:04 AM
UPDATED 12/03/10 6:11 a.m.
CHICAGO (CBS) - Legendary Cubs third baseman and broadcaster Ron Santo has died. He was 70.
The Chicago Tribune reported Friday morning that Santo died overnight in Arizona.
Santo lapsed into a coma on Wednesday, and died around 1 a.m. Friday.
He had suffered from Type 1 diabetes throughout his life, and had been through a series of health setbacks, including the amputation of both legs.
“Nobody in 1959 when I was diagnosed at 18, nobody knew what diabetes was all about,” Santo once told CBS 2. “There had never been a player in the Major Leagues that played a full career with juvenile diabetes.”
But Santo had continued to broadcast the Cubs’ games on WGN-AM 720 radio alongside Pat Hughes, and had been expected to return for the 2011 season, according to the Tribune.
Santo was born Feb. 25, 1940, in Seattle, Wash., and spent 15 years in the Major Leagues. Most of his time was spent on losing Cubs teams, most famously the 1969 team that played through a stellar season before collapsing and eventually falling short of making the postseason.
When asked by former CBS 2 sports reporter Howard Sudberry what it would mean to see a World Series, Santo said: “That would be it. I would have lived a wonderful life.” That never came to be, but Santo still became, by far, one of the most beloved players in Cubs history.
The Ricketts family, who own the Cubs, released a statement: “My siblings and I first knew Ron Santo as fans, listening to him in the broadcast booth. We knew him for his passion, his loyalty, his great personal courage and his tremendous sense of humor. It was our great honor to get to know him personally in our first year as owners.
“Ronnie will forever be the heart and soul of Cubs fans,” the statement continued. “Our thoughts and prayers today are with his wife Vicky and their family and we share with fans across the globe in mourning the loss of our team’s number one fan and one of the greatest third basemen to ever play the game.”
Santo’s run with the Cubs lasted from 1960 to 1973. He played one more season in 1974 with the White Sox.
During his career, Santo played for the National League in the All-Star game nine times. He batted .277 during his career with a total of 342 home runs, and 1,331 RBI, according to the Cubs.
Santo joined the WGN-AM radio team as a Cubs color commentator in 1990.
In 1992, Santo was a member of the first Cubs Walk of Fame class, and was named to the Cubs’ all-century team in 1999.
His uniform number was retired on Sept. 28, 2003, during a season that took the Cubs five outs away from the World Series. Santo’s No. 10 now flies from the left-field flagpole at Wrigley Field.
Afterward, Santo hoped for election to the Baseball Hall of Fame for many years, but fell short on all 19 occasions he was up for election, much to the frustration of his legion of fans.
In an interview with CBS 2 Friday morning, Les Grobstein of 670 The Score said Santo’s record should easily warrant election to the Hall of Fame.
“It’s a joke,” Grobstein said. “Compare (Santo’s) numbers offensively to those of Brooks Robinson (who is in the Hall of Fame) when you get a chance… There is no comparison.”
Santo is survived by his wife, Vicki; their four children — Ron Jr., Jeff, Linda and KElly; and their two grandchildren, Samuel and Spencer.
R.I.P.
December 3, 2010 5:04 AM
UPDATED 12/03/10 6:11 a.m.
CHICAGO (CBS) - Legendary Cubs third baseman and broadcaster Ron Santo has died. He was 70.
The Chicago Tribune reported Friday morning that Santo died overnight in Arizona.
Santo lapsed into a coma on Wednesday, and died around 1 a.m. Friday.
He had suffered from Type 1 diabetes throughout his life, and had been through a series of health setbacks, including the amputation of both legs.
“Nobody in 1959 when I was diagnosed at 18, nobody knew what diabetes was all about,” Santo once told CBS 2. “There had never been a player in the Major Leagues that played a full career with juvenile diabetes.”
But Santo had continued to broadcast the Cubs’ games on WGN-AM 720 radio alongside Pat Hughes, and had been expected to return for the 2011 season, according to the Tribune.
Santo was born Feb. 25, 1940, in Seattle, Wash., and spent 15 years in the Major Leagues. Most of his time was spent on losing Cubs teams, most famously the 1969 team that played through a stellar season before collapsing and eventually falling short of making the postseason.
When asked by former CBS 2 sports reporter Howard Sudberry what it would mean to see a World Series, Santo said: “That would be it. I would have lived a wonderful life.” That never came to be, but Santo still became, by far, one of the most beloved players in Cubs history.
The Ricketts family, who own the Cubs, released a statement: “My siblings and I first knew Ron Santo as fans, listening to him in the broadcast booth. We knew him for his passion, his loyalty, his great personal courage and his tremendous sense of humor. It was our great honor to get to know him personally in our first year as owners.
“Ronnie will forever be the heart and soul of Cubs fans,” the statement continued. “Our thoughts and prayers today are with his wife Vicky and their family and we share with fans across the globe in mourning the loss of our team’s number one fan and one of the greatest third basemen to ever play the game.”
Santo’s run with the Cubs lasted from 1960 to 1973. He played one more season in 1974 with the White Sox.
During his career, Santo played for the National League in the All-Star game nine times. He batted .277 during his career with a total of 342 home runs, and 1,331 RBI, according to the Cubs.
Santo joined the WGN-AM radio team as a Cubs color commentator in 1990.
In 1992, Santo was a member of the first Cubs Walk of Fame class, and was named to the Cubs’ all-century team in 1999.
His uniform number was retired on Sept. 28, 2003, during a season that took the Cubs five outs away from the World Series. Santo’s No. 10 now flies from the left-field flagpole at Wrigley Field.
Afterward, Santo hoped for election to the Baseball Hall of Fame for many years, but fell short on all 19 occasions he was up for election, much to the frustration of his legion of fans.
In an interview with CBS 2 Friday morning, Les Grobstein of 670 The Score said Santo’s record should easily warrant election to the Hall of Fame.
“It’s a joke,” Grobstein said. “Compare (Santo’s) numbers offensively to those of Brooks Robinson (who is in the Hall of Fame) when you get a chance… There is no comparison.”
Santo is survived by his wife, Vicki; their four children — Ron Jr., Jeff, Linda and KElly; and their two grandchildren, Samuel and Spencer.
R.I.P.
