Mattie T’s Tribute to Ron Santo (1940-2010)

The Chicago Cubs & all of Major League Baseball lost an icon today, as 9-time All-Star 3rd baseman & former radio broadcaster Ron Santo passed away on Friday at the age of 70.

Ronald Edward Santo was born on February 25th, 1940 in Seattle, Washington and was diagnosed with type-1 diabetes at the age of 18.

At the time Santo was diagnosed, his life expectancy was at just 25 years old.

Even with his health in question, Santo signed as a free agent 1 year later with the Chicago Cubs, and made his major-league debut on June 26th, 1960 against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

His first major-league hit came in his debut off Pirates pitcher Bob Friend, who was a 18-game winner that season.

Santo made the first of 9 All-Star Game apperances in 1963, as he also broke a 59-year National League record with 374 assists.

He won five consecutive Gold Glove awards from 1964 to 1968, as he also led the National League 3 straight years in walks from 1966 to ’68.

Santo’s best season came in 1969, as he drove in a career-high 123 runs & also started on the National League All-Star team alongside his teammate, shortstop Don Kessinger in Washington, D.C.

He also started the “heel click” after a game on June 22nd, 1969 against the Montreal Expos after the Cubs scored 4 runs in the 9th inning to win 7-6 on a two-run walkoff homer by Jim Hickman.

Per manager Leo Durocher’s request, Santo continued the heel click after every Cub home win that season at Wrigley Field.

The heel click stopped suddenly, as the Cubs were unable to hold onto their NL East lead after losing 17 of their final 25 games.

Santo was almost dealt to the California Angels in 1972 for pitchers Andy Hassler & Bruce Heinbechner, but the deal was rejected (per Santo) as he preferred not to play for a West Coast team.

He was eventually traded to the rival Chicago White Sox, where the Cubs received three pitchers in return which included Steve Stone, who would wind up working with Santo in the broadcast booth two decades later.

After a failed designated hitter stint & limited time at 2nd base, Santo retired after 15 seasons in the Majors.

In 1974, Santo began endorsing his annual walk to cure diabetes for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation & helped raise over $60 million.

He began his Cubs’ radio broadcasting career in 1990, as he almost lost out the job to Bob Brenly, who is now the Cubs’ TV color commentator.

Pat Hughes became his new radio partner in 1996, as the twosome started the “Pat and Ron show” during broadcasts which featured a lot of unforgettable laughter during stories that the normal baseball fan wouldn’t encounter during a game.

It seemed as if no topic was off limits when these two were on the air together, as everything from Santo’s hairpiece to Santo’s favorite in-game foods were discussed.

His jersey number #10 was officially retired by the Chicago Cubs in a special pre-game ceremony on September 28th, 2003 where he proudly told the sellout crowd at Wrigley Field that “this is my Hall of Fame”.

This Old Cub was released in 2004, which was a documentary based on the life of Ron Santo that was written, co-produced & directed by his son Jeff.

In the later years before his death, Santo did as many radio games as he could with his partner Pat Hughes, as he had to miss some occasional time due to health ailments.

One thing was for certain though. The Chicago Cubs were always #1 in Santo’s heart, and it showed in his broadcasts.

Santo is survived by his wife Vicki, his two sons Ronald & Jeff Jr, his two daughters Linda & Kelly, and a host of grandchildren.

A public visitation is scheduled for Thursday, December 9th at the Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago, with a funeral mass set to start at 10am on Friday, December 10th.