I was eleven years old and standing at fence under the grandstands at Crosley Field. Little League hat and jersey on, baseball glove tucked under my arm, a scorecard and pencil at the ready. The Cubs were in town that day. A lone player came around the corner from the visitors clubhouse. I must have seen him first from my vantage point. I immediately pleaded, in the manner my dad taught me, "Sir, can I have your autograph?" He hit the brakes and spun toward me. The 4' high fence was all that separated us. He reached over and scoops me up and sits me on the top rail of the fence. He takes off my cap and puts his Cubs batting helmet on my head and spins it around like a top. When it stops he tilts it back so he can see my face. He introduces himself(!) and asks me my name which I somehow stammered out. Then he asks me what position I play and who my favorite Red was . I mumbled "Vada Pinson". Then he asked me who his favorite Cub was. I glanced sideways at my dad who mouthed "Ron Santo" and I tentatively repeated it like there was a prize coming if I guessed it correctly. He lowered me back down and then signed my scorecard with a personal note " To George". Then he shook my hand and moved on. I still have that scorecard. That is my #1 sports memory. You can debate Santo's HOF credentials. Personally I put him in the Tony Perez category... one hell of a player and well liked by all but perhaps borderline for the Hall. I'll tell you one thing though; he is a Hall of Famer in my book.
Great, great story, George. My day is brighter because I read your story. R.I.P. Ron Santo. Great 3b and radio analyst for 21 years. Raised millions of dollars for juvenile diabetes research.
I remember him well. I was a NY Met fan and at school in South Bend I watched or read about many Cub-Met games. The 1969 season was memorable. Harrelson, Swaboda and Seaver overtook Banks, Jenkins, and Santo. He took a high hard one from diabetes but dusted himself off and hung tough.
Here is one way to look at it... was he ever the dominant player at his position in baseball or even the best player on his team? It's one of the uncomfortable questions that need to be asked when considering HOF credentials.
The source of this article is unknown. I received it in an email without citation of the source, but I'm guessing it is the Chicago Tribune. If you know the geography of Chicago, you know that this is a very long procession.