Ron Santo died today. I gave up the baseball writing bit awhile ago because there are so many guys that do it better. One of those guys is Andy Dolan of Desipio.com and I highly recommend you all go over there and read his excellent tribute to Ron. For myself, I'm merely going to say that I'm sorry to Ron Santo for not appreciating him. The last two years the Cubs have sucked and having Ron in the booth moaning and groaning gave me an easy person to bitch about, when really he hadn't changed much at all from the guy I used to laugh with and at during my childhood. I'm not the only guy out there who probably feels like he's lost a part of his youth today. I'll miss you, Ron. For his part, I hope the Hall of Fame committee doesn't vote him in now, since he told them they could kiss his ass if they wanted to do it posthumously. Ron deserved the hall decades ago, and they never gave it to him. Let them live with their decision rather than take some easy-out from their guilt by giving it to him now as a hollow gesture. Cub fans know who Santo was and what he deserved. The Hall of Fame couldn't possibly add anything to his unimpeachable place in their memories.
Good bye, Ron. I don't envy Pat Hughes' job this spring when he was to open up the season in a booth that will never feel the same again.
