I was sad to hear about the passing of Ron Santo, legendary Cubs player and broadcaster.
As a player, Santo was a borderline Hall-of-Famer. I'm not going to start that debate, so let's just leave it at he was a tremendous ballplayer. Unfortunately, he never got to play in a postseason. In fact, Santo played in the fifth most amount of games in baseball history without making a postseason appearance.
As a broadcaster, Santo was the epitome of what you learn NOT to do in broadcasting school. Shouting over the play-by-play guy, moaning, cheering, and the general flood of emotions at the simplest of plays is something that you learn to keep in check over time.
Yet, Ron Santo got away with it. He was allowed to do all of those things because he wasn't just a former Cubs player or the Cubs announcer. He was bigger than all of that. He was the voice of the fans.
I am not much of a Cubs fan and have said many times that "Pat Hughes is a saint for putting up with Ron Santo for all those years." Even still, I can appreciate an iconic figure and Ron Santo certainly was that and more to Cubs fans.
The Cubs family has lost a legendary member, and the broadcasting fraternity has lost a one-of-a-kind personality. Ron Santo will be missed.
No comments:
Post a Comment