Ron Santo elected to Baseball Hall of Fame. Finally

In a long overdue move, former Chicago Cubs third baseman Ron Santo was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee, also known as the Golden Era Committee.  Santo didn’t receive enough votes during the years he was eligible to be elected by the Baseball Writers Association of America in the ‘80s and ‘90s, and had not been successful in gaining entry via the Veterans Committee, despite strong support.

Santo played for the Cubs form 1960 through 1973, and finished his career in 1974 with the Chicago White Sox.  He was a nine time All Star who could hit with power (four seasons with 30 or more home runs, and four with over 100 RBIs) , but who was superb in the field as well, winning five Gold Gloves.  In other words, he was a great overall player.  His numbers are better than some of the third baseman in the Hall, and are comparable to those of Brooks Robinson, a third baseman who played at the same time as Santo and who is also in the Hall of Fame.

In later years, Santo was a Cubs’ broadcaster on radio, and an unabashed cheerleader for the team.   He continued on in the position even after diabetes claimed both of his lower legs.  Santo had diabetes as a player, essentially keeping it a secret so he wouldn’t be forced to retire in that less enlightened era.  Santo dreamed of making the Hall someday, despite all the setbacks in voting, and the day arrived on December 5th, 2011.

One problem, however.  Almost exactly one year ago, on December 3rd, 2010, Ron Santo died of complications of bladder cancer and diabetes.  What we would like to know is if Ron Santo is good enough for the Hall of Fame a year after his death, why the Hell wasn’t he good enough while he was alive?