The one thing Chicago Cubs fans seem to love about listening to their team on the radio is former player Ron Santo. Santo is known for being eccentric, to say the least, when it comes to his version of a color commentary. But these days it’s getting a little more noticeable that his health issues are taking a toll on the job he loves so much.
When I think of a Cubs fan I immediately think of Santo. He has stuck with the team through thick and thin and he shares the same passion for the ball club whether they are winning or losing. But his comments have become a little more dramatic over the years. At first he would just say what every Cubs fan was thinking, and that’s what made him beloved by those who love bleed the Cubbie blue. He would hoot and holler when the team would score and he would let out a “Ohhhh” when the team would get a bad call or just could not perform like he believed they could. These days Santo seems to get overly upset about the Cubs making an out in the second or third inning — and let’s face it, that’s usually not much of a game-changer.
Santo has been struggling with type 1 diabetes since he was 18 years old and now at 70, it has began to take it’s toll. Santo announced that he won’t be able to follow the team on many of their roadtrips anymore. I think that this will begin the process of slowly removing Santo from his perch in the Cubs broadcast booth where he has happily sat for the last 19 years. Honestly (and hate me for this if you must) I don’t think that it’s such a bad move. Santo’s partner, Pat Hughes, is a very professional broadcaster and in recent years Santo seems to become less of broadcast partner and more of a fan in the booth. When you are giving a baseball broadcast I believe that’s the job of the broadcasters to work together to give the listener a good idea of what’s going on and not just leave it up to one person to give a break down of the game while you sit there and make noise; it’s unprofessional and it’s unfair to the fans.
Don’t get me wrong, I respect Santo as a player and a person but he really has no place in that broadcast booth. And while the Cubs fans may love him, I think that their radio broadcast will greatly benefit from this change. It’s been suggested that Santo take up a new role in organization — like ambassador to fans — and I couldn’t agree more. The biggest Cubs fan being able to interact with all the other Wrigleyville faithfuls seems like something that both parties could enjoy. The only thing I would oppose is removing him from this organization altogether. The Cubs and Ron Santo go hand in hand and I hope it stays like that for a very long time.
Sources:
Santo to reduce workload as travel, heat take toll [Chicago Sun Times]
