Blog on Watching SANTO funeral on WGN
I watched live coverage of Ron Santo's funeral in Chicago on WGN-web
this morning.
would thousands if not hundreds of thousands of Chicagoans and
Cubs fans around the world.
I cried.
Ron Santo was a star in my youth. He was the younger Ernie Banks.
He went on to other teams and to be a broadcaster for WGN.
A Catholic, his funeral was held at Holy Name Cathedral downtown.
He was wheeled to ICU moments before he was to share
a last supper Eucharist with his best friends at the hospital.
Money was not the issue for ball players in the 1960's.
Players and fans were passionate about baseball.
The eulogies has me crying.
Baseball Commissioner Bud Selllig, who grew up a
Milwaukee Braves
fan. said no player embodies
fan. said no player embodies baseball more than Ron Santo. "If you love baseball,
you love Ron Santo."
The priest spoke of "what a joyful man" Santo was, and
how he always looked at the positive and the future.
After the service the funeral procession made a final circle
around Wrigley Field...via the Tribune Tower...
Wrigley field takes the place of the family home, in
Catholic tradition, because Wrigley was his home
(even when he was on other teams...).
Thousands of fans are outside Wrigley in the freezing cold,
and have been for seven yours or more, to pay a final
respect as the hearse drives by.
Ron was ill with complications of Diabetes and
could not attend the game at which the Cubs won
their first National League Pennant (now misnamed
the Championship) since 1908. He fought his primary
disease was diagnosed in 1959, but he did not reveal
he had diabetes until "Ron Santo Day" in August of 1971.
Diabetes almost kept him out of baseball when he was 18.
He lost his legs to diabetes and continued to work as a coach
and broadcaster. When Ron was playing for the Cubs
his parents were on his way to see him play in Spring Training
and were killed in an auto accident.
He was given no more than twenty years to live in 1959....
since then he led the charge for funding diabetes research.
Some broke out spontaneously into "Take me out to the ball game..."
and "We love you Ron."
As the procession proceeded through the streets of Chicago,
crowds erupted into spontaneous applause, threw flowers
and proudly wore or held up Chicago Cubs memorabilia (despite the cold).
memorabilia (despite the cold). You can hear tears in the voice of some of the WGN Broadcasters, the women.
I was born in 1955. May dad took me to Cubs games
(and occasionally SOX mostly see the scoreboard
explode at the old Comiskey Park whenever the Sox hit a home run).
In later years I ate "Ron Santo Pizza" at both ball parks.
He was a part of growing up in Chicago and a real part of
my relationship with my dad.
Life is slipping away, one life at a time.
Ernie Banks and Ron Santo will forever be the the two Mr. Cubs.
The photo above is of both of their retied roster numbers
The photo above is of both of their retied roster numbers
flying over Wrigley Field.
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