More surgery for Ron Santo

[clemente21]

http://www.suntimes.com/output/cubs/...t-santo06.html

This is just not fair...

Legendary Cub Ron Santo said Monday he has to have surgery to remove tumors from his bladder.

During an interview on WGN-AM, Santo said a recent physical found blood in his urine and that doctors then discovered the tumors. The tests showed the tumors were contained and doctors were optimistic about his prognosis, he said.

The nine-time All-Star planned to fly to Phoenix to consult with doctors and hoped to have the surgery by the end of this week.

"I feel once they get those (tumors) out, I'll be fine," he said.

[sweaver]

Part of the medical adventures diabetics must face. Awful as it is to say, it may be his medical difficulties that get Santo elected (and deservedly so) to the Hall of Fame by the Veteran's Committee.

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The Cubs running his number up the pole to go with Banks' number Sept. 28 was a classy thing to do. Although late, it was not too late.

Santo not being in the Hall is a great example of HoF voters’ inability to understand the era in which he played in relation to the other eras of the game. How often has it happened when a man’s greatness goes unrecognized until after he passes? It’s always a shame, always a mistake.

sweaver -- You’re right. It is a shame that it’s taken Ron’s debilitation, coinciding with the Cubs’ success, to “bump up his thread,” if you will. But it’s not too late to correct the mistake.

A gift? No way. Acknowledgment.

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[KCBOOMER]

Another tough break for Santo. I wish him well. Really a nice gesture by the Cubs.

Santo, to me is the classic candidate for the VC to correct a BBWAA oversight. He never really captured the public imagination as an HoFer. His career was over well before OBA and OPS and positional evaluations became popular. I really thought he would get in last time. I thought there had been enough press coverage to get the message through to the members of the VC.

What I failed to evaluate was how the new composition of the VC would effect the election of passed over players. Once they gave the ballot to the existing HoFers Santo was doomed. To quote/paraphrase that legendary evaluator of baseball talent, Joe Morgan, "We only want great players in the HoF". Everybody wants into the HoF but once they are in it they want it to be an exclusive club.