Santo Robbed Again
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by user Joebook
Enough is enough. Ron Santo should be in the Hall of Fame.
It's becoming comical to anticipate the vote from the Veterans Committee, knowing that they'll never elect anyone. What's even funnier, is that Santo gets more support every time the VC votes. What made him not good enough two years ago, but more eligible now to seven voters? He came up five votes short today. Five. Ridiculous.
Santo is clearly one of the top-10 third basemen in baseball history. His numbers stack up with anyone, and he did this while fighting Type 1 Diabetes. Should the fact that he battled a terrible disease while posting huge numbers make any difference to his Hall campaign? That's up to you... but I say yes.
Let's go over his achievements:
-- played in 154 or more games in 11 consecutive seasons
-- hit 30 or more home runs in four seasons, and 20 or more in 11 seasons
-- first third baseman to hit 300 home runs and win five Gold Glove Awards
-- elected to nine All-Star games
-- led the NL in putouts seven times, assists seven times, chances nine times, and double plays six times, all Major League records
-- he ranks 4th all-time among third basemen with 342 home runs
-- led the league in walks four times and in on-base percentage twice
If you are counting character and heart, there aren't many people better than Santo. Besides being an inspiration for anyone suffering from Diabetes, his annual walk-a-thon has raised more than $55 million dollars for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation.
Besides the fact that his numbers have earned him a spot in Cooperstown, he's one of the great people in all of baseball. To deny him entry is ridiculous, and to do it with this painstakingly idiotic Veterans Committee is worse.
