They Finally Got It Right: Ron Santo Elected Into Hall

Today, Ron Santo was posthumously elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veteran's Committee.  Santo is an iconic figure in Chicago Cubs history.  He made our All-Time Cubs team as well as our 1960's NL All-Decade team.  We actually referred to Santo as the ultimate Hall of Fame snub... that comment probably tells you everything you need to know about how we feel on this matter.  It's a shame that Santo was not around to witness his enshrinement.  Santo was a tremendous fielder, earning five Gold Gloves.  He ranks fifth all-time in assists as a third baseman and 8th in total games played as a third baseman.  Besides being a tremendous fielder, Santo was a very good hitter.  He was a career .277 hitter but he also maintained a stellar .362 on-base percentage and a respectable .464 slugging percentage.  Santo was a beacon of consistency over the course of his 15 year career, earning nine all-star appearances.  He was also made contributions to baseball after his playing years, spending two decades as a Cubs broadcaster and a statue was resurrected outside of Wrigley Field this past August, less than a year following his death, a result of complications from bladder cancer.  Santo represents all that is right in baseball; revered by fans, players and everyone else around the game.  Congratulations to the Santo family and the Cubs organization.

Check out the reaction over at Goat Riders of the Apocalypse, our Chicago Cubs blog roll partner.

All-Time Cubs Team

Continuing on with our All-Time teams, we're talking Cubbies today.  Another storied franchise ripe with history and talent.  It has been a while since the Cubs have won a championship but many great players have donned the Red Cubs C.  Picking this team was fairly easy and you'll find hall of famers at almost every position (the ultimate hall of fame snub; Ron Santo at third base... tried not to go there but couldn't help it).  The only issue that I ran into was in the outfield where I went back and forth between Sammy Sosa and Andre Dawson (my colleagues staunchly disagree and I get it but my stance is what it is).  In the end, I included Sosa on my list because of his achievements as a Cub over the course of thirteen seasons compared to what Andre Dawson did in six.  He hit more HR as a Cub than any other Cubbie in history and ranks among the top ten on the Cubs leaderboard in hits and RBI.  The baggage here is heavy and the decision wasn't easy for me (admittedly, Andre Dawson is one of my favorite players) but I've gotta stick to my guns.  So, without further adieu, check out the all-time Cubs roster and tell me what you think.