"One for the Road:" Ron Santo - In His Own Words

By Chuck Sudo in News on Dec 3, 2010 10:30PM

Looks like most of the comments today have been centered on Ron Santo's passing and whether or not the man deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. We'll join that argument another day. What should never have been in dispute was Mr. Santo's toughness and especially his lifelong efforts to educate people on and fight diabetes.

This was a man who lost two of his legs from the knee down to the disease, who sometimes played with a blood sugar level so low that he saw three pitches coming his way when he was at bat. And he still persevered, hoping beyond hope that the Veterans Committee would one day put personal differences aside — Santo was a fierce competitor who never took losing, or winning, in stride — and vote him into Cooperstown.

Last year, Mr. Santo wrote an article about his struggle with diabetes for Guideposts which is a must-read for its honesty and emotion.

"I couldn't accept that a disease would stop me from using my God-given gifts. Reporting to San Antonio in 1959, I felt great. To look at me you'd never guess I was sick. I didn't even have to take insulin yet. With exercise and proper diet, I figured I'd be able to keep my diabetes under control.

"I did. I hit .327 with 11 home runs and was considered one of the stars of the league. Between innings, I'd eat a Snickers bar or drink some orange juice if I felt my blood-sugar level dipping.

"Snacking in the dugout was common, so no one on the team suspected a thing. And I wasn't going to let any of them know. I wanted my teammates and fans to think of me as a ballplayer—not as someone who needed their sympathy."

Knowing what we know about diabetes, keeping it a secret for fear of ruining your career seems unthinkable now. In this regard Mr. Santo was a trailblazer for other athletes with diabetes, including Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, that they didn't have to let the disease stop them from achieving their dreams.

even though Mr. Santo never shied away from talking about his fight with diabetes, the testimonial shows a side of the man that he didn't always share in the broadcast booth, and a great way to honor his memory today.