Santo's Rookie Tales

Ron Santo has told the story countless times during his 21 years as the Cubs radio analyst and he shared it yet again with Kenny Albert and Mark Grace during Fox's broadcast of Saturday's game against the White Sox.

"Do you remember your first game?" Grace asked.

"It was the first game of a doubleheader against the Pirates at Forbes Field," Santo said. "Bob Friend was pitching for them and the first pitch to me was a big curveball that buckled my knees and I took it for a strike. The catcher was Smoky Burgess and he said to me, 'That was a big league curveball, son.' I lined the next pitch through the middle for a single. I went 2-for-4 in that game and 1-for-3 in the second game, and we won the doubleheader. The Pirates won the World Series that year."

Santo's major league debut with the Cubs occurred 50 years ago Saturday - on June 26, 1960 - and the Cubs will honor him with a pregame ceremony before Monday night's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field.

He went on to become the greatest third baseman in franchise history with 337 home runs and 1,290 RBI over 14 fabulous seasons.

At least Burgess spoke to the 20-year-old Santo. A major league clubhouse in 1960 was a lonely place for a rookie.

"The only guy to even say hello was Ernie Banks," Santo told the late Rick Talley in The Cubs of '69 (Contemporary Books, 1989). "Nobody else in the clubhouse even said boo. All a bunch of veterans, and nobody even wanted to talk to a kid.

"In high school I had been one of those holler guys, always yelling 'C'mon, babe' from the dugout, and one day I'm yelling and Dale Long is batting, and he steps out of the batter's box, turns and yells 'Will you shut your fucking mouth?'

"Long was tough. One day at batting practice, I'm not sure when it's my turn, so I jump in and the first ball is a bad pitch, so I don't swing. Next ball is away, and I let it go too, and I hear Dale say, 'Get the hell out of here, you make me sick.'

"I went out for breakfast one morning, and I'm early so I sit at one of those big, round tables for six people at our hotel dining room. Then the guys start coming in and filling up the other tables, and nobody will sit with me. The whole place is filled, and I'm the only guy eating at this table. It was like I had a disease.

"But in those days, that's just the way it was for a rookie."

As a broadcaster, Santo leaves a lot to be desired. But after watching This Old Cub and seeing how difficult it is for him just to get out of bed, I have to tip my cap. I'm sorry to read that he is cutting back on his broadcast schedule and hope that he lives long enough to see his plaque in Cooperstown.