OK, I get it now.
Color me converted.
Ron Santo deserves his place inside the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.
Santo should not get his because of declining health, sentiment or that he was a beloved Chicago Cub.
Santo gets in for one reason and one reason only -- on-field performance.
In 2001, Bill James had Santo ranked among the top 100 players of all time, No. 87, in front of Brooks Robinson who James placed at 91.
If you believe James, and I do, Santo is better than half of the players in the hall. He's certainly more talented than the likes of Phil Rizzuto, Bill Mazeroski, Enos Slaughter and that legend Elmer Flick.
Santo, a hot-tempered type, often clashed with media and teammates. He once smacked his manager Leo Durocher, who, if you've read anything about the profane and thuggish Durocher, probably deserved a beating.
Temper and a shorter career probably cost Santo.
Meanwhile, Brooks Robinson, whose career offensive averages fall woefully short of Santo's, was a media favorite. Of course, 16 gold gloves and an unbelievable performance in the 1970 World Series did smooth Robinson's way.
But there is no reasonable explanation of why Robinson breezed into the HOF on his first try with 92 percent of the vote, while only 5 percent of the baseball writers voted for Santo during his first year of eligibility. (Santo, booted off the ballot because he didn't receive 5 percent, was reinstated in 1985.)
Santo wasn't exactly at hack at third, either, as five consecutive gold gloves would attest.
Santo never played in a World Series and was blamed for the Cubs' classic August collapse in 1969. He wasn't the only Cub to stink down the stretch.
Santo played during an era when offensive stats were down and pitchers dominated the game.
To get a sense of where Santo stood during his playing time, 15 seasons between 1960 and 1974, look at where he stands among his peers.
The nine-time all-star -- repeat, nine-time all-star -- was considered among the top five in Most Valuable Player voting twice and top 10 four times. Did I mention Santo won five gold gloves?
Santo knew how to reach first base, leading the National League in on-base percentage twice and walks four times in five seasons. The year Santo didn't lead the league, he was second.
Like Dale Murphy, Santo was hurt by a career which didn't have the normal gradual slide downward. He was an all-star at age 33 and out of baseball two years later. His 342 lifetime home runs may pale when compared to today's inflated numbers, but he has more than Robinson, George Brett, Wade Boggs and George Kell.
If Kell gets in with 2,054 hits, 78 homers and 870 RBIs, then there should be ample room for Santo, one of the best third basemen ever to wear a glove.
