Results tagged ‘ Ron Santo ’
8/8 Santo statue dedication on Wednesday
The Cubs will unveil a statue of late third baseman and broadcaster Ron Santo on Wednesday at the corner of Sheffield and Addison streets outside Wrigley Field. The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. CT, and guests scheduled to attend include members of the Santo and Ricketts families and several of Santo’s teammates, including Ernie Banks, Glenn Beckert, Randy Hundley, Fergie Jenkins, Milt Pappas and Billy Williams. In honor of the event, the Cubs will donate $10 from every ticket sold on Cubs.com using the special promo code “JDRF.” The Cubs play host to the Nationals that night at Wrigley Field.
– Carrie Muskat
7/26 Extra bases
Kerry Wood did not make the trip to Miller Park but stayed in Chicago to deal with flu-like symptoms.Wood was too ill to get on the team bus for the start of the Cubs’ three-game series against the Brewers. Jeff Samardzija will likely fill Wood’s role as the right-handed set-up pitcher.
Catcher Koyie Hill, who had similar symptoms on Sunday, was back and healthy. However, the Cubs were without outfielder Reed Johnson, whose back was stiff and sore, which made him unavailable on Sunday.
“Right now, it’s OK,” Johnson said of his back. “I’ll probably give it a day or so and make sure it’s moving in the right direction and if not, then we’ll have to make a decision as to what to do with me. If things keep moving in the right direction then I won’t have to go on the [disabled list]. That’s always the goal.”
* GM Jim Hendry and his staff were in Chicago to monitor moves heading into Sunday’s Trade Deadline. Manager Mike Quade is staying focused on the current roster. The Cubs began play Tuesday 12 games back in the National League Central. That doesn’t deter Quade.
“Why not?” he said as the team began a 10-game trip against the Brewers, Cardinals and Pirates. “What if we win 10 out of 12 — who knows?
“It’s an interesting division,” Quade said. “What are there, 60 games left? Let’s go play ‘em and see. Daunting task, four clubs in front of you, not having played well, but why not?”
Does that mean Quade wants to the Cubs to be active and make some deals?
“That’s not my business,” he said. “My business is to see if we can beat [Chris] Narveson tonight.
“Time will take care of all the prognostications,” Quade said. “I’m not a lunatic. There’s a lot of work to do ahead of us but we’re playing the right clubs and let’s see if we can’t put something together.”
* Quade and several players took part in the 15th annual Ron Santo golf tournament on Monday to benefit Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
Quade didn’t golf but rode in a cart around the Kemper Lakes course with Santo’s wife, Vickie and “antagonized” the other golfers. Santo, the popular Cubs radio broadcaster and third baseman, died in December 2010. The Cubs will honor Santo when they unveil a statue of him at Wrigley Field on Aug. 10.
– Carrie Muskat
6/14 New Ron Santo book
Pat Hughes has a new book out that’s a collection of stories about late Ron Santo. It’s called “Ron Santo: A Perfect 10,” and is available now on Cubs.com, Ronsantobook.com, or at Chicagoland Jewel and Binny’s Beverage Depot locations. Hughes said orders placed by 12 p.m. CT on Wednesday should get delivery in time for Father’s Day on Sunday.
Santo died December 3, 2010, of complications from bladder cancer. Hughes was asked by the Santo family to be the primary eulogist at the funeral in Chicago. That sparked some memories.
The book features more than 40 voices as current Cubs players such as Kerry Wood, Santo’s former teammates like Ernie Banks and Fergie Jenkins, and some family share stories. Ron Santo Jr. encouraged Hughes to write the book after a conversation at the Cubs Convention in January.
“I just want people to remember Ron with a smile on their face,” Hughes said.
– Carrie Muskat
3/10 Salute to Santo
Cubs players will wear No. 10 caps on Thursday in honor of Ron Santo Day at HoHoKam Park. There’s a No. 10 painted on the field behind home plate and a plaque will be unveiled under the broadcast booth. Fans will get a No. 10 sticker and a baseball card with a black and white photo of Santo at Rendezvous Park in Mesa in Spring Training 1965.
“I didn’t know him near as well as Billy [Williams] and Lou [Piniella] and all the veterans and people around Chicago for years and years,” manager Mike Quade said. “When you interview with somebody, it becomes more of an intimate thing and for those six weeks, I did get to know him.”
Santo never hid his love for the Cubs.
“It was sincere,” Quade said of Santo’s passion. “It wasn’t manufactured for the booth or anything else. I never needed to hear the score when I was in Iowa. All those years, I would turn on the radio after my game and listen to three words out of Ronnie’s mouth — or three groans. [If it was groans], I wasn’t sure how bad we were losing but I knew it wasn’t good. If he and Pat [Hughes] were having fun, then I knew we were in good shape.”
– Carrie Muskat
2/27 Toast Harry & Ron on Tuesday
The 13th annual worldwide toast to Harry Caray will be Tuesday at 5:55 p.m. CT with a special tribute to Ron Santo. Leading the toasts at Harry Caray’s restaurant on Kinzie Street in downtown Chicago will be Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts, Ron Santo Jr., former Bears player Richard Dent and Dutchie Caray.
– Carrie Muskat
2/25 Cubs notebook – UPDATED
Here’s the Cubs lineup for Sunday’s Cactus League opener:
RF Fukudome
SS Castro
CF Byrd
3B Ramirez
1B Pena
LF Soriano
C Soto
2B DeWitt
P Zambrano
Manager Mike Quade says Fukudome appears to be favorite to leadoff, even though last year he hit .193 in 181 at-bats in the No. 1 spot in the lineup. He has a career .233 average as the leadoff man. What Quade is looking at is that Fukudome has a career .335 average in the first month of the season. What was Fukudome’s take on leading off?
“I don’t hate it,” he said, smiling.
Quade didn’t lose any sleep over the winter thinking about lineups.
“I might commit suicide if I find myself in the middle of a bunch of trout or redfish someday and all of a sudden I’m thinking who’s my third hole hitter — there’s plenty of time for that,” Quade said.
* Angel Guzman will face hitters on Wednesday with a live BP session. It will be the first time since the 2009 season. He will throw his fourth side session on Sunday. Guzman is coming back from right shoulder surgery.
* The Cubs moved to HoHoKam Park after Friday’s workout. They will practice there Saturday — no intrasquad game — and then kick off games on Sunday.
* Friday was Billy and Shirley Williams’ 51st wedding anniversary, and their granddaughter Nicollete Simpson’s 21st birthday. She starred at Glenbard South, and now is an outfielder on the University of Illinois softball team.
* Friday also would’ve been Ron Santo’s 71st birthday. RIP.
– Carrie Muskat
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