Heading into the off season the Cubs had some glaring holes they needed to fill. They needed a manager, firstbaseman, left handed power, middle relief, but perhaps no bigger hole to fill than the one that opened yesterday when Ron Santo passed away.
The Cubs are now charged with finding a new wingman for Pat Hughes. For twenty-one years Ron groaned, cheered and banged the desk in response to the success and failure happening below him on the field. To say he was the Cubs radio analyst wasn’t truly accurate. He was more the Everyfan that was allowed to enter the broadcast booth. He couldn’t describe a play or analyze a game situation, certainly not in recent years. But the one thing that Santo had like no other was his passion and excitement for his beloved Cubbies.
When the news broke that he died I was surprised even though he had unbelievable health issues to deal with. I am surprised that I am as sad as I am at the news as well. He frustrated me on the radio with his constant comments about Hughes’ tuna stained sweaters or repeating what Hughes said seconds after Hughes said it or trying to analyze a recent play by saying “Let me look at the replay.” But he also captivated me in a way with his expressions while a play was in progress.
I had even mentioned to my cousin Matt that I thought this was going to be Ron’s last season (2010) because his health seemed to be failing, but to his (Ron’s) credit he never complained or made a big deal of his condition.
So now the Cubs need a broadcaster. Given how Ricketts has screwed up the entertainment tax for renovating Wrigley and, depending on your opinion, how he handled the Quade/Sandberg issue, Ricketts will screw up Santo’s replacement. I can only imagine that Ricketts has Dave Otto on speed dial.
There are a lot of candidates out there, some available and some currently under contract with other organizations. Since Bob Dernier is on the coaching staff, I don’t see him moving to the booth, but Dernier’s teammate Keith Moreland would be an excellent choice.
Rick Sutcliffe would be the pinnacle but he may not be available. Bringing back Mark Grace would be a good move also, but in an interview today it sounded like, while he’s open to returning to the Cubs, he’s only interested in the TV side of analysis.
There’s no reason to believe the Cubs will make the right decision, I can only hope they won’t submit us to a season long give and take of Pat offering Dave every palindrome he can think of.
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2 comments:
Nice tribute to Ron - you did a good job of balancing the frustrations that often came with listening to him do a game with the respect and brotherhood of a true fan, as evidenced by his genuine reactions (as opposed to the tired and calculated catchphrases of a Hawk Harrelson, for example).
Of the possible replacements you mention, Moreland is by far my favorite. Sutcliffe never impressed me on ESPN, and his drunken appearance on a Padres broadcast really soured me on him. I found Grace to be downright irritating as a Diamondbacks announcer - way too over the top. I haven't heard enough of Dernier to comment, but I've heard all I ever care to hear from Dave Otto - let's hope they steer clear of him.
Who makes the ultimate choice? I'm sure the Cubs/Ricketts get approval rights, but does WGN actually make the decision?
Thanks David!
I'm surprised that I'm as forgiving on Sutcliffe as I am. I have no tolerance for alcohol related incidents. Maybe it's the 16-1 in 1984. Or maybe I'm just another braindead sports head who worships athlete despite their flaws (don't think so).
Grace gets sucked into over the top with his partner, Darren Sutton. If he were partnered with someone else, he'd be even better.
Since 'GN has done Cub games forever, I don't know whether the team or station owns the rights to the broadcasters. I think it's the station.
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