For those who hadn't heard, former player, current broadcaster and all-around Cubs lifer Ron Santo passed away last night. He was only 70 but he has always had numerous health problems and it was complications from bladder cancer that finally got him.
I'm not a Cubs fan by any means but you didn't have to be to appreciate him and If you listened to a lot of Cubs games, you understand why this is a tough loss. He was just a good, likeable person, simple as that. I actually dislike the Cubs but listening to Santo would often have me rooting for them. He was the only outright homer that actually made it work; not just bearable but enjoyable because it was crystal clear with every call that he lived and breathed Cubbies baseball. Seriously, every win sounded like game 7, every loss sounded like he was ready to jump off the Sears Tower (listen for yourself here).
With his warm personality and ultra-positive demeanor, Santo was nothing short of an inspiration. I'll certainly miss his stories about the National League of yesteryear, which wig he decided to wear that day & the origin of the scrambled egg stain on his pants. Baseball is worse off for having lost him and my thoughts go out to Cubs fans, the city of Chicago and the Santo family.