Posted on 07/22/2012 10:01:44 PM PDT by Beave Meister
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. In one of baseball's sweetest traditions, Stan Musial would play "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" on his harmonica for the so-called seventh-inning stretch of baseball's Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Johnny Bench has stepped in for the 91-year-old Musial, doing a pretty good Harry Caray imitation.
On Sunday, in Ron Santo's honor, Bench put on a Cubs jersey before he went to the podium and slipped into character.
"Ron would have loved it," Vicki Santo, Ron's widow, said afterward. "He and Johnny were such good friends. He would have thought it was hysterical. He would have laughed hysterically."
There were tears in Cooperstown on Sunday, for sure. But with regard to the Cubs' third base and broadcasting legend, they were the kind that Santo's daughter, Linda Santo Brown, had said her father would have cried had he lived to see his induction as one of 297 members of the Baseball Hall of Fame.
(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...
It’s about time that he was inducted. And I’m a South Sider.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.