Santo 2.0

Billy Williams and Ernie Banks never bothered me. Ron Santo was a different story. Him, I hated. It was a visceral reaction by an adolescent to a ballplayer who could act like a child, clicking his heels after a win or ripping into a teammate (centerfielder Don Young) during the fairy tale-turned-nightmare season of 1969. That probably explains it. I’ve always identified more with the Youngs than the Santos. Ex-Cub Javy Baez is definitely more Santo than Young. Santo clicked his heels, Baez watches his homeruns (even when they aren’t). What’s not for a White Sox fan to hate? Baez was showered with boos throughout the four games Detroit just played on the South Side. Truth be told, he rose to the occasion, with five RBIs, including two on a first-inning homerun yesterday against the enigmatic Michael Kopech. In keeping with his inner Santo, Baez hushed the crowd as he circled the bases and pointed to the name on the back of his jersey as he crossed the plate. Too much is never enough for some people. I wonder what Baez was thinking when Gavin Sheets hit a game-tying homer in the sixth inning or when Robbie Grossman dropped a flyball—his first outfield error since June of 2018—that set up what proved to be the winning run in the bottom of the eighth. The Tigers’ six-game win streak has now gone two games the other way. Sox 4 Tigers 2. If Santo were around, he might advise that a little humility goes a long way in life. And in that he would be right.