On Santo and the Hall of Fame

A change in veterans committee voting could allow former Cubs third baseman Ron Santo to sneak into the hall of fame today.

The revamped system -- which this time narrowed the field to a finalist list before a final vote -- along with pressure on the committee to elect somebody may at last open the door for Santo to join teammates Ernie Banks, Billy Williams and Fergie Jenkins in the Hall. He must be named on at least 75 percent of ballots submitted by up to 64 eligible voters.

Santo's a nice man, whom I've met, but in my estimation he's not hall of fame material. He was a good player, and a fine third baseman, but that's not enough to get you into the hall. A look at his career statistics shows he was a tough out for a handful of seasons, but not necessarily an elite player for his career. Here's wishing Santo luck, but not expecting his induction.

Joe Torre, Dick Allen, Gil Hodges, Jim Kaat, Tony Oliva, Al Oliver, Vada Pinson, Luis Tiant and Maury Wills round out the group of ten the veterans committee had to choose from.