Santo good as gold

The Wrigley Field roof was festooned Monday with pennant after pennant reading, "SANTO 50."

The Cubs officially celebrated the 50th anniversary of Ron Santo's Cubs debut before Monday's game with a ceremony that included Santo throwing out a first pitch.

The 70-year-old Santo came up with the Cubs on June 26, 1960 and played for them through 1973 before spending one season with the White Sox and retiring to private business. Santo returned as a radio color man in 1990.

"I threw out the first ball in '89," he said of the National League championship series. "I had never been at Wrigley Field with lights. And I had never been in postseason. When I got out there to throw the first ball, I said, 'God, I'd love to be here when the Cubs win.' I said, 'I'd love to be a part of this organization.' I didn't want to manage. I didn't want to coach. I never thought of being a broadcaster. The following year, they called me and asked me if I'd be interested. I auditioned, but I thought no way in the world they're going to give me this job."

Santo and Bob Brenly both got radio jobs for the '90 season, and Santo has been the fan in the booth ever since.

"When they said they were hiring both of us, I said, 'Are you sure about that?' " he said. "After my first year, I was so embarrassed that I thought this isn't for me. I went in to see Dan Fabian (of WGN). He let me hear a tape. I never wanted to hear a tape. He said, 'That's you. We want you to be you. We don't care about you being a broadcaster. We want you to be you.' And that was it."

If there's one more thing Santo could get, it would be election to baseball's Hall of Fame through the Veterans Committee.

"You never put it to bed," he said. "I mean, come on. My flag being retired (in 2003) without being in the Hall of Fame was the biggest thing that's ever happened to me. To me, that was the Hall of Fame. This has been my life for 50 years. If you think about it, I wouldn't be around.

"What I went through, the with the diabetes and all the operations, every time I walk into Wrigley Field and I'm up in the booth, I don't have a problem in the world other than moaning and groaning a couple times when the Cubs aren't doing well. The fans, the organization, you (friends in the media), kept me alive. I believe that very strongly."

This and that: The Cubs went 8-10 against the American League, bringing their all-time interleague record to 98-107. - The Cubs faced Pirates lefty Paul Maholm Monday night. It was the 11th game this month they've faced a left-handed pitcher. They were 6-4 in the first 10 games.