ron santo is in my hall of famer collection

it was an oversight on my part that i didn't include ron santo on the initial list of hall of famers that comprised my hall of famer collection. i corrected that mistake late in 2019, and picked up this card for my collection:

that is a 2004 topps retired signature edition auto. here's the back:

look at that career record marred by a final season on the other side of chicago. 

i was too young to follow baseball while santo was playing, and i really didn't learn much about him until 1984 when i caught cubs fever and began collecting their topps team sets back to 1970. i think the first santo card i picked up was his 1972 topps semi-high number, oddly enough. even then, i didn't pay too much attention to santo until he was an annual topic of discussion related to his hall of fame status in the 1990's.  when he failed to be voted in by the writers during his first 15 years of eligibility, the discussion turned to the veteran's committee.

during that time, i was a supporter of bert blyleven (who was in a similar boat as santo) for the hall, and so became better acquainted with the argument for santo's inclusion, and began hoping for him to make it as well.  i told santo as much the one time that i met him. i was in chicago for a work event circa 2005 or 2006, and he had been retained by a competitor of my firm to socialize with people attending the conference. he signed baseballs (unfortunately, they were those cheap baseballs that don't hold signatures) and chatted with fans. when i reached him, he had probably been doing this for an hour or so, but he was very nice and we had a short but substantive conversation about baseball, my son, and his career. he thanked me for my well wishes regarding getting that call from cooperstown, and i could not have been more sincere about my hope for him to finally be inducted.  the call finally came in december of 2011, but unfortunately it was a posthumous honor as santo had died in 2010.

blyleven was quoted often as noting that he had not won any more games since he retired, and so he was of the opinion that someone is a hall of famer or they are not. he also noted before he was finally elected, that he hoped to be on the right side of the grass when the honor came. i tend to agree with bert on both points, and i think it is a damn shame that santo wasn't elected until after he passed away.

here's my hall of famer collection as its been documented so far:

babe ruth - 2003 topps tribute world series edition world series tribute relic 351/425

honus wagner - 2001 topps tribute relic

nap lajoie - 2002 topps tribute milestone materials relic

tris speaker - 2011 topps tribute dual relic green parallel 53/75

eddie collins - 2002 topps tribute milestone materials relic

george sisler - 2004 topps tribute hall of fame tribute relic

dizzy dean - 2001 topps tribute relic

bob feller - 2001 topps archives certified autograph

jackie robinson - 2004 topps clubhouse collection clubhouse relic

ted williams - 1992 upper deck baseball heroes autograph 1067/2000

stan musial - 2002 topps team topps legends autograph

yogi berra - 1998 donruss signatures significant signatures 1640/2000

sandy koufax - 1998 donruss signatures significant signatures 1707/2000

roberto clemente - 2005 donruss greats hall of fame souvenirs relic

warren spahn - 1999 upper deck century legends epic signatures

mickey mantle - 2000 upper deck legends legendary game jerseys relic

willie mays - 1997 topps willie mays reprints certified autograph

al kaline - 2001 fleer greats of the game autograph

duke snider - 2003 upper deck sp authentic chirography hall of famers 144/250

bob gibson - 2001 fleer greats of the game autograph

hank aaron - 2004 topps originals 1979 topps all-time record holders rbi 03/32

frank robinson - 1995 upper deck autograph

don drysdale - 1993 nabisco all-star autographs

harmon killebrew - 2000 upper deck legends legendary signatures

pee wee reese - 2001 topps tribute relic

jim hunter - 1998 donruss signature series significant signatures 0736/2000

willie stargell - 2000 upper deck legends legendary signatures 

jim palmer - 2001 fleer greats of the game autograph

fergie jenkins - 2013 topps five star baseball autograph 154/333

gaylord perry - 2003 topps finest finest moments autograph

rollie fingers - 2018 topps archives signature series 1978 topps buyback 1/3

hal newhouser - 1993 front row premium all-time greats autograph

reggie jackson - 2018 topps tier one tier one talent autograph 19/60

steve carlton - 2018 topps five star career year autograph 43/45

mike schmidt - 2002 topps archives autoproof 1980 topps buyback 048/147

phil niekro - 2017 panini donruss recollection collection 1983 donruss buyback autograph 13/33

don sutton - 2001 fleer greats of the game autograph

carlton fisk - 1999 upper deck century legends epic signatures

tony perez - 2004 fleer national pastime 2002 fleer greats authentic autograph buyback 30/59

dave winfield - 2003 upper deck sp authentic chirography hall of famers 121/350

ozzie smith - 2019 topps finest finest origins autograph

gary carter - 1999 fleer sports illustrated greats of the game autograph collection

eddie murray - 2004 upper deck sp legendary cuts legendary sigs 45/50 

dennis eckersley - 2017 topps archives signature series 1984 topps buyback 47/99

paul molitor - 2016 topps museum collection archival autographs 021/125

bruce sutter - 2003 topps all-time fan favorites certified autograph

cal ripken jr - 2018 topps high tek portraitek autograph 32/75

jim rice - 2005 upper deck past time pennants past time signatures

andre dawson - 2000 fleer greats of the game autograph

bert blyleven - 2004 upper deck legends timeless teams autograph

ron santo - 2004 topps retired signature autograph

greg maddux - 2018 topps luminaries masters of the mound autograph 13/15

pedro martinez - 2018 topps high tek portraitek autograph 09/60

ken griffey jr - 2003 upper deck game face autograph

tim raines - 2018 topps tribute tribute autograph green parallel 26/95

alan trammell - 2001 fleer greats of the game autograph

roy halladay - 2017 topps archives signature series 2004 topps buyback 15/23

pete rose* - 2018 panini flawless legendary signatures 15/25

barry bonds* - 2001 bowman heritage autographs

roger clemens* - 1995 upper deck autograph

 

you can find the full list of hall of famers (and some not - yet) that i aim to include in this collection at my want list site.