I get some fan mail from time to time and it’s always good to hear from you, the home reader. Over the years, I’ve written a lot of very nice things about Cubs legend/broadcaster Ron Santo, and I’ve also written some not so positive things about his broadcasting ability–or lack thereof.
You can’t deny that Ron holds, and deserves, a very special place in the hearts and minds of Cubs fans. He was a great player, he has shown incredible courage dealing with diabetes and as an announcer…he’s…well…, he’s…oh, never mind.
Early last year when it looked like the Rickettses were going to be the new owners of the Cubs I wrote an open letter to Tom Ricketts. Most people got mad that I had an idea of where to put a jumbotron at Wrigley. But in that same piece I came up with a clever idea (“clever” giving me too much credit) for what to do with Ron Santo the broadcaster.
My idea was to record what he says in the booth during games, but not broadcast it live. Then edit it into the highlights at the end of the game. That’s the stuff people like. Him yelling at home runs or moaning about errors. During the game it’s mind numbing to listen to him pick the worst possible times to read faxes to us or tell the story about his toupee catching fire at Shea Stadium…again.
When the Rickettses finally did get control of the team in August, I updated the letter to Tom.
If you remember how things went last year, especially in August when the Cubs were turning in one turd performance after another, you will remember that Santo went from a somewhat endearing homer fan boy to a full blown on air grump. He just moaned and complained and completely phoned it in. And when you think about how low he’d set the bar in the first place, the fact that you could accuse him of trying even less to do his job was jarring.
I’m not going to pretend that watching the Cubs last August and September was fun. It wasn’t. But if you are a professional broadcaster, you could at least try to explain what was going so terribly wrong, instead of spending three hours literally moaning on the air. If you want to do that, it’s your right. But do it from your living room.
So, I wrote this, as an addendum to the Open Letter To Tom Ricketts that I re-ran on August 24 last year.
Santo has never been a good analyst, but this year he just stopped trying. He apparently thinks it’s his right to just sit in the booth and complain and grunt and not even attempt to offer any insight into what’s going on down there on the field. If he’s not going to put any effort into his job, why should any of us care if he gets fired? Because he’s far more of a mascot than an analyst it’s unthinkable that the Rickettseseses would get rid of him in their first year. But this isn’t Mike Illitch firing Ernie Harwell from his job with the Tigers. Ernie was still trying and still getting it done. Santo needs to go. His terrible effort this year should cost him any shot of staying on the broadcasts in any capacity, even if it’s just pregame work. I can’t emphasize strongly enough just how terrible he’s been. Aaron Miles has had a better season than Ron Santo.
Apparently, the Interwebs connection to Evanston is a little slow these days, because these comments just reached a guy named Eric Hemesath. He e-mailed me twice last night once from his gmail account and once from his Northwestern account.
Here’s the first, from 12:36am
Hey Man,
I’m a long time Cubs fan and saw your site. I’m curious…. How much $$$$ have you made talking shit about the Cubs?
As everyone knows, blogs make huge sums of money. The few ads that I do have on Desipio alone have made me rich beyond my wildest imagination. I mean, nobody rakes in money like the Hockee Night guys, but I just want to assure you out there, we’re all rolling in dough from putting three text ads on our homepages. And this is why we do it. To be rich. I literally just write mean things I don’t believe about the Cubs because it’s profitable. Skip Bayless taught us all well. Say whatever will get you paid and do it so often that you no longer remember what you believed in the first place.
I thought that one was kind of funny. The second one? Well, this one is a doozy.
Here it is from 1:08am
Aaron Miles has had a better season than Ron Santo.
Are you kidding me with this? Aaron Miles without a doubt had the worst season on the Cubs last year, and I’m sure (because you are a worthless fuck) that is your point. People like you disgust me. You are a complete ass clown. You can’t expect perfection 100% of the time in baseball. The game doesn’t work like that. Ron Santo is in the position that he is because he flows perfectly with the emotions of the game. Its obvious that the only emotions that you feel (or at least what you write about on your cool website) are disgust when things go wrong with the Cubs.
Why don’t we focus on you? Why do you advertise for credit consolidation and conseling? Maybe because your sponsors put money in your otherwise empty wallet which makes your opinion biased and overall worthless. Fuck you.
I wish people like you didn’t exist. Baseball is not a game where you can be perfect. Any fans that expect perfection are delusional, which is the category that you clearly fall in. Your god damned website leads to more ass clowns talking shit about the Cubs in the stands when the true fans are trying to watch a game. The Cubs are one of the most unique franchises in baseball and leeches like you only bring it down. I hope you develop cancer and your website stops
The bold and italics were his. And that’s how it ends. It just stops…at the word stops.
I want to commend him on so succinctly summing up what goes on here at Desipio. Yes, we are the ones who are responsible for the ill-informed rantings you hear come out of the stands at Cubs games. I do agree that the Cubs are one of the “most unique franchises in baseball.” Nobody does what they do as often as they do it. I think we should just sit back and enjoy it without complaint.
So thank you, Eric Hemesath of Northwestern, you have shown me the light.
The Cubbies are awesome and anything they do this year is fine by me.
Sorry Eric, I couldn’t hear you over the sound of my cheddar being stacked.
Just to be safe, I banned this guy from my site.
You can rake it in too, just start selling Desipio thongs.
Pfft, until you’ve had some asshat actually threaten to get his brother to knock your teeth out for calling out Santo as the clownish buffoon that he has so readily become, I’m afraid I’ve got you beat, Andy.
http://hirejimessian.com/2009/07/01/the-case-against-ron-santo/#comment-44976
I hate Cub fans more and more with each passing year.
Oh, Andy…
http://lauhon.mccormick.northwestern.edu/Eric.htm
Eric is still just pissed that I left him years ago.
Biographical information (http://lauhon.mccormick.northwestern.edu/eric/about.html)
Currently, I am in my fourth year of graduate study and have an anticipated graduation of summer 2010. I am originally from Dubuque, Iowa and went to Coe College to get my B.A. degrees in Physics and Computer Science.
I enjoy competitive athletics and actively participate in baseball, curling (yes the funny ice sport), intramural football, golf, running, and biking. I also enjoy a good single malt scotch, and it is my lifelong desire to be in Wrigley Field when the Chicago Cubs win the World Series. (One can only hope.)
According to that site Chuck linked to (http://lauhon.mccormick.northwestern.edu/eric/about.html)
Eric “enjoy(s) a good single malt scotch”.
I’d say he had enjoyed a good half-dozen single malt scotches before he spewed that retardedness.
I am the voice of reason!!!
http://lauhon.mccormick.northwestern.edu/Eric.htm
Tom Monaghan (Dominos Pizza) was the ‘tard that fired Ernie Harwell. Actually he hired Bo Schembechler and made Bo do it. Monaghan also let Tiger Stadium fall to shit so there was no alternative but to build a new ballpark. He called Detroit fans the worst in the world, a sentiment which the fans no doubt reciprocated towards him. He later sold the Tigers to Mike Illich, who managed to restore some sensibility to the franchise.
An open letter to Eric Hemesath:
Dear Mr. Hemsath:
Please stop writing, and return to the Tech catacombs, you are lowering the value of my degree.
Sincerely,
The Hawk
Thank goodness I was an arts student.
Hemesath backwords is The Shame!!!! He is a handsome man, though.
Is baseball a game where you can be perfect?
Where are there adds for credit consolidation and “conseling”?
I assume that google is once again serving up what this dude
needs.
Eric Hemesath? He’s still mad that I told him he can no join my fan club back in 2004.
Son of a bitch. This guy just had to be from Iowa, didn’t he?
Nobody loves me like Iowa Cubs fans, female doges!
Where is this “cool” website you speak of ?
Dear Mr. Andy (if that is your real name), I read your headline with interest, expecting to learn when Mr. Santo’s birthday will be. Much to my surprise all that I can remember about your article is a bunch of self promotion and how much money you and hockey players like you make. What that has to do with Mr. Santo’s birthday is beyond me. Anonymouse
Al did a piece on Santo’s birthday last week, but nothing like this! So what is the Desipio Community projection for Eric Hemesath? Will he reach Elias Coblentz status?
To whom it may concern,
Please stop with the deriding of Santa. He just wants to give the kids presents.
P.S. I am not a crackpot
Wow, there’s a lot to like about this. First, that somebody with that level of education can write something so incoherent. Second, after looking at his web site, that he feels the need to have a resume page with no resume, and then an experiences page with his resume. I mean, instead of saying, “My resume is available on request,” you could just say, “You can find my resume by going to my ‘experiences’ page.” Or you could just put your resume on the frickin’ resume page and save everyone the time and aneurysms.
Does it bother anyone else that a nutbag like this has access to a variety of scientific materials and has found himself in positions of teaching others, because it scares the shit out of me!
It’s not like I have access to enriched uranium! You have to go to the University of Chicago or Fermilab for that!
“But if I kill all the golfers. they’ll lock me up and throw away the key…”
“Fifth year graduate student”? Eric, what’s taking you so long?
Further proof that anyone who brags about enjoying a single malt scotch is a douchebag. Oh, and can he possibly look more like a Chad?
I’m ashamed for my alma mater. First Blago, now this.
Eric has that “YOU!, are the ball lickers!” mentality going for him, which is nice.
If blogs make money, who wants to go in on a co-op? I’ll upload video reviews to Youtube.
Go ©ubbies!
I think Andy touched a raw nerve:
Second, take that fucking fax machine they have in the booth and throw it out the window. This is not 1994. Who the hell even has a fax machine to send Pat and Ron faxes anymore? What the hell? How about the Square D Carrier Pigeon relay? Or the Square D telegraph?
From Eric’s site:
Please feel free to contact me with any questions, comments, or concerns.
Email: xxxxxxx
Phone: (xxx) 491-xxxx
Fax: (xxx) 491-xxxx
And he likes to play with atom probes. Gross.
wait you can’t be perfect in baseball?
Assclown is one word.
Grad students are a different breed than the undergrads. We don’t claim this idiot.