What's that breeze you just felt stirring? The winds of change? Jim Hendry on Bean Burrito Night? Nope. More likely, you just felt the precursor of the mighty gales that will be generated by Carlos Pena as he whiffs his way through the 2011 season at the Friendly Confines. Pena signed a one year deal with the Cubs rumored to be worth ten million wingwangs. While Pena did hit 28 homeruns last year, he struck out 158 times, just 38 Ks shy of his batting average of .196. Christ Almighty, even Koyie Hill managed to break the .200 mark last year. Pena is a solid fielder and at least Hendry didn't give him a four year contract with a no trade clause.

Mike Quade and the Cubs have chosen Mark Riggins as the successor to Larry Rothschild. If you're now saying to yourself "Who the fuck is Mark Riggins?", you're not alone. Riggins was the Cubs' minor league pitching coordinator and previously served as the Cardinals' pitching coach in 1995 before becoming their minor league pitching coordinator for the next twelve years. Let's hope he learned something from Dave Duncan while he was there. Does this mean no more towel drills?

As the news of Ron Santo's passing spreads today I'm sure the Cubs blogosphere will be swirling with eulogies about Ronnie and his lifelong passion for the Chicago Cubs.

About the all star third baseman who played the position better than anyone in his era save for a guy named Brooks over in Baltimore.  About the man who longed to be inducted into the Hall of Fame but sadly came to the realization in the last few years that he'd not likely live to see the day happen.  About the radio broadcaster that grunted and guffawed on air much like one of your uncles might while watching the game in their easy chair.

For me though Santo's most lasting impression was his long time battle with diabetes.

Like Ron, I have Type 1 diabetes, also commonly called Juvenile Diabetes.  Type 1 accounts for less than 10% of all diabetic cases out there, with all the others being the much more prevalent Type 2.  With Type 1, the pancreas stops creating insulin for your body altogether and thus you are dependent on insulin injections for the rest of your life.  I consider myself lucky that my onset of the disease didn't occur until I was 21 years old and almost finished with college.  I was able to have a full childhood, free of diabetes and the difficulties that can come with it while growing up.

When I was first diagnosed I had no idea how my life would be from then on.  The immediate assumptions I made were that I would be restricted from many things that others take for granted.  I soon learned that was not the case at all.  I could essentially keep doing everything I did normally, except now I had to give myself shots on occasion and prick my finger a few times a day.

But Ron Santo was one of the first people I saw that helped me realize I could still do anything I wanted.  Having been diagnosed with the disease shortly before joining the Cubs, Ron had to manage it in a time without modern devices that give you nearly instant blood sugar readings or the luxury of synthetic human insulin, and all the while playing professional baseball.  He basically had some syringes and pig insulin and had to figure out most of it on his own.  His ability to persevere through this is astounding to me.  Most importantly it's a true testament to anyone suffering from Type 1 diabetes that the disease is in no way a barrier preventing you from accomplishing anything in your life.  As corny as this may sound, in the early years of my diabetes, whenever someone would tell me I couldn't do something because I was diabetic (more often than not these people were grossly misinformed), I would imagine Ronnie's voice in my head saying to me "You can do anything you want."  That was all the boost I needed when facing discouragement or adversity due to my condition.

It'll be 10 years next spring since I was first diagnosed.  Ron Santo proved to me that diabetes is not a death sentence and certainly not a restriction from enjoying your life.  And I'll continue to remember him when I'm still enjoying life 50 years from now.

Thank you Ron and God bless.

In honor of Ronnie, I wholeheartedly encourage anyone to give a donation to JDRF.

I'm sure someone else here will go a little more in depth on this later (okay, I'm not so sure), but (shoulda-been-a)Hall of Fame Cubs third baseman and broadcaster Ron Santo has passed away:

I'm not going to lie - the last few years of Santo's broadcasting career made me hope he'd retire, but I'm pretty sad he's gone. Listening to him call a game was like watching it with one of your uncles - sure he'd lose track of who was up or what happened, but he definitely loved the Cubs and the sport of baseball - apparently in that order. And that has to count for something.

EDIT: You know, this upsets me more than I think I realized. Ron Santo is dead and Hawk Harrelson still walks the earth? No justice.

Source.

Really?

Former Cubs infielder Ryan Theriot has been traded from the Los Angeles Dodgers to the St. Louis Cardinals, the Cubs' most hated rivals. As if that wasn't enough, Theriot, who was a fan favorite when he was here in Chicago, commented that he was "finally on the right side of the Cubs-Cardinals rivalry." (CSNChicago.com)

Go guzzle a hose that sprays syphilis-infected dicks, you banjo-hitting, overrated sack of shit. Don't think being on the Cardinals will get you out of some time in the FIREBARN. I never thought you were that good, and now I don't even have to pretend to give a shit whether you live or die. I hope St. Louis has a great time watching you throw two-hoppers to Pujols and pissing away scoring opportunities by failing to steal bases, you baseball-illiterate dolt.

Source.