Quigley Speaks in Honor of Baseball Hall of Famer Ron Santo

"Madam Speaker, in case you were wondering, that noise you heard from above yesterday morning was an old third baseman clicking his heels.

Finally, on Monday morning, Ron Santo was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Now most people knew Ronnie as the nine-time All-Star, and the five-time Gold Glove winner, one of the top hitters of his era, and the third baseman on Top Ten lists in every statistical category.

And many people knew Ronnie as the lovable voice of the Chicago Cubs, with whom we cheered every homerun, moaned every dropped fly ball, and laughed at life's most human moments in the booth " including a burning hairpiece.

But for his many years on the field, people didn't know that while racking up 342 homeruns and hitting more than 1300 RBI's, Ronnie was struggling with diabetes.

That's because Ronnie accomplished all of this from the roster, not the disabled list, despite his physical struggles.

Ronnie wanted to be a great player, not a great player "under the circumstances.

He fought hard on the field for his team, and courageously in private for his health.

He raised $60 million and a lot of hope for Juvenile Diabetes research, and inspired many to persevere against the odds.

Ronnie died too soon - exactly a year ago this week.

I wish he'd had lived to see this, but I know that he and Harry are sharing an Old Style and toasting to their favorite team.

Here's to Number 10, Ron Santo. Go Cubs!"