Clicking in 1969
Ron Santo first clicked his heels on June 22, 1969, after the Cubs rallied to beat Montreal and remain in first place in the National League East.
It was a spontaneous celebration, the likes of which players of that era rarely carried out because of those “unwritten rules.” But with his manager’s encouragement, Santo kept it going for several weeks following Cubs victories at Wrigley Field.
For the unaware, Santo, an all-star third baseman, would jump into the air and click his heels as he and teammates walked to their clubhouse in the left field corner at game’s end. The little performance was a big hit with Cubs fans, who had visions of a World Series.
Santo’s act irritated some opponents, who accused him of showboating. Imagine their reaction had he executed a Tim Anderson-like bat flip after each of his 29 homers that season.
But that’s not what this is about. Everyone celebrates these days, win or lose. Instead, let’s call this a cautionary tale for White Sox fans, of whom I’m one.
Santo’s heel-clicking, of course, stopped in September as the Cubs’ seemingly insurmountable lead was slipping away. As large as nine games in mid-August, their margin had shrunk to five on Sept. 2 when Santo clicked for the final time. Eight days later, the Cubs fell out of first for the first time all season, passed by the surging Mets, who would win the division by eight games.
I bring this up not to cause further anguish to Cubs fans who have watched their favorite players get traded away this summer but as a reminder the pennant race is a marathon, not a sprint.
It’s only the first part of August but Sox fans and media are talking about October, debating playoff lineups and who starts on the mound in Game 1.
OK, perhaps such optimism is justified: The Sox are a talented team that’s built a nine-game lead in the weak Central Division. They should and probably will win the division.
But there is a long list of humiliated teams that coughed up big leads.
Over 162 games, things can change, like they did in September 2009 when the Tigers, the only team above .500 in the Central, enjoyed a seven-game lead and were printing playoff tickets. They were caught by the Twins on the last weekend of the season and lost a one-game playoff.
And seasoned Sox fans should remember sweating out the final week of 2005 — that championship season — when a 15-game lead on Aug. 1 was down to 1 1/2 games with nine to play.
But enough history and gloomy forebodings.
Even the cheerless Tony La Russa advised us to “enjoy the moment” following his team’s walk-off win over the Indians last Sunday.
Yes, Tony, it’s been fun to watch this team. Rebuilt by trades, the draft and free agency, they have a lot of character — young and old. They’ve overcome a rash of injuries and weathered the controversial La Russa hiring.
Additions such as Liam Hendriks and Lance Lynn added fire, Minor Leaguers became Major League heroes when called upon and the front office was unusually aggressive at the trade deadline.
It’s all made me very happy … but have I mentioned the 1964 Phillies?