CHICAGO (AP) -- The funeral procession for Ron Santo was expected to make a trip Friday past Wrigley Field, giving Chicago Cubs fans a chance for one last standing ovation in honor of the beloved ballplayer who spent 15 years manning third base there before joining the broadcast booth.
Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig and Cubs owner Tom Ricketts were among those set to eulogize Santo on Friday during a funeral service at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago, according to the Cubs. Santo died Dec. 3 of bladder cancer at age 70.
After the service, the casket was to travel down Chicago's famous Michigan Avenue, past the WGN studios where Santo worked as a radio broadcaster, then make a somewhat predictable trip around the outside of Wrigley.
Some Cubs followers said that while they respected Santo as a player and broadcaster, they mostly viewed him as someone who experienced the ups and (more frequently) the downs of his beloved Cubs, right alongside them.
"As an announcer it all came through in his voice," said John Anast, of Chicago. "He was a fan."
Anast got in line at 6 a.m. Thursday for a chance to see Santo's casket - 10 hours before the church doors opened to the public. More than 400 people showed up at the wake Thursday afternoon, braving the snowy, windy weather in a line that snaked around Holy Name Cathedral.
Anast recalled Santo's eternal optimism.
"I remember him saying all we need is a couple of doubles, a three-run homer and we'd be right back in this thing," said Anast, as other fans nodded in agreement nearby.
Jody Kruep, wearing a hat with Santo's No. 10 on the front, said she was such a fan of Santo and his announcing partner, Pat Hughes, that she routinely kept the television turned off to listen to the two of them.
"He was like me. He expressed the emotions I was feeling," said Kruep, a 39-year-old suburban Chicago resident.
Michael Veitch, a school principal, said he was in his 20s when Santo was the "heart and soul" of the 1969 Cubs, which allowed the New York Mets to overtake them for the pennant despite what seemed an insurmountable lead.
Veitch, sporting a 1908 Cubs hat in honor of the last Cubs team to win the World Series, said he enjoyed the fact that Santo never hid his hatred for the Mets for the rest of his life. Veitch said he shares those sentiments.
Had Santo been given a choice between being enshrined in the Hall of Fame or seeing the Cubs just once win a title, he would have taken the championship without hesitation, Veitch said.
"The greater sorrow here, more than the Hall of Fame thing, is that he never saw the Cubs win (the World Series) in his lifetime," Veitch said.
Brad McGlone, 30, said he drove eight hours from Kentucky to pay his respects. McGlone said Santo, who lost his legs to diabetes, once spotted him in a wheelchair during a game at Wrigley Field and started a conversation with him.
"He was my all-time favorite player," McGlone said. "He was like family and (his death) was like losing a member of the family."
On Thursday, family, friends and fans gathered at Holy Name to pay their respects:
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.