Ron Santo finally will be enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame this weekend. It is long overdue.
The following poem was written in 2010 in honor of Mr. Santo, who gave so much for so many kids, and especially those with juvenile diabetes.
For Every Kid: A Tribute to Ron Santo
You played the nation’s greatest game
with talent and with fire,
reaching deep within yourself
yet always reaching so much higher.
It is a game learned by boys,
yet also played by men.
You played the game so you’d inspire
everyone to have some fun –
so men would play like boys again.
There was a joy to making catch
that others might not make,
or to drive the runner home
when victory was at stake.
Every game was a test
of stamina and will.
You always gave your very best:
you played with passion;
you played with skill.
Stars may dim but never rest.
And when the games were over
and the crowds were getting thin,
you gave yourself to different cause,
more determined now than ever
to fight the fight and to win.
You saw the children suffer
from the burdens that you knew.
You gave your all the only way
that you knew how to do:
have a passion; set a goal;
make a plan; then pursue.
You knew their hurt; you knew their pain;
you knew the fear in each one’s brain.
You showed them courage;
you gave them hope.
You taught them how to live and cope.
You showed them that there was no shame.
You gave yourself; you gave your name:
you kept the kids in the game.
So thank you, Mr. Santo,
for everything you did;
for the game; for the Cubs;
and most of all – above it all –
for the love you showed for every kid.
You fought the fight every day
and still you played the game.
The Biggest Leagues have called you up;
you’re a star in every sense:
You’re in Heaven’s Hall of Fame.
©Daniel Mark Extrom 2010-2012. All rights reserved.
Tags: "daniel mark picture poems", "Hall of Fame", "poems of inspiration", "Ron Santo", anniversary poem, baseball, chicago cubs, Health, Heaven's Hall of Fame, JDRF, Juvenile Diabetes, legacies, memorial poetry, passion, picture poems, poem, poetry
