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The documentary "This Old Cub" doesn't wallow in nostalgia in its reverent homage to Ron Santo, the Chicago Cubs' longtime third baseman.
There's some looking back, especially at the heartbreaking season of 1969 when the Cubbies were overtaken in the last month of the season by the New York Mets, but the film primarily focuses on Santo's life in the present.
In the 1960s, Santo typically slugged 25 or more home runs and drove in around 100 runs per season while playing third base for the Cubs. For his career, the nine-time All-Star won five Gold Gloves for his defense and finished with 342 homers and 1,331 RBI, which clearly place him among the best to ever play the position.
Santo accomplished all this while living with Type 1 juvenile diabetes, which he was diagnosed with in 1958 when he was 18. In an era when ballplayers played hurt for fear of...